I'm Sick Of Green/hair Algae!!

J

jessicarabit

Guest
:help: Someone please direct me to some postings (I know they're out there) or give me direct advise on this hideous issue!! I have got green/hair algae problem out the ying yang. It started about 3 months ago & I started tested my water... 0, 0, 5, 8.0, did freq. h20 changes, scrubbed/scrapped as much as I could, turn lights out for as much as I could, perm. reduces timer to only 8 hrs daily, took off 1 of the compact hoods, got a 2nd protein skimmer (both built into a filter, was getting waste, now none???), removed most of the 100 pds of LR & left them in buckets w/o light (stinky), got phosphate pads for algae removal & it seem to work but now it's back. I'm gonna order more phosphate remover however much it takes, but I want this stuff to just go away!!! Please anyone...BETH, TERRY!!! Thanks, Thanks
p.s. I recently lost my 3 (divas) scarlet cleaner shrimp to old age...did they help with this problem.
 
oyam1

oyam1

Member
look for some animals that will eat it.
just keep up with the good water quality.
and keep them sleeping at work!
 
bencc

bencc

Member
What kind of water are you using for water changes and topping off. I had a horrible hair algae problem also I got a lawnmower blenny and started using distilled water to do top offs and water changes it was gone in about a month. I was using ro water from my lfs but I guess something is wrong with there ro unit because that is deffinitly where my problem was coming from becasue after all the hair algae was all gone I was worried about my lmb starving so I started using there water again and now it is coming back a little.
 
J

jessicarabit

Guest
I USE MY OWN R/O & ALL FILTERS ARE LESS THEN A FEW MONTHS OLD.
 
jjbroxi

jjbroxi

New Member
:cheer: I had the very same problem, very hairy!! I bought an algae blenny and i kid you not! The problem was cleared up in 2 days!!!! They are magic!!!!:happyfish
 
sterling

sterling

Member
I had hair algae so bad I almost gave up and was thinking about dismantling my 125 reef!! But I hung in there. It took about 6 months of heavy duty cleaning and work, but I'm completely hair algae free.
Here is what I did:
cut down the lighting to 6 or 7 hours daily
threw away alot of the LR that was beyond help, pulled out remainder and scrubbed under hot water with small stiff brush
scraped sides of tank daily or at least every other day to get hair algae off
cleaned filters pads alot
put a phosphate sponge in filters
did several 50% water changes, about one a month
but the main thing that helped was critters......i bought 4 royal urchins, alot of huge turbo snails and one lawnmower blenny
the lawnmower really worked over time, i credit him with alot of the disappearance. he use to have a huge tummy. i just found him a new home with RobChuck who said that the blenny is chowing down on the hair algae in his tank.
 
J

jessicarabit

Guest
thanks for the advice. i ordered a bleenie & already have emeralds. i dont have so much time to scrub everyday & i'll try the lm bleenie before i give up my LR. i will try large water changes, but i really don't wanna reduce the lighting anymore being i have shrooms & bubble coral.
 
g13

g13

Member
Hey Jessicarabit,I am in the same situation you are in.......................wait a minute, boy would I like to see what you look like................lol
Have you tested your phospahate level? Most likely your phosphates are high, you might want to get a phosban reactor and run rowaphos in it. It'll eliminate phosphates and silicate, the food source of the hair algae.
What I did on my tank was scrub the rocks free of hair algae and installed a phosban reactor. My phosphates are going down and I haven't seen a hair algae growth yet (it's only been 2 weeks).
I also purchased a Lawn Mower Blenny about 2 months ago and he did me no good. The LMB would chomp at the hair algae and then spit it out. He ate none of it all he did was eat off the glass sides of the tank.
What does your cleanup crew consist of?
If you want info on where to get a phosban reactor, email me.
pipn8ez13@aol.com
 
neowind

neowind

Member
I am also in this horrid situation. I came back from vacation and it was everywhere. I mean like 4 inches deep in my sandbed. I am going to try some of the suggested stuff and see what happens. My Yellow Tang use to eat it all until I started putting seaweed in there and now he won't eat it.
 
j-cal

j-cal

Member
Heres what i did--
Aggressive pulling of hair 2-3 times a week for about 5-10 minutes a shot (pretty much until i got bored)
I had tried P sponges in the past to no avail....but changing my carbon on a weekly basis started the decline in algae after about 3 weeks. Its not gone now, but is receding
Justin
 
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