Hair Algae Issues Won't Go Away

[andiesreef]

I've been having hair algae issues in my 20g long for almost 2-3 months and I can't get rid of the stuff. My tank is about 8-9 months old. I've tried manual removal, more frequent water changes (and my nutrients are nitrates <20ppm and phos <0.25ppm, this is how they've been since the tank has cycled but only recently has the algae taken over), more CUC, less light, less food, and additional filtration (mini hob skimmer) to no avail. My corals aren't doing too well because the gha is encroaching on their polyps or skeletons and I feel like giving up. I feel like I'm about to lose my investment to a bunch of algae.

What can I do? Is there a chemical I can use to flush out some of the algae and use manual maintenance to finish off the rest? Something I haven't tried? I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I wish I could press a restart button and have a clean tank.

Please let me know what I should do.

 

[Gup]

Chemiclean makes good products for removal of all types of algae. You might want to try that

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I agree with above, if you've really tried everything, and your at that point where you feel you are losing the battle, thats a good time to use chemiclean.

With that said, if you have a green hair algae problem , your phosphates should be close to zero since the algae will consume it. Since your phosphate is .25 with a bad algae problem, then there is something wrong. No matter if you use chemiclean or anything else, you need to figure out why your phosphate is so high and control it, you have to get it lower than .1

A skimmer doesnt remove phosphate, look into GFO, or phosguard, to help you reduce the phosphate level.

EDIT: .25 phosphate often indicates you are using the API test, their test goes from 0 to .25. Since you need to get the level lower than .1 , you need a test kit that can measure low levels.

 

[Dkmoo]

Have you tried a refugium?

You have algae because your tank is immature. Excess nutrient is part of the reason but the main reason is that your rocks and surfaces are still not "live" enough so there is prime real estate for simple organisms to colonize first (algae and bacteria). Think about it - in ocean, nitrate levels are nondetectible, yet algae still grows on dead tissues and unhealthy/unbalanced ecosystems. In short - algae will grow whereever it can find room to - whether that is an immature rock or a dead coral.

If your system is currently "that" supportive of algae growth, then a refugium or algae scrubber should be really effective. It's really that simple a concept - every strand of algae grown in the refugium or scrubber is 1 less strand growing on your DT. And with these, size matters, so more they grow in the fuge, the better they compete with future growth so the more effective it becomes.

The risk of using chemicals is that you risk also killing the microfauna and take a step backwards in the maturation process.. At 8 months you should actually be fairly far along in the rocks maturation process if you had been "all natural" so far. I feel like this may be one of the last humps to get over for you.

Reef flux RX is super effective but I really would urge you to think about it vs potentially undoing the months of progress you made on the "maturation" journey

 

[vetteguy53081]

Chemiclean makes good products for removal of all types of algae. You might want to try that

ChemiClean for Red Cyano - Not hair algae

 

[vetteguy53081]

I agree with above, if you've really tried everything, and your at that point where you feel you are losing the battle, thats a good time to use chemiclean.

With that said, if you have a green hair algae problem , your phosphates should be close to zero since the algae will consume it. Since your phosphate is .25 with a bad algae problem, then there is something wrong. No matter if you use chemiclean or anything else, you need to figure out why your phosphate is so high and control it, you have to get it lower than .1

A skimmer doesnt remove phosphate, look into GFO, or phosguard, to help you reduce the phosphate level.

EDIT: .25 phosphate often indicates you are using the API test, their test goes from 0 to .25. Since you need to get the level lower than .1 , you need a test kit that can measure low levels.

Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water ?
Also- Is tank at or near a window?

Best defense is removing as much as you can by hand and reducing white light intensity. GHA is a broad term used covering many species of hair algae. Pics under white light would help especially inassuring it is hair algae and not bryopsis. GHA should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. This algae generally appears when there is an excess of available nutrients, particularly the major ones like phosphates and nitrates. Ypu can add a poch of chemiPure blue or elite to keep these nutrients in check.
Turn white lights off for at least 5 days if possible. Add hydrogen Peroxide at night at rate f 1ml per 10 gallons which also helps.
After a week, add some cleaners such as:
carribean blue leg hermits
Cerith, astrea, turbo grazer and nerite snails
pin cushion urchin

 

[andiesreef]

I agree with above, if you've really tried everything, and your at that point where you feel you are losing the battle, thats a good time to use chemiclean.

With that said, if you have a green hair algae problem , your phosphates should be close to zero since the algae will consume it. Since your phosphate is .25 with a bad algae problem, then there is something wrong. No matter if you use chemiclean or anything else, you need to figure out why your phosphate is so high and control it, you have to get it lower than .1

A skimmer doesnt remove phosphate, look into GFO, or phosguard, to help you reduce the phosphate level.

EDIT: .25 phosphate often indicates you are using the API test, their test goes from 0 to .25. Since you need to get the level lower than .1 , you need a test kit that can measure low levels.

thanks. i'm dosing chemiclean right now, found some laying around from a previous purchase.

and what tests go lower than api? that's all i had access to. thanks.

 

[Double monti 61]

Get some of the small invertebrates from indo pacific farms they seem to work well in my system some small hermit crabs,bristle worms, snails, small serpent stars and the mama mia worms all seem to help keep things in check in my system!

 

[Uncle99]

First you got to find the “why” and correct it, then use one of the “tank cleaner” chems to “reset” the tank.
It’s interesting that you mention that your nitrate and phosphate levels remain unchanged which to me, is unusual.

Nitrates and Phosphate is hard for most hobby grade test kits to accurately post. Maybe your pinned .25ppm phosphate is just the best number that test can do. Or maybe it’s higher in actuality and is being used up by the GHA.

The only test I know that’s surprising accurate is the Hanna UL Phosphorus Checker in PPB.

You can check your tests somewhat.
Take a measure of Nitrate and Phosphate.
Do a 20% water change.
Both should retest to 20% lower, or at least, lower.
If they don’t, toss them.

Sometimes test kits lead us in the wrong direction.

You can run higher phosphate levels easily after a couple of years whereas there are enough consumers of both nutrients, keeping levels stable, I seen .3ppm tanks which are stunning.

Lower light, scrub and remove, keep nitrate 5-15ppm and phosphate say 0.05ppm to .1ppm use Vibrant as labeled.
Change 10% every week.

When you deprive GHA of light and nutrients, it turns beige and much becomes DOC in the water, so skim, skim, skim.

 

[lumpadelic]

I battled fo over a year in my 90 and tried almost every natural treatment. More CUC, blackouts, blueouts, sea Hares, added refugium. I almost never resort to chemical treatments, but I used Flucanazole (reef flux) three weeks ago and it completely eliminated all hair algae. I lost no corals, and my macro algae in the fuge is also fine. I have no idea what might rear up next, but for now the tank looks great!

 

[outhouse]

i'm dosing chemiclean right now,

Why? dont does crap when you have no idea what the heck it does.

It does not help GHA as stated above, the clowns dont know what they are talking about/

 

[TxReefer21]

I've been having hair algae issues in my 20g long for almost 2-3 months and I can't get rid of the stuff. My tank is about 8-9 months old. I've tried manual removal, more frequent water changes (and my nutrients are nitrates <20ppm and phos <0.25ppm, this is how they've been since the tank has cycled but only recently has the algae taken over), more CUC, less light, less food, and additional filtration (mini hob skimmer) to no avail. My corals aren't doing too well because the gha is encroaching on their polyps or skeletons and I feel like giving up. I feel like I'm about to lose my investment to a bunch of algae.

What can I do? Is there a chemical I can use to flush out some of the algae and use manual maintenance to finish off the rest? Something I haven't tried? I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I wish I could press a restart button and have a clean tank.

Please let me know what I should do.

Have you tried running a UV sterilizer or using phosgaurd

 

[outhouse]

Is there a chemical I can use to flush out some of the algae

YES you use fluconazole then vibrant marine not the reef formula.

But first do major water changes to lower nitrates and phosphates, that is your sole cause. And start doing more water changes to keep your parameters lower.

Better buy some salt, because as they GHA dies off you need to do water changes to remove the die off

 

[outhouse]

There are many way to deal with phosphates and lower them. GFO is one way or in combination of turf scrubbers and or chaeto. Ive tried them all, over 30 years, but you also have to lower nitrates, nothing beats water changes. Remember its a two part N and P you fight. After lowering such that is when you use fluconazole then vibrant works best over all the rest

 

[andiesreef]

Have you tried a refugium?

You have algae because your tank is immature. Excess nutrient is part of the reason but the main reason is that your rocks and surfaces are still not "live" enough so there is prime real estate for simple organisms to colonize first (algae and bacteria). Think about it - in ocean, nitrate levels are nondetectible, yet algae still grows on dead tissues and unhealthy/unbalanced ecosystems. In short - algae will grow whereever it can find room to - whether that is an immature rock or a dead coral.

If your system is currently "that" supportive of algae growth, then a refugium or algae scrubber should be really effective. It's really that simple a concept - every strand of algae grown in the refugium or scrubber is 1 less strand growing on your DT. And with these, size matters, so more they grow in the fuge, the better they compete with future growth so the more effective it becomes.

The risk of using chemicals is that you risk also killing the microfauna and take a step backwards in the maturation process.. At 8 months you should actually be fairly far along in the rocks maturation process if you had been "all natural" so far. I feel like this may be one of the last humps to get over for you.

Reef flux RX is super effective but I really would urge you to think about it vs potentially undoing the months of progress you made on the "maturation" journey

i'm dosing chemiclean right now as i've had good results in the past and not undoing my biological progress as you said. if it doesn't work i may have to try reef flux.

and as for a fuge i don't really have the space for one. my tank is small and i can't really plumb anything in of a substantial size. although i do love fuges and would want one in any bigger tanks i build in the future. i try to compensate with my skimmer and a varied cuc and not many chemicals, only as a last resort.

 

[andiesreef]

Have you tried running a UV sterilizer or using phosgaurd

i haven't, i don't have space for a sterilizer and haven't tried phosguard

 

[andiesreef]

Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water ?
Also- Is tank at or near a window?

Best defense is removing as much as you can by hand and reducing white light intensity. GHA is a broad term used covering many species of hair algae. Pics under white light would help especially inassuring it is hair algae and not bryopsis. GHA should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. This algae generally appears when there is an excess of available nutrients, particularly the major ones like phosphates and nitrates. Ypu can add a poch of chemiPure blue or elite to keep these nutrients in check.
Turn white lights off for at least 5 days if possible. Add hydrogen Peroxide at night at rate f 1ml per 10 gallons which also helps.
After a week, add some cleaners such as:
carribean blue leg hermits
Cerith, astrea, turbo grazer and nerite snails
pin cushion urchin

rodi only. done manual removal and lower white light with no long lasting results. i have a diverse cuc but they won't touch the long bushes of algae. i'd be curious to dose hydrogen peroxide or chemipure though. for now i am trying chemiclean as it's worked for cyano and i have heard anecdotal evidence about gha. i had it on hand so i'm seeing if it even does anything.

 

[TxReefer21]

i haven't, i don't have space for a sterilizer and haven't tried phosguard

What size is your tank ? I’m using one in a 40 breeder feed every day pellet shrimp and then some no algae

 

[andiesreef]

20long

What size is your tank ? I’m using one in a 40 breeder feed every day pellet shrimp and then some no algae

What size is your tank ? I’m using one in a 40 breeder feed every day pellet shrimp and then some no algae

 

[Double monti 61]

use your poisons and snake oils I run my tank without them.