Algae problem-suggestions

C

crny1

Premium member
Well I am having a few spots of hair algae show up on some of my rocks. They are on LARGE rocks so I cant really remove the rocks so I am looking for suggestions on removal? Is there any inverts that anyone would suggest to eat it? Anyone got anything they want to loan to eradicate it? Looking for ideas..............

Wes
 
brick the tank.... jj Try and pick it off with all pumps off daily. Dip your hand in fresh water in between dips. Just make sure you take care of it before it gets out of control like I did.
 
Well another problem I forgot to mention is its growing between some zoos..... So I don't want to kill them in the process.
 
Here are a few things I have done to keep algae under control. Maybe the following will give you some new ideas:


Keep on top of water changes. Making sure excess nutrients do not build up in the first place goes along way.

Use RODI water and use a TDS meter to make sure your filters are in proper working order.

Physical removal of the big spots and like Hyperlitexr50 said wash your hands between dips.

Limit the amount you feed. If you feed more than one time per day I would cut it back to only one feeding. Turn off your pumps to feed your tank and if any food hits the sand stop feeding.

Phosban or similar removes phosphates. You can place the media in a bag or reactor. If you decide to try this option use the media with caution. You still need to treat the root of the problem.

If you are still in the planning stages for live stock think about adding a herbivorous reef fish. A yellow tang does wonders.

None of these methods is an overnight fix but with time and a little work I think you will have some success.
 
Casualty of war my friend! Either a couple of zoa or your whole tank! Or you could do more frequent WC, change your bulbs, stop feeding so much, shorten the light cycle, use RO/DI water to make salt, close the window if there's one in the room.
 
Anyone know where to find sea hare's locally?

I use RODI WATER..... Feed very little 2 times a week....all lights are LED....do wc's but disagree with this because there are plenty of tanks that don't have a drop of algae and never do water changes.....did not just recently "add" any windows to the room to add additional natural light that could be causing it ......I rin GFO and carbon also. Next suggestions?
 
Sounds simple, but I got rid of all hair algae with a few regular mexican turbo snails. When i was setting up my new 100g display i used liverock and frag plugs with some hair algae. Never had a problem before so i ignored it. Well it grew like mad everywhere fast. I would pulling clumps off the rocks once a week. I added only 3 medium mexican turbo snails and within 5 days, 100% gone. I also added a bag of clear fx pro carbon/gfo. I have been free of all algae ever since (3 months). I also set up my refugium since then.
I read online that all you need is one mexican turbo snail per 30 gallons and hair algae is gone. I was skeptical because if it were that easy how come anyone ever complained about battling hair algae! But it was cheap so i tried it. Worst case id end up with some snails. Well they completely irradicated it so fast i was shocked.
 
Not my neck of the woods. :P
But most shops should sell them, they are quite common. Usually cost around 2.99-3.99.

Still manually remove as much as you can by hand (especially the long ones), let them finish everything you cant reach or pull out the 'roots'.
 
crny1 said:
Anyone know where to find sea hare's locally?

I use RODI WATER..... Feed very little 2 times a week....all lights are LED....do wc's but disagree with this because there are plenty of tanks that don't have a drop of algae and never do water changes.....did not just recently "add" any windows to the room to add additional natural light that could be causing it ......I rin GFO and carbon also. Next suggestions?
Click to expand...

I would argue that the setups you speak of don't need to do water changes because they don't have excess nutrients/algae problem in their tank.

Anyway... How do you use GFO? With a bag in the sump? Reactor? When was the last time you changed it? How much do you use?
I ask because maybe you need to increase the amount added or it might be time to change the media. It expires about once every three months. I also agree with Greg's advice of adding mexican snail. Lastly, what is your magnesium level at? I have noticed algae seems to appear when my levels drop, but, that just might be my tank. You can also read up on Kent's magnesium vs bryopsis.
 
I had a 2-barred rabbitfish that would eat every algae immaginable even dictoya brown algae (which only a 2-barred and naso tang can digest). However, he grinded his mouth on sps corals. Never eats them, just liked to gring his mouth on the axial tips even when completely full...
Rabbitfish are known for the insane amounts of algae they eat.
 
Tangency said:
I would argue that the setups you speak of don't need to do water changes because they don't have excess nutrients/algae problem in their tank.

Anyway... How do you use GFO? With a bag in the sump? Reactor? When was the last time you changed it? How much do you use?
I ask because maybe you need to increase the amount added or it might be time to change the media. It expires about once every three months. I also agree with Greg's advice of adding mexican snail. Lastly, what is your magnesium level at? I have noticed algae seems to appear when my levels drop, but, that just might be my tank. You can also read up on Kent's magnesium vs bryopsis.
Click to expand...

Ok, I run the GFO and carbon in separate TLF's reactors. As for the amount......not exactly sure but usually I fill the reactor half ful or a little more. I changed it when I noticed the HA starting and at that time it was only 3 weeks old. Also I do have a fuge growing macro.
As for magnesium......... Well I have never done a test on the tank params at all. I am a firm believer that your corals and overall health/look of the tank will tell the story. I use to test all the time with my last tank and I got to the point I could tell by polyp extension and overall looks of corals on where my tank levels were. If one is doing water changes regularly then there is no need to test and dose with the exception of large sps dominant tanks that are calcium demanding.
Am I saying I am right? Heck no! It has always worked for me over the last 10+ years. I have just never had HA so I looking for suggestions in case I was missing something.

Adyn.........send your fox face over with a packed bag!!! Lol
 
+1 what about your light? You never said how long the cycle is? Could be something simple like that. Also I think that the MT snails or a new CUC could help. GL
 
Those mexican turbo snails that Greg recommends worked for me too. They just tend to get big and knock over things, but they love eating hair algae. Tangs also desimated my hair algae problem when I used to get them. I don't get hair algae anymore since I started to carbon dose.
 
Yep I would go with Mexican Turbos. The only disadvantage is they will knock down anything that isn't fastened down. I recently started to get a little bit of HA and introduced 4 of them to my 90 and believe me they are tearing it up. I also introduced an Algae Blenny or lawnmower blenny. They do a great job as well. They are inexpensive and work wonders. They can become PIA if they decide to. They are also one of those fish you could add almost to any size tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top