Hair algae question.....
- Thread starter cdeakle
- Start date
Len, I'm a little slow right now, what is the relationship between pods and hair algae?
Unfortunately my tank is too small for tangs unless they are real little baby ones :wink: My tang I felt had outgrown my tank size so I had find him a new home :x
I was thinking more along the lines of some kind of invert that might possible eradicate hair algae other than snails. I have 5 different kind of snails already with most of them rappidly breeding.
I think someone had mentiones nudibranches? I know nothing about these guys...
i believe youd have to have a gigantic pod population to make a dent in a hair algae "problem" maybe they help for small on glass algae, but i dont see the guys clearing out hair algae. not in any noticible amount any quicker than the stuff is gonna grow if you have a problem, flow is one of the most important things when dealing with hair algae, increase flow where it grows, also helps to have a fuge, export nutrients
Hermits are really efficient at the really long stuff, since they get down with those claws and clip it near the base, then the snails get the nubs left over...
I am having the SAME PROBLEM! And I have 15 snails (margaritas) and like 4 hermit crabs (zebras and electric blue leggeds), and they look like theyre just laying back and letting stuff grow! They look like theyve officially had enough, and now just eat sparingly! One thing I DID notice, though, is that the back glass on my tank is SPARKLINGLY clear!
Extremely frustrating, though I do have very low flow in my tank, and very very soon I will be adding another powerhead, so maybe that will aleviate some of this green crap...
I am having the SAME PROBLEM! And I have 15 snails (margaritas) and like 4 hermit crabs (zebras and electric blue leggeds), and they look like theyre just laying back and letting stuff grow! They look like theyve officially had enough, and now just eat sparingly! One thing I DID notice, though, is that the back glass on my tank is SPARKLINGLY clear!
Extremely frustrating, though I do have very low flow in my tank, and very very soon I will be adding another powerhead, so maybe that will aleviate some of this green crap...
urchin?
it will clear the open spaces anyway. you might want to ditch it later, depending on what you are wanting to house.
i have just recently won an epic battle with hair algae. it will die off eventually if you keep nutrients in demand. it was a very discouraging battle.
i added a tang to help but i honestly don't know how much hair algae it ate.
i feel that my best addition in attempt to control the growth was buying a good skimmer.
i saw results directly after it's addition but they may have been coincidental, i had beent starving the algae for at least four months prior.
something that may have worked against me in my attempts to eradicate the algae was the low calcium level of my water.
i had a very difficult time getting coralline to take off and i am certain this was because of low calcium levels. i was trying to add calcium with water changes but my salt mix was already deficient.
the result of low coralline and coral calcification coupled with the excess nutrient of the LR curing was a menacing mix.. thats the way i view my battle anyway.
on the nudibranchs... yes, there is at least one species that will eat hair algae... a common name is "Lettuce Nudibranch" as i forget the scientific one.
the problem with these guys is keeping them from being sucked into powerheads or down into a sump.
also i believe the life expectancy is only six months, so hopefully you will buy a young one if you must.
i haven't ever purchased one of these, my info is from reef boards
it will clear the open spaces anyway. you might want to ditch it later, depending on what you are wanting to house.
i have just recently won an epic battle with hair algae. it will die off eventually if you keep nutrients in demand. it was a very discouraging battle.
i added a tang to help but i honestly don't know how much hair algae it ate.
i feel that my best addition in attempt to control the growth was buying a good skimmer.
i saw results directly after it's addition but they may have been coincidental, i had beent starving the algae for at least four months prior.
something that may have worked against me in my attempts to eradicate the algae was the low calcium level of my water.
i had a very difficult time getting coralline to take off and i am certain this was because of low calcium levels. i was trying to add calcium with water changes but my salt mix was already deficient.
the result of low coralline and coral calcification coupled with the excess nutrient of the LR curing was a menacing mix.. thats the way i view my battle anyway.
on the nudibranchs... yes, there is at least one species that will eat hair algae... a common name is "Lettuce Nudibranch" as i forget the scientific one.
the problem with these guys is keeping them from being sucked into powerheads or down into a sump.
also i believe the life expectancy is only six months, so hopefully you will buy a young one if you must.
i haven't ever purchased one of these, my info is from reef boards
guys, tangs USUALLY dont eat hair algae, not saying some wont, but i havent seen many that do, i have a large purple tang, and he wont touch the stuff, likes everything else green other than hair algae.... if you could find a tang that is KNOWN to eat hair algae then this would be a good solution but dont just buy a tang expecting it to eat hair algae.
Hey, all I know is that my little baby sailfin tang was an algae eating machine; once he discovered the outflow of my power filter--which looked like a dense jungle of hair algae (seriously, I had given up hope on ever seeing the plastic parts again!)--he picked that thing so clean I thought I had accidentally poured herbicide in the tank!
Though, I do accept the notion that most tangs are more "advanced" plant eaters; Im assuming their more natural diet is stuff like kelp and sea grass, or in other words, mostly just macros and other plants...
I can definitely see that, since Id think that macro algaes are more nutritious... right? Just a shot in the dark there...
Podman; Oh my sweet Pagan Pantheon! That is EXACTLY what Im going through right now! How did you ever win with just a skimmer though?! Im fairly sure my CA level is about 420-430, and I have (yeah yeah, I know you said good skimmer...) a Seaclone 100 that Ive just barely managed to calibrate right so that its not acting hyper-active style or just spewing micro-bubbles into the tank... I think my main nutrient export system right now, though, comes from two 100ml. pouches of Purigen in the "sump" of my Emperor 280, along with a pouch (pretty big, actually) of BioChemPure... I think Im gonna tackle phosphates next, then try a MUCH shorter photo-period. My photo period is from 10AM to 12AM (midnight); 14 freakin' hours!!!!!! 8O AAAAHHH! I know, I know, I should really make it shorter, but the truth of the matter is thats the only times I can get around to switching everything on and off... *slaps forehead*...
Though, I do accept the notion that most tangs are more "advanced" plant eaters; Im assuming their more natural diet is stuff like kelp and sea grass, or in other words, mostly just macros and other plants...
I can definitely see that, since Id think that macro algaes are more nutritious... right? Just a shot in the dark there...
Podman; Oh my sweet Pagan Pantheon! That is EXACTLY what Im going through right now! How did you ever win with just a skimmer though?! Im fairly sure my CA level is about 420-430, and I have (yeah yeah, I know you said good skimmer...) a Seaclone 100 that Ive just barely managed to calibrate right so that its not acting hyper-active style or just spewing micro-bubbles into the tank... I think my main nutrient export system right now, though, comes from two 100ml. pouches of Purigen in the "sump" of my Emperor 280, along with a pouch (pretty big, actually) of BioChemPure... I think Im gonna tackle phosphates next, then try a MUCH shorter photo-period. My photo period is from 10AM to 12AM (midnight); 14 freakin' hours!!!!!! 8O AAAAHHH! I know, I know, I should really make it shorter, but the truth of the matter is thats the only times I can get around to switching everything on and off... *slaps forehead*...
DewrGleision":31jv8ulf said:
if i didn't have corals i would have just shut the lights off for awhile but i was upgrading my tank and in hindsight would have set up a small nano for my corals. i like the old fashioned darkness rock curing process. it worked better for me than the full light curing method i tried this round.
on the skimmer... i bought a euro-reef to replace my excalibur which i believe is actually is more efficient than your seaclone. the amount of crud that came out of the water column was amazing.
my excalibur would not produce antyhing at times but the euro-reef had to be emptied daily for a week when it started producing.
i think it goes to show that your water will hold a fair amount of protein sludge if you are lacking the serious agitation in removal.
on a side note, if you are using filter media in your emperor i would remove it. it could be trapping junk and elevating phosphates in your water column. i am not familiar with your phosphate media but if it is a iron oxide based media i am in agreement with it's good use. activated carbon is a good friend of mine too.
Podman, you dont have to be polite, especially not with me! That Seaclone SUCKS! Everyone knows it, some say it, and others find it out, like me!
Yeah, I think Im with ya on the darkness LR curing, or maybe just low light for a short period of the day; I did full-on light the first time I did it, and I guess Im payin' for it now...
When you say filter media, do you mean the chemical medias Im using, or things like sponges and stuff? Cause' Ive heard a lot of things, and these days Im starting to doubt even what I think is proven fact! I do think Ill keep the Purigen, though, since Ive been flirting with an incurable slight ammonia problem that has no dissapeared with the addition of the second pouch. Also, Purigen takes out organics; wouldnt that just help my tank out more? Im pretty sure doesnt even touch phosphate, but I think I'll replace that fatty bag of Bio ChemPure with a pouch of that phosphate/silicate remover media from Kent or someone like that. DAMN THOSE LAKERS!!! :x Sorry, San Antonia just lost in LA... ARGH!
Anywho, what say you to Red Sea skimmers? Ive heard theyre great for the money, which I am sadly lacking...
Anywho, thanks for the input!
Yeah, I think Im with ya on the darkness LR curing, or maybe just low light for a short period of the day; I did full-on light the first time I did it, and I guess Im payin' for it now...
When you say filter media, do you mean the chemical medias Im using, or things like sponges and stuff? Cause' Ive heard a lot of things, and these days Im starting to doubt even what I think is proven fact! I do think Ill keep the Purigen, though, since Ive been flirting with an incurable slight ammonia problem that has no dissapeared with the addition of the second pouch. Also, Purigen takes out organics; wouldnt that just help my tank out more? Im pretty sure doesnt even touch phosphate, but I think I'll replace that fatty bag of Bio ChemPure with a pouch of that phosphate/silicate remover media from Kent or someone like that. DAMN THOSE LAKERS!!! :x Sorry, San Antonia just lost in LA... ARGH!
Anywho, what say you to Red Sea skimmers? Ive heard theyre great for the money, which I am sadly lacking...
Anywho, thanks for the input!
i just saw the chemical media is fine from what i have heard. the purigen is widely used, i have never tried it myself. if it removes organics then i think it is a good thing to use while curing.
the media i am referring to would be the sponges or floss type fitration that an emperor would come with. they trap organics until they break down into phoshates or other nutrients. i find it best to remove any free floating debris completely out of the water immediately before it has a chance to foul the water.
as for Berlins, i think on a bang for the buck scale they probably fair pretty well, i don't know that i would buy one though if i was in your shoes. the performance won't be all that higher than a modified seaclone... if you haven't done this mod i would sugest you do it, unless you are planning on buying something else.
i don't know how big of a tank you have, but i think as far as the cheaper skimmers are concerned they all suck. i kinda flop around on this issue but i would save my cash for a good one or i would DIY a good one before plopping cash down on something known to be crappy. you already have that... i will say that i myself am prone to buy crap at any given moment
the media i am referring to would be the sponges or floss type fitration that an emperor would come with. they trap organics until they break down into phoshates or other nutrients. i find it best to remove any free floating debris completely out of the water immediately before it has a chance to foul the water.
as for Berlins, i think on a bang for the buck scale they probably fair pretty well, i don't know that i would buy one though if i was in your shoes. the performance won't be all that higher than a modified seaclone... if you haven't done this mod i would sugest you do it, unless you are planning on buying something else.
i don't know how big of a tank you have, but i think as far as the cheaper skimmers are concerned they all suck. i kinda flop around on this issue but i would save my cash for a good one or i would DIY a good one before plopping cash down on something known to be crappy. you already have that... i will say that i myself am prone to buy crap at any given moment
Which floss/sponges came with the emperor? I dont remember any flosses or spnoes of any kind, aside from the activated carbon/blue-sponge-like cloth mechanical filter that is essentially the whole filter!
There IS the bio-wheel, but that stupid spray-bar thing that drives it is really crappin out!
Doesnt biological filtration eliminate some phosphates, as its an easily used organic compound? Not sure where I heard that, but I seem to recall nitrifying bacteria having some effect on the reduction of phosphates...
Dunno; need to do a lot more reading!...
Whats that mod you were talking about for the suckclone of mine? Id love to know how to make the damn thing at least a reasonable piece of crap!
Thanks for the info Podman and others!
Ps. Podman, you must know pods, with a name like that! Know anywhere online I can buy some or some propagation kits/supplies?
There IS the bio-wheel, but that stupid spray-bar thing that drives it is really crappin out!
Doesnt biological filtration eliminate some phosphates, as its an easily used organic compound? Not sure where I heard that, but I seem to recall nitrifying bacteria having some effect on the reduction of phosphates...
Dunno; need to do a lot more reading!...
Whats that mod you were talking about for the suckclone of mine? Id love to know how to make the damn thing at least a reasonable piece of crap!
Thanks for the info Podman and others!
Ps. Podman, you must know pods, with a name like that! Know anywhere online I can buy some or some propagation kits/supplies?
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