Green Hair Algae
- Thread starter djh
- Start date
I expecy that you have phosphate levels that are too high.
First step in fixing this is to make sure you add very little phosphate when changing water. RO/DI water is a must.
Second step is to quickly reduce the phospate level in your tank. One of the phospahte removing formulas (the granular type - not liquid) will do this e.g. Seachem, AquaMedic and other brands. You will need significantly more product than is needed for maintenance purposes. When the phospahte stops dropping then you need to replace the product - possibly every couple of days to start off with i.e. you may well need a very large amount of these products which in turn could cost quite a bit (depends on how big your tank is and how high a phosphate level you have). Once the problem is fixed you can reduce to using maintance levels of product which is much more cost effective.
This will stop the algae growing but it will still take a very long time to get rid of it, so the final step is to add some snails and have them eat it for you.
If you can't afford the RO/DI treatment just yet then a short-term alternatve is to use a very large number of snails. This isn't entirely satisfactory but it should keep the algae mostly under control - more like a clipped lawn rather than a jungle.
First step in fixing this is to make sure you add very little phosphate when changing water. RO/DI water is a must.
Second step is to quickly reduce the phospate level in your tank. One of the phospahte removing formulas (the granular type - not liquid) will do this e.g. Seachem, AquaMedic and other brands. You will need significantly more product than is needed for maintenance purposes. When the phospahte stops dropping then you need to replace the product - possibly every couple of days to start off with i.e. you may well need a very large amount of these products which in turn could cost quite a bit (depends on how big your tank is and how high a phosphate level you have). Once the problem is fixed you can reduce to using maintance levels of product which is much more cost effective.
This will stop the algae growing but it will still take a very long time to get rid of it, so the final step is to add some snails and have them eat it for you.
If you can't afford the RO/DI treatment just yet then a short-term alternatve is to use a very large number of snails. This isn't entirely satisfactory but it should keep the algae mostly under control - more like a clipped lawn rather than a jungle.
I recently had a green hair algae problem that was caused by (you guessed it....my laziness) I got tired of going to the LFS to get RO fresh water, so I started using tap water. Seemed to be fine for a while, but then green algae started taking over.
My solution? Back to the RO, got a good cleanup crew (40 or so hermits of various type and 25 or so of various snails for my 55 gal tank). That was a couple of months ago, and now my tank has no green algae and things are of course thriving much more now.
Good luck,
Greg
My solution? Back to the RO, got a good cleanup crew (40 or so hermits of various type and 25 or so of various snails for my 55 gal tank). That was a couple of months ago, and now my tank has no green algae and things are of course thriving much more now.
Good luck,
Greg
Best thing for an immediate solution is a toothbrush (brand new of course). Scrub the rock and than get a net and pick up everything floating. Than do a 25% water change WITH RO/DI water. You can get a nice RO/DI filter for about $125-$150. I just sold a used RO filter for $60. Than get a phosphate sponge and drop it in your sump. I raise my alkalinity and Raised calcium and that helped as well. Snails we do SOME good.
I agree with doughboy. I had hair algae problems for a while, both using RO/ DI water or tap. The macros grow like weeds!! Added a sump with caulerpa, and all the hair has been gone for some time, no returns, even after switching to tap water. I am somewhat lucky, though, because the tap water here in Columbus is low in phosphates, etc. I had it tested and also got the go ahead from someone who does research with the Columbus Zoo... JMO
No offence intended, but i wouldn't use tap water even if.... infact, especially if someone from the Zoo said it was ok. Their interested in nothing but $$$$$$. Theres a Gorilla in London Zoo that pukes and eats it about 30 times a day and the animal is still on show. Zoos are desgusting places, animal reserves and nature parks on the other hand get a big thumbs up.
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