Algae Reactor on a 10G?

[zaddy]

Hey everyone. I've been reefing for about 3–4 years now and have a 10-gallon Waterbox that's about 2 years old. Honestly, I haven’t kept up with it for the past 6 months—only done maybe two water changes, and the last one was a month ago when I removed a ton of algae. But, as you can see, it's back and probably even worse.

I'm looking for the LAZIEST, low-maintenance way to get rid of the algae. I was thinking about trying a DIY algae reactor I saw on YouTube and adding some chaeto. Has anyone tried this or have thoughts on it? As for nutrients, I’m not sure, but I’d guess my nitrates are super low (under 5) and phosphates are on the higher side.
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[FUNGI]

its not going to hurt, however, i would take care of the existing algae in your tank....side note: dont expect cheato to do anything overnight.....

 

[OfficeReefer]

I think that nutrient export increases are something to note. I will second @FUNGI in getting at the existing algae where possible. Regardless, you will be dealing with die-off, which in turn will feed the algae.

For this size tank, you can likely try the blackout method during this season and keep up the water changes weekly. I might suggest tossing in some copepods and a more display-like macro to help offset any return.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Skip the algae reactor, hand pluck as much of that hair algae as possible and add one Mexican Turbo snail. You won't be sorry.