Problem with Hair alage-Need help

[tomsalyer]

How do we control this hair alage. We use liquid calcium and we add trace elements weekly. Nitrate, Nitrites,Amnonia,PH regularly and all seems to be within acceptable range. We recently just did our first partial water change 2 weeks ago. We have one green emerald crab, 6 snails, 5 hermits, 2 clowns, 2 damsels, one purple and yellow fish (not quite certain what it is but it is pretty)
tank is 55 gallons has aproximatly 100lbs of live rock and 40lbs crushed coral started in may doing very well it has already established but now hair alge has become a problem....
anyone suggest something to combat the alage.. other than weeding my garden.

 

[viper_930]

Are you using tap water? Exactly what are your nitrates and phosphates at?

 

[birdy]

With that much algae more than likely your phosphates and nitrates will register 0 on a test kit because the algae is using it all.
If you are not using RO/DI water start
If you are using it, test it!
If you do not have a refugium with macro algae I suggest you set one up.
Weekly 15% water changes, pull your rock out and scrub the algae off of it in a bucket of saltwater with a stiff toothbrush.
what type of lighting and how old are the bulbs, reduce your photoperiod big time, until the algae is dead.
I would run some phosphate removing media.
Beef up the cleanup crew big time.
The biggest thing is you must remove the algae from the system, if it dies in the system it just becomes food for more algea.

 

[sharkbyte1023]

You definately need more of a cleaner crew. Sally light foots are great algae eaters but from time to time they will go after a fish and i have seen them tear an anemone to eat the insides. Ease up un the trace elements your bio load is not that large so i doubt the system is using it all and an overdose of chemicals can cause an algae outbreak. Are you running a skimmer? If not may not be a bad idea to invest in one. How is the water flow? A stagnant tank will also be overtaken quickly. I would say phosphates are definately an issue. Like Birdy has said take the rock out and scrub it. Even if you fix everything else it will still need help from you. Good luck!

 

[tomsalyer]

After reading the first 4 replies. I have some great ideas. I've intended to get some more snails so that will be on my list and changing the water well we have been changing about 10% every so often. And all the wwater test do come back great all 0's the ph is 8.1. We have no skimmer we did recently get new more powerful lighting(about a month ago) We turn on the moon light for when we get up and then before we leave(9ish am) turn on the other light and then around 10:30 pm turn off the bright light and then turn off the moon light around 11:30. Ok no more trace elements. if you have anymore ideas I'll sure try to do them

 

[fishboy2]

Trace elements?, any corals involved? if FOWLR the salt mix should add enough trace elements. GHA could be a result of high nutrient levels, may not need to dose the tank with suppliments.

 

[sterling007]

Do search and look up past information regarding hair algae. I had quite a bad problem iwth it a couple of years ago also and licked it. It took alot of work, but I have not had a problem since. It was so bad I almost dismantely my system.....glad I didn't...here are my suggestions, others may agree or disagree, but it worked for me:
1. Do a 50% water change now and again in two weeks and again in another month. Use only R/O water!!
2. Take out every piece of rock/equipment etc that has it and scrub with a small stiff brush under warm, fresh water. Yes, you'll kill off the good stuff on the rock, but you will also kill the algae, the good stuff will come back. You need to REALLY SCRUB, especially in all the little nooks and crannies.
3. Throw away the rock that is entirely covered.....you'll never get it all off. I ended up throwing out at least 50 lbs of rock.
4. Check your water parameters weekly, although my phosphate, nitrate, nitrites etc. always tested normal.
5. Get a phosphate sponge in your sump anyhow
6. Royal urchins eat the stuff like crazy, but they also eat the coralline, so be aware of that
7. Lawnmower blenny did the most good, he actually gulped the stuff down. Once my hair algae was gone I had to give him to someone else that had the problem so he wouldn't starve.
Good luck, it's not fun, but it can be conquered.

 

[cskyhawk]

Lawnmower blenny - I haven't hurd that one... Tom I am in favor of that one bigtime... What do you guys think about Emerald Crabs... I noticed thye are on sale this week... will they give the hair a buzz cut...
Also what about the air supply...?
And how often (durration) should power lights be used?

 

[tomsalyer]

I've never heard of it either but I it sounds like it(lawnmower bleeny) might be good. but what do I know. The emerald crab is a work horse he eats all the time not sure what he eats since I never see anything in his claws but they are stuffing something in hismouth and he leaves everybody alone which is what I like I just wonder how big they will get. So with the alage I've washed the rocks and probably will need to do it again. Iwill go to get me some more snails this week and I have reduce my lighting time some not much but some.

 

[tomsalyer]

Well I went to go get somemore snails and lo and behold they had a lawnmower blenny. I GOT ONE. So we'll see if that works. Now I just go figure out what these little black and white striped things are that are very small and thin.

 

[tomsalyer]

Yes I did get more snails.

 

[sterling007]

Snails will not eat hair algae.....the lawnmower blenny should help tremendously, but also try to get some Royal Urchins. I had 4 in my 125 gallon..so figure out how many you would need.
Did you do the water change yet?? And pull all the stuff out and start scrubbing away? You need to do that, if you don't you're just spinning your wheels.

 

[nemo lover]

I agree with sterling007
yeah lawnmower blenny should eat it. emeralds sometimes eat it.
even if you get these guys you still need to do all of the above also.

 

[tomsalyer]

Yep I did take the live rocks out and scrub them.. of course I didn't get it all off and there is still some in there but not like those pictures that I have posted I would say maybe about 15% of that is still there. So my sparse clean up crew is 4 hermit crabs 1 emerald and he does work hard and now 12 snails plus the new lawnmower blenny which he did eat some tonight first night in the tank, I did change out some of the waater this weekend. I also reduced my lighting time by 2 hours a day. I realize I may have to redo some of the rocks again and will change out more water this weekend. and put new filters in..this weekend I just cleaned them out.

 

[edwar050]

best of luck and if that does not work you are likely having more hidden problems with your rock and might want to look into "cooking" your rock.

 

[tomsalyer]

So far the new addittions to the tank seem to have helped, I may go back and reclean a rock or two that didn't get done so well but for the most part the algae is not coming back and seems to be in check for now that is.