nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
how do i get rid of hair algea, its growing everywhere, even on my zoas!
F**** Hair Algea
- Thread starter nudy6969
- Start date
yote
In Memoriam
Get your parameters under control.
Find out whats feeding the hair.Its phosphates and nitrates.
What are your test results?
What are you using to food?Flakes,pellets,or frozen?
What do you have in the tank?
How much live rock?
How long are you running your lights?
If you can answer those,then we can figure something out.
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
How long has your tank been running? Hair algae is to be expected with new tanks...
To lower its growth, I would run phosphate remover, increase water changes (for a few weeks) to smaller changes twice per week and try to remove as much of the algae in your tank as you can. Also, try feeding the tank a little less and in time, the algae will slowdown. It takes a while. This has worked for me great.
Good luck.
To lower its growth, I would run phosphate remover, increase water changes (for a few weeks) to smaller changes twice per week and try to remove as much of the algae in your tank as you can. Also, try feeding the tank a little less and in time, the algae will slowdown. It takes a while. This has worked for me great.
Good luck.
nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
my tank has been running since jan 18, i feed my fish a little mysis shrimp every day, my lights are on since 6 am to 6 pm, and then antics to 9pm, and then moonlight till 6am. i use D.I water, however i used tap at first ( used water conditioner). i have 8 lbs of live rock, bought 6 more but its curing.
My nitrates are at some where around 0-5. and i have a clean up crew of 2 hermits, 1 astrea, 2 nasarius 1 big one 1 medium sized one.
I do a 10% water change every week and i dont have a skimmer, cant find one that fits my tank. but i may get a sun pod and then will get a remora nano skimmer with it. i dont want any eveporation. (maybie il make a Plexiglass top). i dont monitor my phosphates.
My nitrates are at some where around 0-5. and i have a clean up crew of 2 hermits, 1 astrea, 2 nasarius 1 big one 1 medium sized one.
I do a 10% water change every week and i dont have a skimmer, cant find one that fits my tank. but i may get a sun pod and then will get a remora nano skimmer with it. i dont want any eveporation. (maybie il make a Plexiglass top). i dont monitor my phosphates.
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yote
In Memoriam
Cut back on your light and feedings for a while.It will help to run some kind of phosphate remover.I'd go ahead and pick up a bottle of Marine SAT and dose that.
nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
wont my fish get hungry?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Fish are always hungry.
hotimportknight
New! Big Tank Club!
I was going to say, get a lawnmower blenny and remove the source of the hair algae, either phosphates or nitrates. I added a handful of chaetomorpha to my sump to remove nitrates and phosphates and got a lawnmower blenny, my tank was BAD with hair algae and it was completely gone and the blenny was hungry after a week. Also your lights are on pretty long... I think I ran mine for 6 hours a day when I had algae problems, now im back to 12 hours a day and I'm algae free.
And back to my original though, your tank is too small for a lawnmower blenny... Just cut back the lights, cut back feeding, run a little thing of phosban in your filter area or some thing and it should clear up eventually, all new tanks go through this stage and it sucks!
And back to my original though, your tank is too small for a lawnmower blenny... Just cut back the lights, cut back feeding, run a little thing of phosban in your filter area or some thing and it should clear up eventually, all new tanks go through this stage and it sucks!
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Bifferwine
I am a girl
I agree with what everyone else has said -- you need to address the source of algae, which is poor water quality. Either high nitrates or phosphates, but most likely phosphates. Even high phosphate levels may not be detectable with test kits because the algae is consuming them as fast as they are added to the water.
For your corals that are being smothered, it won't hurt to take a pair of tweezers and pull off as much algae as you can by hand. Even if you have to remove the rocks from the tank and keep them submerged in a plastic container while you work. I've had bad hair algae before, and I had to "groom" all my corals on a regular basis. If you let the algae overtake the corals, they will stop opening up and will eventually wither away.
For your corals that are being smothered, it won't hurt to take a pair of tweezers and pull off as much algae as you can by hand. Even if you have to remove the rocks from the tank and keep them submerged in a plastic container while you work. I've had bad hair algae before, and I had to "groom" all my corals on a regular basis. If you let the algae overtake the corals, they will stop opening up and will eventually wither away.
nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
ill get media for my filter to remove phosphate, and ill get more astarea snails. i would get that grass to put in my tank but there is no light in the back compartment . maybe ill do some modding and add a small light in the back.
i am considering a sunpod but im worried ill get crazy evaporation and uncontrollable heat issues.
i am considering a sunpod but im worried ill get crazy evaporation and uncontrollable heat issues.
nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
LED Lighting for Aquarium Decorations: Hydor Aqua Color Aquarium Lights
would that keep that green grass alive.
would that keep that green grass alive.
hotimportknight
New! Big Tank Club!
I really have no idea on the LED light keeping macro algae alive. I dont know how that works, I do know they make an LED fixture for your display tank thats like 3 grand, so it must have some kind of value at growing stuff. I saw somewhere where someone put a waterproof LED in the back of their cube to grow macro, but I'm not sure how it worked out, I never heard. Otherwise some phosban in the back of there should help eliminate the source, do a few extra water changes, pull as much hair algae out as possible and throw it away. You can even go as far as turning your lights off for a few days just to kick the hair algaes' ass.
reeffreak
Reef pro
nudy6969
RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
omg, the alge got 4 times as bad over night as yesterday. i had m lights off for 20 hours.
Doc
I don't work for anybody
get yourself a pair of Mexican turbo snails. they love hair algae ( just don't buy them in AZ, they only get shipments of lower IQ, mentally derranged turbo snails. Seriously Mexican turbos munch hair algae, get two, no more. Feedings every other day are just fine for your fish to survive. they don't get meals daily in the ocean and tend to get fat in our tanks from lots of food. run phosguard in your sump or HOB filter to reduce the algae food. you will need to scrape off what is present to get the algae to an edible level for the snails, but they will keep it from coming back and get the touch to get stuff, like around your zoas.
-Doc
-Doc
