blenny vs hair algae

[parrotchute]

So, my hair algae is starting to grow in epic proportions. I've been trying to remove it, but it just slips out of my hands if I try to grab it, and scrubbing doesn't seem to affect it. (using RO water too)

Boo - but, my question is, anyone have any luck with lawnmower blennys controlling the hair algae? I was already thinking about getting one, and I heard they eat the stuff....

-Alex

 

[bobby]

Mine never touched it. I have never owned one but I here yellow tang do an awsome job. CUC's will do a great job to but once the algae is gone you better find a new home because they will die with no algae if it is does it could mess you tank up.

 

[d.french]

need to find out whats causing it,what kind of lights you got and how long you run them during day, how much do you feed your tank a week, do you have good water movement, hopefully you didn't add to many fish to quick. Best fish i use is a foxface and snails and hermit crabs but you have to keep pulling as much as you can out cause fish and clean up crew won't touch long stuff.

 

[JAG107]

Sea hares are awesome eradicators of hair algae.

 

[dustin_P74]

lawnmowers can be hit or miss, i got emeralds crabs and they took care of it quickly but they can also be hit or miss. snails and hermit crabs can also do it but again can be hit or miss. if you wanted a lawnmower then go ahead and get it and see what it does

 

[Trickster]

IC your tank has only been running for a month. The hair algae is growing due to excess nutrients in the water & will disappear when the cycling & excess nutrients are gone. phosphate reactors help limit it. There are a number of livestock that are reported to eat it (Astraea Snail, foxface, lawnmower blenny, yellow tang, diadema urchin) but time works best & water changes fuel it. = In my opinion

 

[d.french]

foxface are awesome cause they will eat most nuisance algae that tangs won't, but yellow tangs do got i have both and both like hair algae.

 

[parrotchute]

Yeah, I was prepared for the coming of hair algae after the diatom blight. It was foretold, haha.

Yeah, I'm doing very regular water changes and trying not to introduce too much stuff too quickly. (been adding cleaning guys mostly) and no new fish any time soon I guess.

I'll try removing it by hand (any tips?) but it's so slippery ad hard to get!!

 

[dustin_P74]

once you have it lose from the rocks siphon it with the tube you use for water changes

 

[parrotchute]

Hmmm, will try my best! This is going to suuuuck....

 

[Oscarsdad608]

It is all part of the hobby. Everyone has been in your shoes. Algae took up the first year of my tanks life.

 

[yote]

once you have it lose from the rocks siphon it with the tube you use for water changes

As you siphon,pinch the algae between your finger and the end of the tube.Then gently pull the algae lose.Then the water flow through the tube will pull the algae out of the tank.

 

[parrotchute]

Will do, that makes sense...going to try it whe I do the water change tomorrow night.

 

[parrotchute]

So, I just a few tests, and my nitrate & phosphate levels are real low - so what gives with this hair algae? Still trying to remove it by hand, but I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle; the hair is starting to come close to my corals!
Routinely doing water changes, too...hmmm. Think I should get some plants to try to displace the algae? I'm holding on to some hope that it will just recede shortly.

The rock my emerald crab lives on (strange how he never ventures off the rock) is virtually hair free...think some more emerald crabs would help?

 

[Bifferwine]

Plants will not displace the algae. Saltwater plants are just that -- types of algae. Emerald crabs would probably help. Do you have any Mexican turbo snails? Those guys are good too.

The reasons your levels are low is because the algae is using the nitrate and phosphate. Algae filled tanks often read phosphate levels of zero, because there's actually none in the water -- it's all being taken up by the algae. Your tank is only a couple months old, so the hair algae stage is normal, unfortunately :(

 

[parrotchute]

I have 2 mexican turb snails...they do a pretty decent job, maybe I'll buy a few more. I had 3 emeralds, but I only see one regularly. I've recently seen one of the others after a long absence, but the other one is MIA.
Good point about the low phospate, that makes sense! Waiting out this stage suckkkks!

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, that's why phosphate test kits are worthless. They'll tell you that you have 0 phosphates, but I read a couple years ago that phosphate stays in the water column for an average of 7 to 9 seconds before it's all used up by the algae.

If it gets really bad, you could buy a sea hare. Those things are hair algae eating machines. They run out of food really fast, so you need to make sure that you can return it to the LFS when it's done, or pass it on to someone else that can use it. Or else it'll starve to death in your tank.

 

[yote]

Another thing that makes the hair algae battle so tough.Is once the hair starts growing,it will provide its own nutrients.It does that by trapping fish waste and uneatten food,which then decays and basically fertilizes the algae.

 

[parrotchute]

Seriously, I hate that algae, haha. When I saw the first few strands of it, I thought it was interesting.

I have another interesting algae (or something) growing on a rock, it's kind of covered it with this jelly-like green slime. Going to post a photo soon of it....the corraline is growing on the side of my tank, too, which is pretty sweet.

Tomorrow I'm putting in another powerhead (a 1200gph), so I'm hoping the increased flow is going to help keep the nutrients from settling out....

 

[yote]

HHMMM,Sounds like cyano.Hair+cyano=bald head and sore butt.