Its so annoying! =[[[[

mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
my live rock is just covered in really ugly hair algae. its just COVERED. u cant see the rocks anymore and its just growing and growing. i take out like hand fulls every time i stick my hand in there. its getting on my nerves and is so ugly. WHAT SHOOULD I DO PLEASEEEEEE
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2948733
How old is your tank?? What kind of CUC do you have?? And what kind of water do you use??
my tank is about a year old but its been there for like 4 or 5 months now. its really gotten out of hand. i use a sea clone protein skimmer and a very large power head that gives really good flow throughout the tank. i buy my water from my LFS and they say the water comes from a company called Catalina.
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
ok it said i have to do it manually.... ive been doing that for a LONG time now and the next morning i wake up all of it is back.
 
pete159

pete159

Member
i had the same problem so i bought a canister filter to add to my filtration and added ehiem pro substrate to it, plus kent de nitrate as well as the sponges for the first layer of filtration. This cleared up the hair algae real fast.it also stopped the red carpet algae.
 
marcb

marcb

Member
Originally Posted by Mr.clownfish
http:///forum/post/2948718
my live rock is just covered in really ugly hair algae. its just COVERED. u cant see the rocks anymore and its just growing and growing. i take out like hand fulls every time i stick my hand in there. its getting on my nerves and is so ugly. WHAT SHOOULD I DO PLEASEEEEEE
I had the beginnings of a hair algae problem, but now the stuff is completely gone. I added algae eating fish, 1 yellow tang, 1 Powder brown, 1 small rainfordi Goby, and some additional snails (nerites). They got it down to nothing in a week or two.
I also have a pair of diamond gobies to keep the substarte stirred up and prevent algae from forming in the sand.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
MarcB has a good idea with livestock, however it will not cure the cause of your hair algae.
You see, hair algae is fueled by (for the most part) phosphates. While, if you test your water, you may not even see phosphate present. This is because the hair algae has taken the phosphate molecules into their cell structure. (essentially phosphate has become part of the plant.)
Phosphate is introduced into your tank by overfeeding and also bad top off water. A TDS reading of 1 could equil .25ppm of phosphate. (if that were the only element that has leaked through the membrane) If you are using dechlorinated tap water, you could easily have a TDS reading of 80-1000+.
Keeping an eye on how much you feed and your TDS reading can really help clear up hair algae.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I just told you how to clean up the source of your phosphates, here's some ideas that can help you eradocate (sp?) once you take care of your source.
1. Add a bit larger clean up crew.
2. Manually pull it out, but every time you pull it out, dip your fingers in freshwater to kill the spores. If you don't kill the spores, it will just go elsewhere in the tank and start again.
3. Add a UV sterilizer. This basically kills all the remaining spores and keeps it from spreading after you manually pick it out.
4. Add a phosphate reactor. This step (and the UV Sterilizer) is not necessarily needed. But, by getting rid of your phosphates all together, you will keep the hair algae from spreading.
5. You could try a seahare. Though, I have never personally used one, I have heard great results. Others have reported negative results though, so this one is up to you.
6. In a fish only tank, you could try a product called "Algae Fix Marine" by API. I've heard great results with this product, but be sure to follow the directions to the letter.
Good luck and have fun!
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
Originally Posted by MarcB
http:///forum/post/2948825
I had the beginnings of a hair algae problem, but now the stuff is completely gone. I added algae eating fish, 1 yellow tang, 1 Powder brown, 1 small rainfordi Goby, and some additional snails (nerites). They got it down to nothing in a week or two.
I also have a pair of diamond gobies to keep the substarte stirred up and prevent algae from forming in the sand.
well yeah i would do that too if i had a big tank but mines only a 40gal. i have a pygmy angelfish and a sally light foot but theres not much they can do. what if i got like 20 turbo snails...?
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
http:///forum/post/2948842
I just told you how to clean up the source of your phosphates, here's some ideas that can help you eradocate (sp?) once you take care of your source.
1. Add a bit larger clean up crew.
2. Manually pull it out, but every time you pull it out, dip your fingers in freshwater to kill the spores. If you don't kill the spores, it will just go elsewhere in the tank and start again.
3. Add a UV sterilizer. This basically kills all the remaining spores and keeps it from spreading after you manually pick it out.
4. Add a phosphate reactor. This step (and the UV Sterilizer) is not necessarily needed. But, by getting rid of your phosphates all together, you will keep the hair algae from spreading.
5. You could try a seahare. Though, I have never personally used one, I have heard great results. Others have reported negative results though, so this one is up to you.
6. In a fish only tank, you could try a product called "Algae Fix Marine" by API. I've heard great results with this product, but be sure to follow the directions to the letter.
Good luck and have fun!
i dont have any phosphates
im using Salifert phosphate killer, its been like 2 months now im using this product. i had a small nitrate problem and my lfs recommended AZ-NO3 and my nitrates are under control. my ph is at 8.2 cause i use coral buffer. i have 2x65 watt PC's and i turn the lights on at 8 in the morning and turn it off at 6 at night. but its growing like crazy! i take out a hand full almost everyday have it all comes back. my leather is just taken over by the algae it still hasnt shed.
 
marcb

marcb

Member
Originally Posted by Mr.clownfish
http:///forum/post/2948875
well yeah i would do that too if i had a big tank but mines only a 40gal. i have a pygmy angelfish and a sally light foot but theres not much they can do. what if i got like 20 turbo snails...?

Yeah, I see in a 40 gal my specific livestock list wont work for you. However, the theory is the same. I actually stocked for tank maintenance first, now am adding the 'show' fish.
I would add some algae eating snails (nerites and turbos) to your tank. My hair algae was the same as yours, btw. No phosphates, but WILD hair algae. The entire back wall of a 240 gallon tank covered with 3-4" long hair algae is a sight to behold!!! I kept one rock that had a flowing 6-8" head of hair until last. It just looked so cool.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Replace your bulbs. The spectrum on your bulbs have changed, causing more yellow light. Hair algae loves yellow light.
I already told you that you will not see phosphates in your water column. The hair algae takes it up. The only true way to use a phosphate removing media is by fluidizing it. If you just put it ina nylon sock, your not really doing much good at all.
Also, decrease your photoperiod. You should cut your lights down to four hours a day and keep it on a timer.
 
jcarroll

jcarroll

Member
I had this problem also, and it was in a tank that was about 2 years old. All I did was for about 5 days straight, I only turned on the lights for about 30-45 minutes. It was long enough to let the fish wake up and eat, and then as soon as the food was gone, I shut them back off. The algae went away and never came back. That was about a year ago.
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
I guess everyone has this problem once in a while?
I solved my problem a few months ago with a phosphate reactor. It took about 10 days but it was all gone. But i never addressed the source of all the phosphates i was taking out. I got cocky and removed the reactor to another tank and before it could solve that tank's problem the first tank was back in full bloom!
Oh! That business about adding Tangs? Maybe my algae is a lousey flavor 'cause my 8 large Tangs never go near it. Maybe if i stopped feeding them they might...but i don't want to.
This week i've launched a four pronged attack:
1. Replaced all bulbs (they were a year old)
2. Replaced all RO/DI cartridges (also a year old)
3. Re-installed reactor with a fresh batch of Rowa-phos
4. Bought 80 large turbos (but they won't be out of quarantine for 14 days).
My last cause of the problem (I chronically overfeed), I can't really address because my goal is to get all my Tangs to
GROW I want my Hippos over 12" and my Desjardinii and Purples at least 10-12". I don't think the Yellows can get that big.
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
http:///forum/post/2948964
Replace your bulbs. The spectrum on your bulbs have changed, causing more yellow light. Hair algae loves yellow light.
I already told you that you will not see phosphates in your water column. The hair algae takes it up. The only true way to use a phosphate removing media is by fluidizing it. If you just put it ina nylon sock, your not really doing much good at all.
Also, decrease your photoperiod. You should cut your lights down to four hours a day and keep it on a timer.
ive only had the pc's for 4 months now, i was using 2x25 T-5 lighting for about 7 months then i switched to the 4x65 watt pc's, should i change the bulbs already?
 
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