Green Hair Algae

[Nemo2007]

I hate green hair algae. The only thing I hate more is red slime (cyanobacteria). I only started keeping saltwater aquariums in 2004. My new bride at the time had never owned a pet and we had just seen "NEMO". We went out and with minimal planning bought a "salt water" Eclipse 29G system. At the same time, I bought, "The new marine aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta. I wish I had read it before I bought that tank set up. Since then I have Frankensteined my tank to make it more of an adequate saltwater setup. Since the beginning, green hair algae has been a problem. At one point, it used to grow 3 to 4 inches long on the back glass. It is largely improved to a low green afro on many of the rocks through much effort but it still is ever present. I seem to not be able to get my tank to look like the average SW tank. What I have tried:
1. Increasing water changes from 25% a month to 25% 2 weeks
2. Added extra power heads (Maxijet 600 x 2) to keep debris suspended.
3. Added ProAquatics Pro 75 with Skimmer
4. Added Bicolor blenny. Though an entertaining addition, I was not too thrilled with his algae eating habits. He barely torched the stuff, just an occasional nip and lip marks on the glass.
5. Added Kole tang. (much more aggressive than advertised and since not properly quarantined killed off every fish except 1 occellaris and royal gramma with marine ick)
6. 2 Rainfordi gobies (did fine in 3G quarantine tank but one chased to other into hiding once in the 29G display tank. Separated them but the meek fish died anyway and when I returned the aggressive one to the main tank, he turned into the meek fish and starved to death in a hole never to be seen again.)
7. Added turbo snails (eventually fell of glass/rock and died) followed by Astrea and Cerith snails.
8. Added a plethora of blue, red tip, red hermit crabs
9. Added 25 micron sock to overflow (More effective than Potassium permanganate with removing even smallest traces of red slime.)
10. Of course I have used forceps and scissors from an aquascaping kit.
11. I've added nitro fixing bacteria, extra carbon, Puragen, Phos buster and other phosphorus absorbing media to no avail.

My water quality has never been poor via Jungle strip test. I even bought higher grade tests from Seachem (Phos and CA), and API (Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph, etc). The more expensive tests are more accurate but the strips did not seem far off. I have not made my water in some time. I had been using Real Ocean Water bought at PETco. Lately, I just buy pre-mixed water from pet stores (much cheaper).
Current fish:
Occellaris 1
Green chromis 1
Black Axel chromis 1 (sold as green chromis)
Six line wrasse (thankfully, murders every bristle worm he can find.)
Purple firefish 1 (hiding since new addition)
Tomini tang (new addition) –I know, will eventually get to big for this tank. New system being put together and will be ready in 1-2 months.

I don’t know what else to do. I have tried most everything. I think at this point that maybe I let the hair algae get too far advanced in the first place so I’m always trying to catch up. I've been giving advice to my aunt who started A 24G Aquapod SW tank and she has hardly no hair algae, only coraline algae maintaied by just 2 hermit crabs and a few snails. I don't know, perhaps it is time for my CF lighting to be changed, it’s been 11 months. Maybe the spectrum has changed. :?:

I sometimes question my larger tank project when I never got the formula completely right with the smaller tank. I'm hoping and expect the larger tank to be easier to maintain since more water will make the sytem more stable.

Obviously, any input will be appreciated as it is 5am or so and I'm typing about hair algae. Sorry for the long read.

 

[JD'sReef]

Try an algae Blenny, mine went nuts on the stuff. He got so fat that he now has trouble swmiming. I know this is only a band aid for your situation, but thought is was a good idea.

 

[Anonymous]

What do you use for top off? RO/DI?

What do you feed?

 

[ezrec]

Do you have a refugium growing macro algea?

 

[SnowManSnow]

IMO you should STOP adding animals to that tank to eat your algae.. They will only make the water dirtier.. and make your algae grow MORE. Things that eat hair algae are hit and miss... in my experience very few things actually even touch it.

As a previous poster wrote.. make sure u are using RODI or at least RO water and that your filters are clean.

IMO you can also export a lot of trash, that WOULD be food for hair algae, with a more effective skimmer.

I recently installed a phosphate reactor, and after a few months there is hardly ANY type of algea anywhere... so thats MAY be an option.

B

 

[Brian5000]

I was exactly where you are this spring. I had a 29 gallon aquarium plagued with cyanobacteria and red hair/turf algea. It was disappointing and frustrating. I upgraded to a 75 gallon aquarium is May, which I think I corrected my few biggest problems in the new construction:

No lid: I lost a couple fish to jumping in my 29, so I put on a lid. I think now that that was a mistake (algeas feed off CO2; gas exchange at the water's surface helps prevent that). My new tank has a coralife light fixture which is very broad. It'll stop a leaping fish while air still flows across the water surface.

Have lots of flow: I added more to my 29 later on, I think it helped things a bit. In my new tank, I think it helps that I have a lot more surface current too.

A good protein skimmer: I had a Seaclone from Petsmart. It worked for the most part, but I was never really sure how well. I spared no expense and got a good skimmer for my upgrade tank.

Clean out the sand bed: I never did this and relied on critters to clean it. Eventually, gunk did build up and I was in trouble with slime covering it's surface. I would have replaced it in my 29 if I still had it. I'm trying to keep up with it this time siphoning out the sand bed a part at a time.

On your comments,
Out of the hundreds of different algea types in saltwater, each critter will only eat a couple. The algea dominates your tank will be whatever one doesn't have to worry about being eaten. The best control, as you've been trying to do as well, is to stop it from growing in the first place.

As I've found out, it's a lot harder to reverse growth than to prevent it. Algea will feed off its energy reserves and itself, and even after you fix a problem, weeks/months may pass before you see a difference.

When I was having problems, I did 20-25% water changes every week. Toward the end, I got the turf algea cut down to 1/4 density. It didn't stop my cyano, which I think was feeding off of localized nutrients eminating from the sand bed.

I had carbon in my tank. I have since learned that can actually feed aglea

Yes, 11 months is old for a light bulb. You should order a new one, You'll notice a difference when you change it

Even though you are planing to upgrade soon, storing six fish in your 29 won't help you.

This is mostly about my experience. Some of it may apply to you, and most of it may not. Hopefully, it gives you a few ideas.
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[Nemo2007]

Thanks for all of the input. To answer a few questions, all top off water is store bought RO water, usually Deer Park from Publix. I don't use distilled or "spring" water. I have not decided to purchase an RO unit to make my own yet. I had considered a lawnmower blenny but I had selected the other three based on what I thought was a better combination of beauty and function. It probably would have been a better choice in the long run, cheaper too. So far, the crabs have made the biggest dent in the algae growth behind water parameter correction. As far as food, I mostly use Omega One marine flakes with garlic. I sometimes substitute Formula Two mixed with garlic or Selcon, New Life Spectrum, and Cyclop-eeze. I feed only what they will snap up in a few (2-3) minutes. I can't speak for my wife though who thinks I'm starving the fish at times. There is no refugium but I allow some macro algae to grow in tank including Culerpa "grape species" and calcified species "money chains". Culerpa was harvested regularly but after adding micron sock, much less growth. In fact, even hair algae is significantly less but it was so bad to begin with that there is still a long way to go. After a long hard battle, red slime was completely decimated by micron sock. Water changes can encourage red slime blooms despite advice otherwise. I have experienced it first hand.
Concerning the sand bed, I recently changed out almost all the sand after moving to South Florida. That was only 3 months ago. I stir it up occasionally, much less gunk than before. Oh yeah location, this tank was originally set up in Philadelphia, then Atlanta, now Florida.
Other: Tank lights are on 10 hours a day. There is no refugium, only a wet/dry filter with a built in skimmer. It may not be the most efficient which is why its not making it to the larger tank though it is rated up to 75 gallons. Still, it should have more than effective for a 29 gallon tank which until 1 week ago had only 5 small fish. I clean the skimmer cup regularly. The new tank is getting a refugium with macroalgae that does not go asexual.
Resolution: I will continue 25% water changes every 1 to 2 weeks. I will buy a new bulb Sunday at a local LFS that sells for the same price as that on Internet. I have already stopped using the larger bag of carbon and now am only using the Eclipse refill which I change every 2 weeks instead of once a month.

 

[SnowManSnow]

it wont hurt anything to do a 25% change every week and discontinue the carbon.

most reefers only use carbon on occasion.. some run constantly, but like u say have to keep it changed because cheap carbon WILL leak stuff back into your system.

also keep in mind that a new bulb can trigger algae growth ... im not sure why, but it happens.

I also didnt c any mention of anything photosynthetic... you can cut your lights way back on time until u get the algae under control if it is just fish in there.

b

 

[Brian5000]

One other thing I should point out: a lot of people don't like to use flake food because it tends to release a lot phosphate into the water. Frozen food is a little cleaner.
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[Nemo2007]

Photosynthetics in tank are a multutitude of mushroom anemones, green star polyps (at one point almost overgrown with green hair algae but now making a comeback), orange ricordia, and unkown soft coral (not properly labeled at pet store). The soft coral is the organism that requires the most light and the only one I'm worried about if I should shorten the light period. It has been finicky in the past when I tried adjusting the photoperiod for previous red slime problem (does not work for red slime at all, at best slowed it momentarily).

I have pellet food I can substitute for flake (Omaga one is supposed to be high quality flake). I have to use one of the two because the tank is fed by Eheim auto-feeder during the day. Tank lights don't turn on until 10:00am. When I substitute for the formula two frozen combination mentioned above, I usually do it in the afternoon and close the auto-feeder.

I will continue 25% water changes weekly as you guys suggest. I don't know how long I have to wait for results. It was suggested that it might take months above. I'll give it a shot.