Hair algae low nutriënt

[Robin1421]

Hey Guys ,

Im new to this forum and i’m batteling green hair algae for a few monts now . I did a 3 day black out a week ago , it killed Some of the gha but now it is coming back . I do a 20% waterchange every week , i vacum the sandbad , blow of the rocks and clean the sump . In my sump i have a Carbon reactor and skimmer im trying to grow Some cheato in the sump but with no succes . Im using rod water . Can someone please help me ? I would like to fix this without using chemicals

Ca :425
Kh : 7,5
Mg:1395
No3:6
No2:0
Po4 : 0 - 0,01
Si: 0
Salinity : 1,024

 

[waleedreef]

Green Hair Algae or "GHA" is really a broad term that covers hundreds of species of green simple filamentous algae. These species tend to be simple, fine in texture, and have few distinguishable features. True species level identification requires a microscope.

Distinguishing it from look-a-likes: GHA is not coarse or wiry, it should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. If you can make out a root structure, or a stiff branching structure it is probably not GHA.

Manual Removal: Green hair algae can be pulled out easily, and tooth brushed or scrubbed off the rock work. This is easier to do if the rock is outside of the tank. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net.

Clean Up Crew: Assorted Hermits, Blue Legs, Florida Ceriths, Chitons, Turbograzers, Sea Hares, Conchs, Emerald Crabs, Urchins and a few others. It is readily accepted by many herbivores, but because it grows quickly it may persist even in a tank with a fair amount of cleaners.

Why it Happened: An excess of available nutrients, particular the majors like phosphates and nitrates. Keep an eye on possible iron and potassium sources which may also help fuel hair algae. Hair algae spores and fragments are so abundant that keeping it out of the tank via quarantine is unlikely to be successful. Your best bet to preventing this algae from taking hold is to maintain a weekly water change regimen, maintain your filtration and perform manual/natural algae removal as it forms. Proper magnesium and alkalinity levels are thought to discourage the growth of many species of GHA.

Starving it out: Use a phosban reactor or a macroalgae like chaeto to reduce nutrients. Increase the frequency of your water change routine, taking the opportunity to siphon out as much hair algae as you can each time. Older light bulbs tend to drift towards the red spectrum, and fuel the growth of hair algae so considered replacing them if need be.

 

[Robin1421]

Thx for the reply , i will check the algae under a microscope . I dont think starving them out with phosban wil work because my phosphates are so low a need to add phosphate few times a week to keep it from dropping to low and i tried growing cheato with the zetlight algae growlight but with no succes