Any solutions to hair algae that won't go away?

[Garf]

And how is that relevant ?

Dangling roughed up screen in a display is not comparable to a scrubber in any way

If the scrubber is eliminating growth in the tank, it should not allow growth on a fresh, roughed up screen in the tank. Growth on fresh substrate would expose an error in logic.

 

[VintageReefer]

Want me to do it? I have brand new Santa Monica green grabber screen - roughed up and same as what they include in certain model scrubbers

 

[VintageReefer]

So let’s be clear on the experiment. How long do you want this dangling in my tank and what is the measurement of success

Are we using hair algae as the indicator ?

 

[Garf]

Want me to do it? I have brand new Santa Monica green grabber screen - roughed up and same as what they include in certain model scrubbers

That would be great. Just make sure nothing can sneak onto it, snails, pods, fish etc. light should be approximately the same as the rocks in the display.

Whilst I was growing screens like this;

howdy from the uk - day one - Page 12

thought i would chip in and let you comment on my effort so far. Backgroung of display- 5 x 2 x 2 with 240 ltr sump containing skimmer (massively inefficient), DSB in display (silica play sand), approx 100 kgs live rock. Most corals are 7 years old and all fish but 2 of the tangs, are of...

algaescrubber.net

I also grew a novel scrubber, impossible right?

 

[Garf]

So let’s be clear on the experiment. How long do you want this dangling in my tank and what is the measurement of success

Are we using hair algae as the indicator ?

How about starting another thread and tagging me. Normal scrubbers are given 12 weeks.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Here is a fresh screen from a different DIY ATS that I started
Dated Jan 21

Here it is on Jan 28

I did not like this "new" algae scrubber, so I cut this screen down a bit and put it in my original DIY ATS

This is Feb 10:

Feb 19:

Feb 24:

Mar 1

Mar 1:

Put it on a clip, and put it in the tank. Fish did not touch it:

Took that out, and put nori on the clip. Fish devoured it:

 

[slythy]

I had horrific GHA my solution was putting 75 top crowns in my 75g aquarium (upgrading to 180g soon) as well as 2 tuxedo urchins.

I think that what helps is the top crowns are basically moving live rock so I got a bunch of diversity as well as tank cleaners.

 

[Garf]

I would take the cover off my overflow and let the light get in there to grow algae but I fear the Aiptasia would get grumpy, I love those little guys.

 

[SharkBait911]

I use a plenum in my sump. Zero hair algae. I too have battled hair Algae off and on for 19 years in this hobby and have tried absolutely everything recommended here. The key is biodiversity. I have Tangs emerald crabs, red hermits, trochous snails (60 or so) pods, etc. and the plenum removes excess nitrates and phosphate. Had my doubts but it works like a champ

 

[VintageReefer]

I use a plenum in my sump. Zero hair algae. I too have battled hair Algae off and on for 19 years in this hobby and have tried absolutely everything recommended here. The key is biodiversity. I have Tangs emerald crabs, red hermits, trochous snails (60 or so) pods, etc. and the plenum removes excess nitrates and phosphate. Had my doubts but it works like a champ

Can you elaborate on your plenum setup?

 

[ScubaSkeets]

We have to get into it again so that the new folks know that you are the only one who 1). believes this and 2). claims that this is true. Some don't want to follow the only person since betting on the exceptions almost never have good endings.

Only one? Hmmmm...

Adding a refugium and algae scrubber.

Do you have an Algae Scrubber? I battled this in my tank for over 1 year, the scrubber solved the issue in about 2 months. Go the algae in a different place.

I run a large DIY skimmer , DIY algae scrubber and a reverse undergravel filter.

Yes, I have had excellent luck with using an Icecap algae turf scrubber in my sump which has gotten rid of new algae growth on the sand and rockwork. I just clean the front glass weekly now. If you're getting false reading, perhaps you should also look into a different brand test kit?

If you have any amount of algae in the tank, then your test kits will read low or zero. Algae are amazingly efficient at using nitrate and phosphate, so almost none will exist in the water column.

I've been an ATS convert for a long time and ran my 500 gallon with no other filtration than an ATS and live rock for filtration.

How big is your tank? What sort of bioload?

I'm a big fan of using an ATS. If it's going to grow may as well grow where you can easily harvest it. It may not eliminate algae completely from the display but it will help a lot. I personally do not want it entirely gone from the display. I have lots of grazing fish that appreciate that I feed very heavily.



The ice caps look nice. I'm sure they can work good. I'm a huge fan of @Turbo's Aquatics ATS and have ran them for many years.

I'm actually running two scrubbers at the same time right now and like both. I do like the Turbo's better but the other one I'm trying out is a good bang for the buck. I like the longer form factor of the turbo's, plumbing is better and hasn't come close to over flowing, and runs quieter. But all can be manageable with the WSR I'm trying out.

Can see them both from about this point forward in my tank thread with many updates over the course of the rest of the pages.

Build Thread - Jason's Tank Journey

One thing I did change is the lighting. This canopy is kind of unique in how it pivots open. I wanted something that wouldn't make the canopy to heavy and that would move with it easily. Also, I got a really good deal at about 50% off new price on the Aqua Illumination Hydra 32HDs. I got 4 of...

www.reef2reef.com

Ive had High success with algae scrubber and its benefits

The use of algae scrubbers and refugiums is nearly essential in any reef tank. I would never run a tank without one. Absolute game changer.

Sump: looks like a swap
DT: Immaculate

The strongest always wins the battle. That's why I chose an algae scrubber. It melts cheato and I don't have to worry about importing pests. With no exposed light, the sump stays clean as well.

I have a 6 going on 7 year old Algae Turf Scrubber (L4) from Turbo Aquatics. It does an amazing job at keeping hair and filementous algae out of my display. Two complaints:

1. Hair algae grows way too fast in the scrubber. It's pushing on the walls of the scrubber within 7-10 days at most. Cleaning is relatively easy, but don't like doing it weekly.

2. It's not large enough for my 340 gallon display. Phosphates slowly climb week to week if I don't use lanthinum or something else to bind phosphates. Algae grows rapidly, just not fast enough to maintain pace with my display.

I'm curious what size the scrubber needs to be for larger tanks. I feed the equivalent of around 5-6 frozen cubes a day and feed a freeze-dried food a couple times a day.

I love that it's natural, gives food for pods, prevents growth of algae on the rocks!

Costly investment! I'd upgrade to a larger ATS if it didn't cost another $1000. And I have no desire to clean two scrubbers every week (And don't have the room for two.

I also use a reef mat, and a skimmer as well as a denitration factory - cannister filter filled with matrix rock instead of filter cartridge. Nitrates stay around 10-15 and phosphates climb to .3 ppm.

Added a clearwater scrubber. best thing I ever did!

I got the drop in algae scrubber for my 40 AIO and love it.Even able to take out protein skimmer it does such a great job.

Been using DiY scrubbers since the 1990's - mostly dump-bucket designs then, waterfall now. Experimented with a DiY algae reactor containing chaeto more recently, but it proved unnecessary.

Yes. I started one out the gate on this tank. Works like a champ. You will have to add in some trace elements that get raked out by the scrubber. Iodine, iron mannganese and magnesium will get chewed up. But definatly keeps it from your display.

Get yourself a algae scrubber, problem solved

My hair algae went away when my Algae Scrubber and Regugium began producing and the CuC helped remove what was left. I know you seem skeptical about algae competing with other algae but this forum is full of people who have experienced it.

As said earlier, Algae Turf Scrubber. You'll be glad you did and want to kick yourself for not setting on up from the start.

I could quote more, but you get the idea

You credit the scrubber despite every expert constantly telling you that the consumers were doing the work with the algae.

"every expert"? Who? You? And a small handful of others?

I don't claim to be an expert, but care to share your credentials that make you one? (That is, BESIDES the 10k Member Badge)

 

[Murica]

Only one? Hmmmm...


































I could quote more, but you get the idea


"every expert"? Who? You? And a small handful of others?

I don't claim to be an expert, but care to share your credentials that make you one? (That is, BESIDES the 10k Member Badge)

Say whaaaa?

 

[Dom]

I have had hair algae for a while now, maybe 6-8 months, and I can't seem to get rid of it or find what is causing it. I have tried many things like NoPox, microbacter 7, flux rx (3x dose), Mexican turbos (at one point I had 15), emerald crabs, sea hare, lower light length and intensity, complete deep clean of all rocks, and a week-long black out, along with regular water changes. So far I have had not even a little success, besides the deep clean but the algae is back now. I have heard that it could be from nitrates and phosphates but for the past 4 months or so my nitrates have been stable at 10-20 and phos at .03-.15. My tank is about 3-4 years old and I did go through a phase of no problems for 2 years then started to experience some hair algae. Not really sure what else to do, any ideas?

We don't know how these products interact with each other in the tank, so, if it were my tank, I would stop adding all product for now.

Next, I would commit to faithful, weekly, 20% water changes for the next 8 weeks and give your tank a chance to purge all of the product you've added.

I know that you mention that you are doing water changes, but you haven't mentioned the total water volume in the tank. While you may be doing water changes, I question if they are large enough.

Sorry if I missed it, but what is the total water volume of your system?

 

[Dom]

I am not heavily infested with hair algae, so it’s not a false negative. There are more forms of phosphate than the orthophosphate that we can test for.

We all have some form of nutrients in our waters, you can‘t starve your tank to limit algae because corals will suffer. You need to find something to eat it OR you become the herbivore and manually remove it.

To be honest, and I'm not judging, but I get frustrated when I read threads like this.

Reefers want to run out and buy a product or animals to add to the tank to solve a problem Go to the LFS, pay some money, walk out a with a product, add it to the tank and the problem is solved.

This hobby can be expensive enough without having to dose product on a daily basis to keep a tank looking presentable.

Ultimately, this will be an ongoing issue until we identify the root cause.

 

[GARRIGA]

This will ponder us all for eons to come until we discover an obscure critter that only predates on life we find obscene yet would otherwise liter natural reefs where life don’t care it exists and some entrepreneur of shady scruples will sell them for $29.99 and you’ll need a subscription plan to ensure once all undesirable life is gone will starve to death ensuring mega profits for the snake oil salesman who also breeds nudibranchs and imports not long lived copper bands.

 

[Dom]

I went for a week long vacation in November, I left the auto feeder on and came back to a green hair algae tank. Now 3 months later, its very close to being done, just a few stubborn tufts left. This is what I did:

-start using filter socks and changing daily (I stopped doing this months ago...)

-Feed less but more often. I don't believe in feeding less to the fish, so I fed less per meal, but more meals per day. Uneaten food that rots IMO is the number one algae fuel.

-Weekly water changes and toothbrush the algae. It does nothing at first, but after 2 months of being scrubbed weekly, it has affect.

-Start wet skimming, empty that cup 2 or 3 times a day.

-Before you do water change, or before you remove the filter sock, turkey baste the rocks, get the detritus out of the holes and crevices, blow out the low flow area's of your tank, get it all moving in the water column so it gets caught in the filter sock, then change the sock.

-I normally keep a very light cuc, so I added 6 mexican turbos (40 gallon tank), they did a good job on the dying algae, but they are lazy and won't touch the algae bushes so you have to do your part to wear down the bushes.

Thats what I did and it worked for me, 3 months of doing this.

I like this answer. No attempts at a silver bullet fix. Just a good connection with the tank and good 'ole fashioned elbow grease!

 

[Miami Reef]

Ultimately, this will be an ongoing issue until we identify the root cause.

There is no root cause. Algae grows everywhere where light, nutrients, space, trace elements, and lack of herbivores are present.

Unless you plan to starve your tank and kill your corals, there is no greater cause.

To be frank, I get frustrated at posts attempting to claim nutrients are the cause of algae issues. You can find many great tanks with no algae with higher nutrients. You can also find tanks infested with algae despite overusing GFO and carbon dosing to deplete nutrients.

You can grow algae at 0.03ppm equally well than at 0.20ppm. The PO4 is not limiting. More won’t increase growth because something else will be limiting.

 

[VintageReefer]

everyone knows the scrubbers turf algae rapidly consumes the waters astatine and closphates and keeps them at a level where hair algae can’t survive. Just make sure you don’t overdo it, these can be difficult to replace

 

[Garf]

astatine

closphates

Typos?

 

[VintageReefer]

Typos?

No