Pics my algae problem. Need help

[pituca]

Okay I kind of need some help. I started a simular post under New hobbyist, however I think it might be better here, since i was not able to recieve an answer. So I am a new to the hobby, as it will soon be painfully obvious. I had a fresh water tank 55 gal in a movie theater I worked at and I loved the tank. I left that job last year and I really missed the tank so I decided to get one for my self, February of this year. So I started to price out tanks and checking every thing online for what was needed, I knew I wanted now a salt-water tank after seeing this site. Late April early May I got a tank for an unbelievable price the tank and stand (metal) was cheaper then most 75gal. By then I had read two books on the subject and for the next 3 and a half months I started purchasing the equipment. Filter, Skimmer, power heads, lights. Finally late July I was able to get the L.R. I purchased 170 pounds of it. For the next 5 weeks I cured them the I got substrate. My Girlfriend got a P. puffer about 4 weeks ago, and a friend of mine just gave me a Flame angel fish, I actually am not 100% sure they are compatible. Anyway the puffer still really small and the angel is still in QT. My problem started with algae about two weeks ago and now I am scared. I am not sure what kind of algae it is and what to do about it in the my book it mentions that algae is good. Any way I ‘ll post pics of the tank.

 

[pituca]

Ok here they are. Be brutal I need all the help I canb get.

 

[pituca]

I am usind a RO-DI unit for the water the salt is reef crystal the tank is 72/18/24. the light is a Coralife Lunar Aqualights Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights. I am keeping them on for about 8 hours a day. I have been testing the water pretty regularly since this started, the nitrite, and amonia are at 0, the nitrate is about 5.0, the Ph is in the test kit darker then 8.4 but lighter then 8.8, at least that was todays test it actually stays about the same always. I have 4 power heads running in there 2 maxi jet 1200, 1 aqua-clear 70, and one via aqua 1,300. I also got my canister Rena XP3, and Coralife Super Skimmer Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer for 220. Oh and the salinity is at 1.024. In the tank now I have a small Porky puffer, 10 small crabs to feast on algae, 3 fighting conches, and 3 cleaning clams. I know I am not suppose to keep the puffer and crustacians together but from reading some threads I thought it might be okay since the puffer is only 3" big. There is also a sand shifting gobby I don't know why but LFS person sold them together to my G.F.

 

[bellanavis]

I feel your pain, my tank is overgrown with hair alge also, and everthing I do does not work. If I could only find some sea hares, they worked last time. Try to get some of them, they eat it.

 

[katieb]

New also but my advise would be to try to remove some yourself, rub down under saltwater in your sink since it is so bad. How long has the hermits been in?? They should help. Also heard that purple tang clean algea also, but no experience myself w/ them.

 

[pituca]

th crabs have only been in for about a week but they don't seem to be going up the rocks. they are preety active on the sand but are not making much of a difference. So you saying that I shoul remove all the Live Rock and rinse it. Wouldn't that dammage the rock :notsure: . Interesting

 

[poniegirl]

For starters, I love your tank! I may be a bit off my rocker, but aside from the plant growth, your tank looks clean.
Your puffer will outgrow that tank, so be ready to make a decision.
How often and how many gallons are your water changes?

 

[pituca]

Thank you verry much, I do water changes now every 2 weeks 20 Galons per change. Actually 15 of salt water I top it of with Ro water then fill the rest up after I clean all the substrate.

 

[renogaw]

what are your phosphates at?
hermits wont eat hair algae. you need to either pull it off or get an algae eating fish.

 

[drewdog82]

I have been battling hair algae for a while. I finally got it way down. A fuge growing some sort of macro algae will be a huge help. Also, turbo snails will eat the hair alge, as well as a lawnmower blenny---although they only like the small pieces, so u still may need to pull some. Emerald crabs also will help.

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by drewdog82
I have been battling hair algae for a while. I finally got it way down. A fuge growing some sort of macro algae will be a huge help. Also, turbo snails will eat the hair alge, as well as a lawnmower blenny---although they only like the small pieces, so u still may need to pull some. Emerald crabs also will help.

correct, a faster growing more aggressive algae in a fuge will deplete the nitrates and phosphates that hair algae need to grow. i never heard turbo snails will eat hair algae.

 

[drewdog82]

Originally Posted by renogaw
correct, a faster growing more aggressive algae in a fuge will deplete the nitrates and phosphates that hair algae need to grow. i never heard turbo snails will eat hair algae.
My Turbos glide over the stuff, eating only what is trimmed, they wont eat the very long pieces.... Also, I forgot to mention, I also bought a pincushion urchin and he is really going to town on my hair algae....

 

[renogaw]

omg yes, my urchins eat algae like crazy (i have 5 im trying to get rid of).

 

[rara12]

I agree with urchins, They dont even have to be the pretty ones (although all urchins are pretty). I had 3 in my 30 and never had an algea problem. Now that im setting up a 125 i plan on keeping 5-8. Work better then anything.

 

[drewdog82]

Originally Posted by renogaw
omg yes, my urchins eat algae like crazy (i have 5 im trying to get rid of).
How big is your tank, to have 5???
I have 1 in a 55 and I was trying to find the blue tuxedo pincushion.
*** 1 other thing, when I said Turbos, I meant the Mexican Turbos.

 

[teen]

mexican turbo snails and a queen conch will mow that stuff down. i have two mexican turbos in my tank(my queen conch died) and a persian conch. the persian conch stays mostly on the glass and sand bed, but when i first started my tank, i had a break out of hair algae, and within like3-4 days the queen conch and mexican turbos took care of all of it. thats was like 7 moths ago and i have not had any since then. you can actually watch the mexican turbos and the queen conch eat the patches, they will most likely go right for it if you decide to put them in your tank.

 

[alyssia]

I agree w/the turbo snails. I had a big hair algae problem in my seahorse tank. I added two turbos and the algae was gone in nothing flat.

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by drewdog82
How big is your tank, to have 5???
I have 1 in a 55 and I was trying to find the blue tuxedo pincushion.
*** 1 other thing, when I said Turbos, I meant the Mexican Turbos.

they were hitchikers, i originally had about 15 of them.
no, i don't have enough algae for them and all but one is in my QT keeping control of the algae in it.
im honestly trying to get rid of them but i can't see shipping them due to the cost of shipping is too much compared to how much they can be bought for.

 

[rrundle77]

get a foxface it will be gone in 2 days

 

[winstew]

I had hair algae and my Lettuce Nudibranch cleaned the whole 72 Bow in about a week and a half. Well worth the $7.99 IMO. But you really need to find out whats causing it to spread. How old are your bulbs?