I had it ! HAIR alage ! did everything !! HELP ME !

newfishliny

Member
I have hair alage for aleast a month , bought everything from pads to powders , nitriate removers, did water changes. spent $$$$ trying everything. whats up , last thing would empty my hold tank wash all rocks corals , then is it in my refugeium too.
what really can I do , my phosphates are low lights are new .
I clean it daily its impossible, I am sure there are others out there.
this is no joke , 90 gal reef 21 fuge 20 gal sump
help me
new fish
DON
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Post all of your test scores, all numbers.
New lighting can do this to a tank
Do you have a cleanup crew, what do they consist of?
Are you using a protein skimmer?
Sand or crushed coral.
Sometimes even though you have low or no phosphates or nitrates it can still be causing the problem as the hair algea will use it up as soon as it can and you will not necessarily see it on the test score.
Thomas
 

michaeltx

Moderator
been there done that broke my tank (100 gallon) down a few months ago because of it and started over. thread "I QUIT"
along with Thomas Q's
what tankinhabitants do you have?
what type of lighting?
what timing schedule for the lighting?
what type of water do you use?
and what type of salt mix do you use.?
Mike
 

dreeves

Active Member
When you say you clean it daily...are you removing the stuff from the tank completely? Or is there stuff floating in the tank after wards?
Phosphates even at low levels can cause algae problems.
Are you using RO/DI with your water changes?
There are several different ways to attack micro algae...but prior to any attack..you have to have an idea as to where it is getting it source of nutrients to survive from...if you cannot remove the source...you are in essence..shoveling it right up against the tide.
 

sterling

Member
I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat with hair algae. Have been battling it for almost 2 months. Thought I was winning for awhile but now, ugh!!
I'm almost to the point of saying "that's it!" also.
My water tests are all good. My lighting is only about 4 or 5 months old. I've gotten 6 royal urchins, alot of snails, crabs, 2 sally lightfoots, a lawnmower blenny and recently a foxface, to no avail.
Anyone else with some sort of miracle, chime right in here before I throw in the towel and dismantle.
My other thought is, I never had this problem with my PC's, I may take down the MH's and put the PC's back on. Don't know how much my corals and clams and other stuff will suffer though.
 

doodle1800

Active Member
Algae to me is the most discouraging thing in this hobby. I have bubble algae, and very little hair algae, but I hate it. It makes the tank look dirty.
question... when you break down a tank, how do you remove algae from your LR without ruining it completely?
 

nas19320

Active Member
There's a product called something like AZ-NO3 that is suppose to get rid of hair algae and be completly reef safe. I don't know much about it though.
 

buzz

Active Member
What does the hair algae look like in your tank? Is it just stringy filaments? Or does it resemble a fern, kind of in a fan shape?
The latter would be bryopsis. My 2 new best friends are the 2 big lettuce nudibranch (t. crispata) that I put in my 100g. They are chowing down on the bryopsis I have.
The answers to the above posted questions are important as to the cause of the algae as well.
BTW - Doodle? Get an emerald crab, and that bubble algae will vanish before your eyes...
 

doodle1800

Active Member
Thanks Buzz...
Rich..
Doodle comes from Rich - another name for ----, Dicky Doodle - to doodle.... (nickname at work)...
 
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