Green Hair Algae

[Blueberry1988]

Hi guys I'm having a problem with GHA and I'm trying to fix it with Flux Rx. I've dosed it Friday October 25, and I'm still not able to see any changes in the algae color or their root strength. Does anyone have any experience with this product and how it will work with GHA? On the back says wait 10 to 14 days for results and today is day 12, I'm a little concern.
Thank you

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've never done a chemical dose to get rid of GHA. I either manually remove what I can, boost my CUC, or correct parameters in my tank.

 

[Blueberry1988]

I've never done a chemical dose to get rid of GHA. I either manually remove what I can, boost my CUC, or correct parameters in my tank.

That's what I do but it's just not enough. When you're saying manual removal what do you mean? remove the algae with a toothbrush and do a water change?

 

[Poshangcun]

That's what I do but it's just not enough. When you're saying manual removal what do you mean? remove the algae with a toothbrush and do a water change?

What I did was remove the algae with a toothbrush, either taking out the rock or just doing it in the water, and then clean the filter. At the same time, my 40-gallon tank has two turbo snails, one urchin, five trochus snails, and ten cerith snails. After 4 months, green hair algae (GHA) is almost gone. By the way, I have a hang-on-back (HOB) refugium with macroalgae. I did not do much water change and also has no protein skimmer.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

That's what I do but it's just not enough. When you're saying manual removal what do you mean? remove the algae with a toothbrush and do a water change?

When I removed GHA from my tank, I would either use a toothbrush and or use my hands and pull it out. GHA is usually caused by elevated nutrient levels, water change will help combat that issue.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

IIRC, using flucanozole for Gha requires 6 weeks or so. I agree with others that it's not the best thing to use. Correcting nutrients will help keep new algae from growing but won't usually kill/ starve existing algae.
Depending on the age of your tank, it might just be part of the normal algae cycle and manual removal + patience is what's needed. If you want to try other methods, I recommend hydrogen peroxide - either sprayed on rocks after you've cleaned them outside the tank (let sit a few minutes and then return to the tank) or by spot treating with a pipette (and pumps off) in the tank.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Can you post a full tank shot?

 

[Tinnerito]

That's what I do but it's just not enough. When you're saying manual removal what do you mean? remove the algae with a toothbrush and do a water change?

Hair algae grows in high nutrient environments, so scrubbing what you can, and preforming some water changes would be best in my opinion.

 

[exnisstech]

Hair algae grows in high nutrient environments, so scrubbing what you can, and preforming some water changes would be best in my opinion.

It also grows in low nutrient systems. I have 3 tanks running and only one has a GHA issue. N and P stay at or near zero requiring occasional dosing to get them measurable.

EDIT : To the OP I'd hold off on Flux. Manual removal by scraping and syphoning into a sock and a robust cuc would be my suggestion. I used Flux early on in the tank mentioned above and while it did put a dent on he GHA I then ended up with cyano so I used chemiclean. This just became a cycle of rinse and repeat so stopped chems and went back to manual removal. It's a long slow process. Nothing wrong with keeping lower nutrients I just haven't had them be the cause of GHA. I'm not sure exactly what the cause of GHA is but I think in my case it was the dry rock I used when I rescaped the tank.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It also grows in low nutrient systems. I have 3 tanks running and only one has a GHA issue. N and P stay at or near zero requiring occasional dosing to get them measurable.

EDIT : To the OP I'd hold off on Flux. Manual removal by scraping and syphoning into a sock and a robust cuc would be my suggestion. I used Flux early on in the tank mentioned above and while it did put a dent on he GHA I then ended up with cyano so I used chemiclean. This just became a cycle of rinse and repeat so stopped chems and went back to manual removal. It's a long slow process. Nothing wrong with keeping lower nutrients I just haven't had them be the cause of GHA. I'm not sure exactly what the cause of GHA is but I think in my case it was the dry rock I used when I rescaped the tank.

Agreed. My tank is sitting at Nitrates about 75 and phos around 1.0 and I have no gha either.

 

[Blueberry1988]

Hi guys, thank you for your replies. Here's a few shot of the tank with white lights only. Regarding putting the rocks out of the tank, this is gonna be a little hard for me because they're full of coral. the tank is 1 year hold and my nutrient went up because i left for 10 days and my automatic feeder probably was feeding too much and that's why I got GHA. I will do a water change today since the Flux Rx is not really working and my nutrient Phosphate and Nitrate are going up a little too much and my acros are starting to notice it

 

[Dburr1014]

Hi guys I'm having a problem with GHA and I'm trying to fix it with Flux Rx. I've dosed it Friday October 25, and I'm still not able to see any changes in the algae color or their root strength. Does anyone have any experience with this product and how it will work with GHA? On the back says wait 10 to 14 days for results and today is day 12, I'm a little concern.
Thank you

21 days +/- 1 day.

That's what it takes.

10 to 14 is bryopsis.

In fact, you can also micro dose it and it will still take 21 days. 10% of dose weekly and leave your skimmer and everything else on, it will still take 21ish days.

 

[Blueberry1988]

I also wanted to add that I've a big clean up crew a lot of snails and a sea urchin.

 

[Blueberry1988]

21 days +/- 1 day.

That's what it takes.

10 to 14 is bryopsis.

Yes that's what I was thinking. But that's a long time without performing a water change.....

 

[Red_Beard]

Hi guys, thank you for your replies. Here's a few shot of the tank with white lights only. Regarding putting the rocks out of the tank, this is gonna be a little hard for me because they're full of coral. the tank is 1 year hold and my nutrient went up because i left for 10 days and my automatic feeder probably was feeding too much and that's why I got GHA. I will do a water change today since the Flux Rx is not really working and my nutrient Phosphate and Nitrate are going up a little too much and my acros are starting to notice it

How many snails/urchins do you have? It takes a small army of them to keep you cleaned up. I dont see any on the rock and only a few in the sand.

 

[Dburr1014]

Yes that's what I was thinking. But that's a long time without performing a water change.....

I edited my first post #12.

How much water change do you want to do?

I never shut off my awc the last time. 1 gallon per day on a 150.

I would: dose 10%, wc after 1 week. For 3 weeks.

Edit; if you did full dose, don't worry about water changes, do them as normal.

 

[Blueberry1988]

I'm wandering if at this point I just have to go

How many snails/urchins do you have? It takes a small army of them to keep you cleaned up. I dont see any on the rock and only a few in the sand.

I've 10 snails 2 Turbot and Margarita Snail Astrea Snail, 4 hermit and 1 urchin

 

[Blueberry1988]

I edited my first post #12.

How much water change do you want to do?

I never shut off my awc the last time. 1 gallon per day on a 150.

I would: dose 10%, wc after 1 week. For 3 weeks.

I usually do 1 every 2 week about 30%

 

[Dburr1014]

I usually do 1 every 2 week about 30%

Can you do a smaller 20% after 2 week?
Then let it fly.

 

[Blueberry1988]

Can you do a smaller 20% after 2 week?
Then let it fly.

I don't know, I thought it was better not to do a water change until the GHA goes away and the Flux RX does his job, but at this point I'm risking to loose my corals due to high nutrients