Green hair algae taking over

[Llorgon]

Alright been fighting with green hair algae for awhile in my tank. I came back from a long weekend and the tank was looking much worse than when I left it.

How can I beat this stuff?!

Tank params are:
Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5
Phosphate: 0.018
Alkalinity: 9.5
Calcium: 435
Magnesium: 1470

I'm sure one problem is I am low on cuc. I was able to find 2 turbo snails a couple weeks ago, but I'm not seeing them making any dent in it. I have been scrubbing the rocks in the tank, but it seems to be a losing battle.

I'm controlling nutrient by vodka dosing. I know I had pretty high phosphate for awhile which I know is the cause, but lowering them doesn't seem to be helping much.

What is my best course of action here? Just remove the rocks, scrub them and put them back in?

 

[Retro Reefer]

Are you certain your make up water is 100% pure, 0 tds? two snails in that tank will do little to nothing, 15-20 snails and a bunch of small blue leg hermits would be better.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

 

[Spare time]

Manual removal will help. You could try Flux Rx. It worked for me when my refugium and overflow were flooded with hair algae

 

[ReefHomieJon]

It works. Cured my cyano. Recipe is the same for green hair algae. But you need better nutrient control moving forward. Plus a good clean up crew. And maybe get an urchin. Urchins do an excellent job keeping algae under control. I have a long spine and it’s like an algae vacuum

 

[Llorgon]

Are you certain your make up water is 100% pure, 0 tds? two snails in that tank will do little to nothing, 15-20 snails and a bunch of small blue leg hermits would be better.

I have 4 blue legs and maybe 6 snails. I need more, but hard to get them since covid. Pretty sure water is 0 tds. I checked it last week when I made water for my water change.

Manual removal will help. You could try Flux Rx. It worked for me when my refugium and overflow were flooded with hair algae

I've been doing manual removal and it seems like a losing battle right now. I will look into the flux rx and waste away.

It works. Cured my cyano. Recipe is the same for green hair algae. But you need better nutrient control moving forward. Plus a good clean up crew. And maybe get an urchin. Urchins do an excellent job keeping algae under control. I have a long spine and it’s like an algae vacuum

So the tank is a 25 gallon aio. I agree that I need better nutrient control, but I am not sure what. Right now I do a weekly 5 gallon water change and change filter socks once a week. But that doesn't seem to be working.

 

[X-37B]

If you want it all gone the natural way.
Get a dolebela sea hare.

 

[Sdot]

If you want it all gone the natural way.
Get a dolebela sea hare.

+1 They are the best hair algae eaters period..... to there detriment as well.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi,

I agree with the manual removal and a flux rx treatment. I used it a few times, works great. I think some of the problem is that window. After you treat the tank hang a blackout shade or something else for a while and see what happens . And beef up the Cuc as mentioned

 

[melanotaenia]

Remove large pieces of algae if possible with tweezers and during water change.

Whatever is left over, hermits should be able to handle. Buy 40-50 of them, blue legs work best for me, and it should go away, provided you are not feeing the algae with excess nutrients in the water. I would not use chemicals as a first course of action to get rid of it.

 

[jeffrey750750]

I saw a window next to your tank, is it getting outside light? Get a couple big mexican turbo snails. I use 2 in my 60, when they've cleaned it up good enough in the display ill put them in the sump to clean. Change them back and forth about once a month. Lol

 

[Bacon505]

Message me if you need help.

 

[Llorgon]

If you want it all gone the natural way.
Get a dolebela sea hare.

If I can find one I will give it a try!

Hi,

I agree with the manual removal and a flux rx treatment. I used it a few times, works great. I think some of the problem is that window. After you treat the tank hang a blackout shade or something else for a while and see what happens . And beef up the Cuc as mentioned

Flux rx work better than the waste away? As soon as LFS gets livestock shipment I will up the cuc, but I will have to wait for that.

Remove large pieces of algae if possible with tweezers and during water change.

Whatever is left over, hermits should be able to handle. Buy 40-50 of them, blue legs work best for me, and it should go away, provided you are not feeing the algae with excess nutrients in the water. I would not use chemicals as a first course of action to get rid of it.

I agree I would like to avoid chemicals if possible. 40-50 hermits for a 25 gallon seems a bit high isn't it?

I saw a window next to your tank, is it getting outside light? Get a couple big mexican turbo snails. I use 2 in my 60, when they've cleaned it up good enough in the display ill put them in the sump to clean. Change them back and forth about once a month. Lol

Ya there is a window. I keep planning on getting some window tint to put on it, just haven't got around to it. The blind stays closed unless I take pictures(natural light seems to make them turn out better), but I am sure it still gets some of the light. I should try blocking the window with a sheet for now I guess... I bought 2 turbo snails, not sure if mexican or not a couple weeks ago and they haven't made a dent yet. They are small turbos though.

Message me if you need help.

Impressive. What did you do to get rid of it?

 

[melanotaenia]

With the amount of algae you have, the number of hermits will help decimate it to the point that you will not have to worry about it so long as nutrients are kept in check.

If you can find medium-larger size blue leg hermits 25-30 probably would work. I have over 50 in my RSR 170 (34 gallons), and they will take care of anything growing on rocks. (It is always better to have a few extra as they tend to murder each other for shells in my experience)

 

[Llorgon]

Now if only I could get some hermits. Maybe with some of the restrictions lifting here in BC people will ship again.

I ordered some of the waste away. Should I start ramping down on the vodka dosing? I assume I wouldn't want to be dosing both?

Also tested my water.
Tank Params are
Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 79
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: 0.009
Alkalinity: 9.3
Calcium: 500
Magnesium: 1470

 

[Spare time]

With the amount of algae you have, the number of hermits will help decimate it to the point that you will not have to worry about it so long as nutrients are kept in check.

If you can find medium-larger size blue leg hermits 25-30 probably would work. I have over 50 in my RSR 170 (34 gallons), and they will take care of anything growing on rocks. (It is always better to have a few extra as they tend to murder each other for shells in my experience)

The will eventually all die from a lack of food and pollute the tank. It is better to have a few slowly do the job rather than a bunch do it fast and then have no more food.

 

[Spare time]

Now if only I could get some hermits. Maybe with some of the restrictions lifting here in BC people will ship again.

I ordered some of the waste away. Should I start ramping down on the vodka dosing? I assume I wouldn't want to be dosing both?

Also tested my water.
Tank Params are
Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 79
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: 0.009
Alkalinity: 9.3
Calcium: 500
Magnesium: 1470

Once again I would double check your TDS in your RO water.

 

[Llorgon]

Once again I would double check your TDS in your RO water.

I checked my ro water last week when I was making my water for water change. I checked the ato resevoir water and it was 0 as well.

I only have a cheap TDS meter. Could it be giving false 0 reading?

 

[Spare time]

I checked my ro water last week when I was making my water for water change. I checked the ato resevoir water and it was 0 as well.

I only have a cheap TDS meter. Could it be giving false 0 reading?

I think its fine then. Your nitrate and phosphate are probably higher than what your testing says in the tank since the algae is taking it up quickly. I was just trying to think of the source of the problem. Have you an idea of the origin? I am thinking it could be the sunlight getting into the tank

 

[Dan_P]

Alright been fighting with green hair algae for awhile in my tank. I came back from a long weekend and the tank was looking much worse than when I left it.

How can I beat this stuff?!

Tank params are:
Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5
Phosphate: 0.018
Alkalinity: 9.5
Calcium: 435
Magnesium: 1470

I'm sure one problem is I am low on cuc. I was able to find 2 turbo snails a couple weeks ago, but I'm not seeing them making any dent in it. I have been scrubbing the rocks in the tank, but it seems to be a losing battle.

I'm controlling nutrient by vodka dosing. I know I had pretty high phosphate for awhile which I know is the cause, but lowering them doesn't seem to be helping much.

What is my best course of action here? Just remove the rocks, scrub them and put them back in?

If you have enough snails to eat the GHA, you don’t to add or adjust anything.