snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Hair algae is pretty common for most saltwater aquarists. Hair algae is a filementous algae that seems to grow everywhere, or just on one rock. It's been the bane of saltwater aquarists for decades. There is a lot that you can do to combat this problem in your aquarium. If you're reading this, then I am assuming that you have a hair algae problem. Well, I've been there and done that. By the time you finish reading this article, you will know how to treat it in your aquarium.
First, all algae needs three things. Water, Light and Nutrients. The rock and aquarium, quite naturally, has to stay wet, so there's nothing we can do about drying it out. However, as an aquarist, we have complete control over it's lighting and nutrients.
Here are a few general guidelines that everyone should follow, reef or fish only:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Start the aquarium with a high grade salt, with pure water from a Reverse Osmosis Unit or from distilled water. There are several pure water supply places... they include Wal-Mart, a water store, or even from your own purchased Reverse Osmosis unit.
[*]
Only use pure water, distilled or RO for your top off water. Salt does not evaporate, so only add freshwater to your saltwater aquarium when the water level gets low.
[*]
Feed high quality foods. Frozen foods are considered “gourmet” while pellet foods would be considered “fast food” and flake food is considered “potato chips.” The quality of your food should be high so you feed less.
[*]
Rinse all of your frozen foods in a net/mesh to get the “juice” out which only contributes to nitrate and phosphate.
Use a light timer on a set schedule.
[/list type=decimal]
How to get rid of hair algae in a saltwater aquarium: Method 1
Buy or start using a protein skimmer, and make sure it is of high quality and gets a lot of gunk out of the water. This will not kill the hair algae, but it will reduce the amount of nitrate and phosphate in the water column for new growth.
DIY your own algae scrubber and add it to your system. An algae scrubber will provide the perfect growth medium for growing hair algae on a screen, instead of your display tank. The hair algae growing on the screen will starve the display tanks hair algae of nutrients. Get it going for two weeks prior to using the method listed below.
Add additional water flow to your problem areas. Adjust your powerheads accordingly. By letting lots of flow run over the algae, while it is dying off, it's roots will let go under high flow, and your filtration system can catch them.
Keep your lights completely off for one day. Turn your lights on for 3 hours a day for the next week. Turn your lights on for only 5 hours a day for the next week. Keep it there until you start seeing some die off. Your corals should not be affected during this three week period. More light dependent corals can be moved into a different aquarium. If some species of coral don't permit this lighting schedule, try number 5.
[*]
Lights completely off for one day. Lights on for 5 hours a day for two weeks. Then, gradually get it back up to 8 hours a day, and do not exceed.
[*]
If you have a fish only aquarium with no corals, you may find that the best thing to do is to keep your lights completely off for two weeks. Fish don't need sunlight in order to survive.
[*]
Let your protein skimmer go wild. Clean your algae scrubber as needed and make sure it has really good growth by following my Algae Scrubber Basics guide.
[*]
When your hair algae starts to turn grey, brown, and/or yellow, the algae is dying away. This is a good time for a water change, and to siphon out and scrub with a new toothbrush as much as you can off your rocks. Use a turkey baster to blast your rocks before every water change.
[*]
Add a clean up crew that can handle eating the small bits. Turbo snails are usually a great start. A varied snail clean up crew will mop up the small bits that are left behind.
When the hair algae dies, the nitrate and phosphate is released back into the water column and is not removed from the system until it is taken up by your protein skimmer, algae scrubber and water changes. By continuing to use a protein skimmer, algae scrubber and doing water changes, you ensure that you have healthy, high quality water that will not permit hair algae from growing in your display tank again.
How to get rid of Hair Algae in a saltwater aquarium: Method 2, the Magnesium dosing way
Kent Marine Tech-M is a liquid magnesium product that is sometimes used for the treatment of hair algae. It has been used successfully in the past by many aquarists. There is a slight risk of loosing some of your invertebrate clean up crew, however. At this point, it is unclear if a high dose of magnesium is the cause of death for hair algae, or an additive that is in the Kent Tech-M. This method, so far, has only been successful with this brand of Magnesium supplementation. This method should not be taken lightly and should be done by someone who has some experience maintaining a saltwater aquarium.
Buy a Magnesium Test Kit. I prefer Salifert Test Kits. You will need to test your water all during the two week period.
Buy a large bottle of Kent Marine Tech-M liquid supplement. Enough to do the job, and maybe a little more for overkill.
Test your water for magnesium
Dose your tank according to the directions, and then overdose it to what the directions say to bring magnesium up by 100ppm per day until it reaches 1600ppm.
Keep testing every day, and dose every day to keep your magnesium levels up to 1600ppm for the next two to two and a half weeks. You will notice your hair algae start to die.
[*]
Bring your doses down and do a 25% water change the day after treatment ends.
Keep doing a 25% water change every week until your magnesium levels come down to normal (~1350ppm).
First, all algae needs three things. Water, Light and Nutrients. The rock and aquarium, quite naturally, has to stay wet, so there's nothing we can do about drying it out. However, as an aquarist, we have complete control over it's lighting and nutrients.
Here are a few general guidelines that everyone should follow, reef or fish only:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Start the aquarium with a high grade salt, with pure water from a Reverse Osmosis Unit or from distilled water. There are several pure water supply places... they include Wal-Mart, a water store, or even from your own purchased Reverse Osmosis unit.
[*]
Only use pure water, distilled or RO for your top off water. Salt does not evaporate, so only add freshwater to your saltwater aquarium when the water level gets low.
[*]
Feed high quality foods. Frozen foods are considered “gourmet” while pellet foods would be considered “fast food” and flake food is considered “potato chips.” The quality of your food should be high so you feed less.
[*]
Rinse all of your frozen foods in a net/mesh to get the “juice” out which only contributes to nitrate and phosphate.
Use a light timer on a set schedule.
[/list type=decimal]
How to get rid of hair algae in a saltwater aquarium: Method 1
Buy or start using a protein skimmer, and make sure it is of high quality and gets a lot of gunk out of the water. This will not kill the hair algae, but it will reduce the amount of nitrate and phosphate in the water column for new growth.
DIY your own algae scrubber and add it to your system. An algae scrubber will provide the perfect growth medium for growing hair algae on a screen, instead of your display tank. The hair algae growing on the screen will starve the display tanks hair algae of nutrients. Get it going for two weeks prior to using the method listed below.
Add additional water flow to your problem areas. Adjust your powerheads accordingly. By letting lots of flow run over the algae, while it is dying off, it's roots will let go under high flow, and your filtration system can catch them.
Keep your lights completely off for one day. Turn your lights on for 3 hours a day for the next week. Turn your lights on for only 5 hours a day for the next week. Keep it there until you start seeing some die off. Your corals should not be affected during this three week period. More light dependent corals can be moved into a different aquarium. If some species of coral don't permit this lighting schedule, try number 5.
[*]
Lights completely off for one day. Lights on for 5 hours a day for two weeks. Then, gradually get it back up to 8 hours a day, and do not exceed.
[*]
If you have a fish only aquarium with no corals, you may find that the best thing to do is to keep your lights completely off for two weeks. Fish don't need sunlight in order to survive.
[*]
Let your protein skimmer go wild. Clean your algae scrubber as needed and make sure it has really good growth by following my Algae Scrubber Basics guide.
[*]
When your hair algae starts to turn grey, brown, and/or yellow, the algae is dying away. This is a good time for a water change, and to siphon out and scrub with a new toothbrush as much as you can off your rocks. Use a turkey baster to blast your rocks before every water change.
[*]
Add a clean up crew that can handle eating the small bits. Turbo snails are usually a great start. A varied snail clean up crew will mop up the small bits that are left behind.
When the hair algae dies, the nitrate and phosphate is released back into the water column and is not removed from the system until it is taken up by your protein skimmer, algae scrubber and water changes. By continuing to use a protein skimmer, algae scrubber and doing water changes, you ensure that you have healthy, high quality water that will not permit hair algae from growing in your display tank again.
How to get rid of Hair Algae in a saltwater aquarium: Method 2, the Magnesium dosing way
Kent Marine Tech-M is a liquid magnesium product that is sometimes used for the treatment of hair algae. It has been used successfully in the past by many aquarists. There is a slight risk of loosing some of your invertebrate clean up crew, however. At this point, it is unclear if a high dose of magnesium is the cause of death for hair algae, or an additive that is in the Kent Tech-M. This method, so far, has only been successful with this brand of Magnesium supplementation. This method should not be taken lightly and should be done by someone who has some experience maintaining a saltwater aquarium.
Buy a Magnesium Test Kit. I prefer Salifert Test Kits. You will need to test your water all during the two week period.
Buy a large bottle of Kent Marine Tech-M liquid supplement. Enough to do the job, and maybe a little more for overkill.
Test your water for magnesium
Dose your tank according to the directions, and then overdose it to what the directions say to bring magnesium up by 100ppm per day until it reaches 1600ppm.
Keep testing every day, and dose every day to keep your magnesium levels up to 1600ppm for the next two to two and a half weeks. You will notice your hair algae start to die.
[*]
Bring your doses down and do a 25% water change the day after treatment ends.
Keep doing a 25% water change every week until your magnesium levels come down to normal (~1350ppm).