Fighting an existing Hair Algae problem.

thomasj · Feb 10, 2013

I had the hair Algae problem for 3 years and then I changed my powerhead to biger one. And my po4 went up for 1 wk and then went to 0.

And today are about 0.08 with Red Sea test kit.

Otter_rs · Feb 10, 2013

SpoonReef said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. The problem started about 6 months after the cycle. I am not sure where it is coming from, and I would like to find a permanent solution to all of it.

Do you have bio media or filter socks or some other kind of mechanical filtration?

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SpoonReef · Feb 10, 2013

Otter_rs said:
Do you have bio media or filter socks or some other kind of mechanical filtration?

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I do run a filter sock.

Otter_rs · Feb 10, 2013

SpoonReef said:
I do run a filter sock.

Get rid of it!
Filter socks perpetuate your problem, and here's why;
It traps everything...
Why is this bad?
1. It traps live plankton and causes it to die and decay.
2. It traps uneaten food and detritus where it then decays
3. It forces all of your aquarium water through all that decay.
4. It produces ammonia with all this decay
5. The ammonia then grows nitrifying bacteria.
6. That bacteria produces nitrate, and instead of getting converted to nitrogen gas by the anaerobic denitrifying bacteria within your rock, it gets absorbed directly by your algae.
7. This also promotes bacterial growth in the sock instead of in your rock where It belongs. This will cause ammonia and nitrite spikes after sock changes.
8. If the detritus settles on the bottom of your sump or display (since it is bare bottom) then it can be broken down and recycled by your meiofauna before you siphon it out.
9. Makes for a much more stable system.
Now I'm not saying you can't use filter socks effectively, but you have to already have a stable system and no algae issues.
I hope I explained it ok, I know I can be a little long winded.

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SpoonReef · Feb 16, 2013

So I got all my new stuff in to help stabilize the tank. I bought a brs dual reactor with pump, bio pellet reactor and a auto top off. All has been set up for a couple of days and the algae actually seems to be dying off. I have done some manual removal and also removed the filter sock. I hope things keep going this way, but I am still going to try to rid the rock of all of it. I have noticed something in the tank that may be attributing to the algae, there is a lot of detritus build up under the rocks I am not sure if that is it but it may be.

Otter_rs · Feb 16, 2013

Great.... Keep us posted as things improve.

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jcdeng · Feb 16, 2013

in small increments dose your Mg to 1400 with Kent Tech-M.

SpoonReef · Feb 17, 2013

I have BRS Mg I will use that if I try that method.

jcdeng · Feb 17, 2013

SpoonReef said:
I have BRS Mg I will use that if I try that method.

You have to use Kent, I don't know about BRS but originally I tried dosing Mg with ESV brand and nothing happened, as soon as I switch over to Kent Tech-M, the HA begin to become pale and fall off

islander84 · Feb 17, 2013

Once the po4 has been exhausted from your system it will slowly die off. As others stated if its absorbed into your rocks and slowly leaching out theres nothing you can do but let it run its course. I would suggest getting a good clean up crew to eat the algae and keep it in check and use gfo or refugium to export it as it leaches from its source.

SpoonReef · Feb 17, 2013

I would get a new big clean up crew but my Red Hawkfish likes to eat snails and I am not sure how he would do with crabs. I am hoping that my manual removal will do just fine.

Otter_rs · Feb 17, 2013

Try adding a few sea urchins to help you out. I like the tuxedo urchins a lot.

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SpoonReef · Feb 18, 2013

Not sure how I feel about urchins kind of strange looking. On another note I think I am having a bacteria bloom in the tank I came home from work today and the water was cloudy, might have to slow down the flow through the reactor.

Otter_rs · Feb 19, 2013

Urchins are probably the only real help you can get for hair algae. They will actually eat the top layer of rock with the algae so that the holdfasts will not re grow. They will only help though, don't expect them to work miracles. I like the tuxedos because they don't have long spines, they have a nice purple color and they don't bulldoze like some of the other species. I would definitely recommend them for a hair algae problem. Snails and crabs are great for other types of algae, and you should have those too, but urchins are very helpful for what you need.

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SpoonReef · Feb 20, 2013

I may consider a urchin but I would need to know what the tank condition need to be to successfully have one. I said in my last post that I think I am having a bacterial bloom, well I am and it keeps getting worse what should I do? I know some would say that I shouldn't add a bio pellet reactor but I already have and I am not taking out unless it begins to harm the inhabitants in the tank.

Qsilver23t · Feb 20, 2013

Try running a poly-filter pad, it will remove phosphates and eventually the green hair will thin out. You should still remove as much as possible by hand and siphon. I am running a poly filter and the stuff stopped growing back, so it seems to work!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...atid=4335&ref=6135&subref=NA&cmpid=PPC-G-6135

mike007 · Feb 20, 2013

If you can get a counch they will eat all that algae in a few weeks. You have to figure out why your nutrient level is so high. I find that most causes is overfeeding. I find that is the major cause of algae outbreaks. Algae thrive on nutients . You have to get under control with skimming and water changes.