ok ive posted b4, and i dont knwo what to do anymore. ive done water changes, phossphate sponges, reduced feeding, ammonia-0 nitrite-0 nitrate-0 calcium should be good, dosing regularly, phosphate is showingalil high but less than 1ppm, then again it could be 0 cuz ive heard the test kit i have by hagen is not that great. what should i do now??? its starting to grow on some of my polyps. 2 thigns i didnt try are as follows, load tank up with more hermits and snails.....should i do that?? somoe told me oto stock up on like 50 bluelegs in my 55 gal. also should i cut my lighting ??? its on like 10 hrs a day but i have plyps and mushrooms and a sebae anemone so i dont want to make a neg impact on the corals. any ideas that will work for me??
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porblematic hair algea
- Thread starter blackthunda77
- Start date
A slight reduction on photoperiod won't hurt your coral if you only do it short term, but the effect on the algae is only minimal. Usually not the best way to deal with them.
Anyway, do you remove the algae manually? In addition to limit nutrient input, you also have to make sure your skimmer is doing the best it can do, and remove the algae directly. Hermit can help a bit, but letting the algae rotting in the water and turn into fertilizer is not the best way if you don't actively get rid of the pest.
Anyway, do you remove the algae manually? In addition to limit nutrient input, you also have to make sure your skimmer is doing the best it can do, and remove the algae directly. Hermit can help a bit, but letting the algae rotting in the water and turn into fertilizer is not the best way if you don't actively get rid of the pest.
IME Mexican Turbo snails are good hair algae eaters. They are a large snail though, and it wouldn't take many to keep things in check as they eat a lot.
I would avoid loading up on critters to deal with the problem, as eventually you'll get it resolved and then you'll have too many critters to keep fed.
What is your water source? RO, RO/DI, etc?
I would avoid loading up on critters to deal with the problem, as eventually you'll get it resolved and then you'll have too many critters to keep fed.
What is your water source? RO, RO/DI, etc?
Yes, I would set up a skimmer. However, at 3 months, my tank was totally overtaken by algae. You can do a search on my username and find pictures in a topic I started. Now, all of the hair algae is gone and although I still have some Bryopsis that won't go away, it is receding and the coralline is taking over. It took almost 8 months to get to this point.
My point is that I think you're still in a normal cycle. i never had any parameters in my system that were less than optimal. I use only RO/DI water with a TDS of 0 as well as all the other appropriate tests including phosphates. It's just part of the tank in my opinion and as long as you keep up good husbandry techniques, it will eventually go away.
My point is that I think you're still in a normal cycle. i never had any parameters in my system that were less than optimal. I use only RO/DI water with a TDS of 0 as well as all the other appropriate tests including phosphates. It's just part of the tank in my opinion and as long as you keep up good husbandry techniques, it will eventually go away.
I agree - quite normal to see this at 3 months. Definitely fire-up the skimmer, that will help. Topping-off evaporation with kalkwasser also helps IME. Good source water too.
Like mentioned above - you can get a few things to munch on it too, but don't get too carried away as the algae bloom will eventually pass and you'll be left with lots of underfed inverts.
Like mentioned above - you can get a few things to munch on it too, but don't get too carried away as the algae bloom will eventually pass and you'll be left with lots of underfed inverts.
What kparton has said up there is right. You need that skimmer set up to remove any free floating organics in the water, that'll help you on your way to getting rid of the hair algae.
Your tank is still young. It may not seem like it to you, but it is. Algae blooms like this are part of the normal cycle of life in tanks. It will subside, but you have to be patient and be diligent about its removal.
Siphon out as much of the material as you can during water changes, get critters that eat hair algae. So far, I've had good luck with dwarf zebra hermit crabs, but the snails ChrisRD recommended are a great alternative if you don't want crabs, and you wouldn't need as many of them to do the job.
Do not stock any more corals or fish. Especially not fish. Fish produce waste, which becomes phosphate. You are trying to eliminate the phosphate problem you have now, so just... hang back on fish purchases until you have this thing licked.
Also, check that source water and if you don't have an ro/di unit, go get one off ebay. Great deals to be had on ebay on those and it will be the best investment you make for the life of your tank.
Hang in there! You can do this!
J.
Your tank is still young. It may not seem like it to you, but it is. Algae blooms like this are part of the normal cycle of life in tanks. It will subside, but you have to be patient and be diligent about its removal.
Siphon out as much of the material as you can during water changes, get critters that eat hair algae. So far, I've had good luck with dwarf zebra hermit crabs, but the snails ChrisRD recommended are a great alternative if you don't want crabs, and you wouldn't need as many of them to do the job.
Do not stock any more corals or fish. Especially not fish. Fish produce waste, which becomes phosphate. You are trying to eliminate the phosphate problem you have now, so just... hang back on fish purchases until you have this thing licked.
Also, check that source water and if you don't have an ro/di unit, go get one off ebay. Great deals to be had on ebay on those and it will be the best investment you make for the life of your tank.
Hang in there! You can do this!
J.
thanks guys, you guys r awsome. made me feel alil better. i guess it is still very young and thankfully it is not too bad, i was just worried about some of the polyos that were getting some growth on them but i kinda brushed some of that off with a toothbrush, i guess ill just keep do what im doing.
ps, i get my water ro/di form my pet store and if not that i get aged saltwater from them, so i think that is good.
ps, i get my water ro/di form my pet store and if not that i get aged saltwater from them, so i think that is good.
That is pretty good. I do encourage you to get an ro/di unit of your own, in the long run it will save you some money and you will know exactly how long it's been since the cartridges in the unit were changed.
Yeah... just keep siphoning the hair algae away from the corals you have or brushing it away gently with a toothbrush.
Good luck!
J.
Yeah... just keep siphoning the hair algae away from the corals you have or brushing it away gently with a toothbrush.
Good luck!
J.
I have three Large Turbos that keep my 100 gallon pretty clean. They do such good job I don't think I need any other animals as a clean up crew. However they do not get down in the sand.so I recommend a fighting conch for that job. I have often just turned my rock over and that killed the hair crap.
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