Green hair algae

[jmoney7]

How do I get rid of it and is it going to affect my corals??

 

[ReefDreamz]

In a new tank this kind of algae turning the rocks green is normal. It's time for you to add more clean up crew. I prefer Astrea, Trochus, and Turbo snails and scarlet hermit crabs. Also, turning down your white lights and using more or only blue lights will help slow the algae growth.

 

[Timfish]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you set up this system with dry rock, dry sand and probably some bottled bacteria. I'd suggest adding some maricultured live rock, see Aquabiomics article and add an urchin or two. When you do water changes you can also use steel straws to remove some of the algae. And yes, algae can affect your corals, in several different ways, either directly shading and overgrowing them, causing anoxic zones around them with the DOC they release and by promoting pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes with the DOC they release.

This is a lot to take in all at once so take your time studying it but here's some links if you want to understand the complexities of reef systems better:


"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (Paper back is ~$20, Kindle is ~$10), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC in reef ecosystems. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems


Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes


Microbial view of Coral Decline


Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont


BActeria and Sponges


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


DNA Sequencing and the Reef Tank Microbiome


Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"

 

[jmoney7]

Thank you for the help!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

How do I get rid of it and is it going to affect my corals??

This is surface/film algae which cleanup crew will help with control. Snails such as astrea-turbo grazer- cerith, nerite and trochus. Even a few Carribean blue leg hermits which stay tiny. Should not bother coral and Bright white light intensity often promote it.
Is tank at or near a window?

 

[jmoney7]

I just added some trochus snails and have 2 hermits in there already. It is near a window about 5-6 feet from it though.