The hair algae is back!! Need some help.

coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
The DAMN hair algae is back!! How do i get rid of it?? I got some chaeto in my tank for a while all ready. I feed the fish every other day. I take out the live rock and take a tooth brush and scrub scrub scrub and then i wash it with saltwater then i place it back and it STILL keeps coming back. Its grows slow but it just keeps coming back! I got my lights to work for 5 hours a day for about 3 weeks and it still was growing. I blow off the rocks with a turkey baster 2-3 times a day. What should i do? Oh, i also get some kind of algae that loots like feathers. This is the stock list.My stock list is: 1 small Maroon Clownfish, 1 Cleaner shrimp, Red Mushroom, 3 or 4 Margarita snails, Xenia, Metallic Green Torch, Torch, Toad stool, Green Star Polyps, some kinds of coral that im not sure whats it called, Feather Duster, 2 Nass Snails, 1 small Green Pacific Anemone, 1 small Pacific Anemone, Chaeto Algae, 13 LB of Live Sand, 13 LB of live rock, and lots of diff hitch hikers. Plz help!
 
kelly

kelly

Member
It sounds like a phosphate problem... You could try some small red hermit crabs, about 1 per gallon. You could also add a few more snails.
Good luck
Kelly
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kelly
It sounds like a phosphate problem... You could try some small red hermit crabs, about 1 per gallon. You could also add a few more snails.
Good luck
Kelly
No offense but,1 per gallon?? I would have 120 in my tank. Maybe 1 per 10 gallons is what you meant??
I'm going through the hair algae in my 120 and have narrowed it down to phosphates. The alleged good RO/DI source I had was not as good as I thought. I just bought my own RO/DI unit today and a Phosban reactor.
Coral Keeper, do you have a pic of that feather algae? Check my thread on macro algae ID and see if it's the same. If it is, do a google search on it and you'll find it's darn near impossible to get rid of.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
I forget what size your tank is. Do you have any turbo snails. Mine will eat it in some places and not in others. What about a seahare. Heard they mow it down. If you lived close I'd loan you my foxy. She loves anything that grows green or red.
 
scubaguy

scubaguy

Member
Try a couple of Turbo Snails, but the hair algea has to be short. If it is long then they will not touch it. I am going through the same thing in my 35 gallon. I have PhosBan going and Calupra(sp) and Turbo snails. It seems to be slowing down but still have some.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
I have more Turbo snails than I can count (and they scour the glass walls & nooks and crannys) but my green hair algea is only taken care of by my hermit crab. He eats until he's stuffed...sleeps a few hours...and is at it again. But I only have one (came in by mistake on an order of snails). I will be getting a few more this week.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Fighting algae is a complex and tiresome battle. The key is diligence. You have to come up with the right formula for each specific tank. I have been at war with a single celled organism in my 65 for over a year. It is daunting. Practically making you want to give up and quit. BUT however, it seems as though I have recently made a BREAKTHROUGH *crosses fingers*. The problem is, I don't know what one thing actually accomplished it, or combination. These are the things that I have done. Realize that all these things are at play right now. Not just trying one thing at a time. Rather try one thing, then try another, not changing the previous change.
Added an RO unit.... Less nutrients to start with.
Changed my mud in fuge to DSB..I believe the mud contributed by adding minerals that algae needs to thrive.
Added 2 nassarius snails per 10 gallon... They stir the top layer well and love cleaning the glass, but not the rock.
Added 15lbs. of rock rubble to my fuge....Helps collect debris and grows pods to eat it.....
Increased flow to my fuge as well as increase flow in the DT...... Keeps the debris stirred up and moves it to the fuge better.
Shorter light period, by 1 hr in the DT.... Less light/time for it to grow there...
Increased light period in my fuge...Opposite of above.
Increased flow in my fuge with a PH. ....More nutrients getting into my cheato.
Stepped up filtration/filter changing....gets the junk out better
Added 2 phosban reactors.... removes phosphates.
Added an algea eating, fish......One that swims the entire tank, feeds constantly and can get to all the surfaces of the tank.
Added a kalk reactor....Drips calcium carbonate into the water, near my skimmers intake and helps to precipitate phosphates.
I know this is a lot of changes, some may be redundant. Or in your case, with an 8 gal. not possible. But my point is sometimes it can be a lot of little tweaks that get you there. Also, I mean to relate to you to keep the shoulder to the wheel, and stay the course. You CAN beat this. No 2 tanks are alike. My 125 has hardly any problems, while my 65 has been a real pain.
 
jkcrumb

jkcrumb

Member
Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
No offense but,1 per gallon?? I would have 120 in my tank. Maybe 1 per 10 gallons is what you meant??
I'm going through the hair algae in my 120 and have narrowed it down to phosphates. The alleged good RO/DI source I had was not as good as I thought. I just bought my own RO/DI unit today and a Phosban reactor.
Coral Keeper, do you have a pic of that feather algae? Check my thread on macro algae ID and see if it's the same. If it is, do a google search on it and you'll find it's darn near impossible to get rid of.
Actually, 1 hermit per gallon isnt too far off. I have a 12g nano and a 125g reef and I know I have at least 10 hermits in the nano and over 85 in the 125. They kick a** with eating my algae but the problem is they also kick a** with eating my SNAILS!! (Mostly the blue legged ones)
 
topfins-mj

topfins-mj

Member
I agree with wassupdoc, you have to be relentless and have a goal in mind. You cannot get rid of this in a week or two, it takes serious time and dedication. It does not really bother me to have a few hairs here and there but when it grows, it gets ugly and nothing in the tnak touches it except algae eating tangs. But you know how that goes with small tanks ( Tang Police)
Anyhow I posted soem tips on another post in this thread.
 
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