What happens when you go on vacation with a bad sitter...

[neowind]

I love my Dad to death and he did try to do a good job haha. I am not mad at him at all but after getting home from the Bahamas my tank was completly infested with hair algae. I didn't have much at all before I left now its covered. My timer broke on my lighting so he decided to run the lights for 3 hours then off for 3 hours on for 3 hours off for 3 hours. He must have fed them a TON also cause my trates are sky high. Where in the world should I start to clean this mess up? Sorry for the bad picture but I am really discusted also. This happened also right after I put the maybe dead maybe alive SPS coral in there also. Could that be affecting it?

 

[neowind]

Here is a picture right before I left.
:notsure:

 

[neah84]

do you have a clean up crew in there? that could help with the grass

and if anything this is a bump for you to get an answer

 

[viper_930]

Yup, emeralds are great algea eaters. Highly recommend one, or two, or three...

 

[birdy]

Yes, pull as much of that stuff out by hand as possible, then do a series of water changes ( perhaps 5% twice a week), and beefing up the cleanup crew will help.

 

[neowind]

I currently have about 30 snails and 5 Scarlett Hermits 3 blue leg hermits and 1 Queen Conch. I may try and put a emerald crab in there but I am just really afraid that it will eat one of my fish. My fish like to hide in the rocks allot so I am afraid it will snatch one.

 

[bigocubed]

Neowind,
Emerald crabs will work great to get rid of the algae. I have a couple and they don't bother my critters at all.
I noticed a window in the reflection of the tank, by any chance did your dad leave that open while you were gone...that would have accelerated the growth of algae :thinking:

 

[neowind]

Always a possibility. There is always a little light coming from the window during the day and my lighting is ussually off during that period and on at night wonder if the daylight is affecting the algae growth in my tank? Its not directly on the tank but is right beside the tank shining into the room. I can shut my blinds but light still enters the room should I think about turning my lights on earlier in the day?

 

[neowind]

Lights come on at 2:30 pm and go off at 10:30 pm. It becomes lighted in my room for outside at about 8:00 am. So from 8 am till 2:30 pm the tank is exposed to natural sunlight.

 

[clarkiiboi]

If the window is nearby then I heard that it can cause problems, and the blind should be shut. I just installed sliding glass doors to another room, maybe 14-15 ft away from the right side of my tank and haven't noticed an increase with the existing hair algea problem. Cant help more than that.