Running a 55 gallon tank. Total water volume is about 45 gallons. 60 lb live sand. 60 lb Marco dry rock. One Mp-10 running at about 75%. I also have a Tidal-110 for my mechanical filtration. Looking to add a HOB protein skimmer the first of the year. As well as another MP-10. Running 2 Hydra-32”s at about 65%. Unfortunately can’t have a sump due to a 3 year old. Tank was a 14 day cycle and I immediately started dosing pods. Do 15 gallon water change every two weeks. First fish was a spotted mandarin. Later added watchman goby,pistol shrimp,diamond goby,cleaner shrimp,two snowflake clowns. I know I added the fish too fast but my parameters have always been spot on. Tank is now 4 months old and had my first algae bloom. It’s on the only piece of live rock that I used to cycle my tank. I did feed heavy when I added my clowns because I couldn’t get them eat. Looking to get rid of this hair algae and make sure I can keep it from coming back. I’ve heard of using hydrogen peroxide. Any help available?
Hair algae removal?
- Thread starter AjfromVa
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Subsea
5000 Club Member
Welcome to the hobby and r2r. I been addicted to the hobby for 50 years so, be careful, I am a junkie..
Yes you could soak live rock in 10% peroxide solution to kill everything on and in the rock. You would be treating the symptom and not the cause.
When you said that tank was ready for fish because nitrogen cycle was complete, you sacrificed the micro fauna & fana, including pods in your system. I went 6 months before adding fish.
Pods and most all herbivores eat GHA. Get you some janitors like small Astrae Snails. An Algae Blennie is a good fish to have at this time.
Better describe the one piece of live rock you used to inoculate your tank. A picture of the rock and a full tank shot would help me help you. Also, start a tank thread to use asa journal and for others to identify with you and your system goals. From your choice of fish, you need refugiums for live food. There are HOB refugiums that could be outfitted with surface area for film algae to feed pods. You can also have a lighted algae refugium on an opposite light cycle to assist with oxygen depletion during lights out in your display tank.
Your focus on circulation is more important than refugiums. Gas exchange is a critical process in reef tanks just as it is in the oceans.
Yes you could soak live rock in 10% peroxide solution to kill everything on and in the rock. You would be treating the symptom and not the cause.
When you said that tank was ready for fish because nitrogen cycle was complete, you sacrificed the micro fauna & fana, including pods in your system. I went 6 months before adding fish.
Pods and most all herbivores eat GHA. Get you some janitors like small Astrae Snails. An Algae Blennie is a good fish to have at this time.
Better describe the one piece of live rock you used to inoculate your tank. A picture of the rock and a full tank shot would help me help you. Also, start a tank thread to use asa journal and for others to identify with you and your system goals. From your choice of fish, you need refugiums for live food. There are HOB refugiums that could be outfitted with surface area for film algae to feed pods. You can also have a lighted algae refugium on an opposite light cycle to assist with oxygen depletion during lights out in your display tank.
Your focus on circulation is more important than refugiums. Gas exchange is a critical process in reef tanks just as it is in the oceans.
ZoWhat
7500 Club Member
The best way to beat nuisance algae is using smthg that outcompetes the nuisance algae and it dies off and starves..
Some ppl go the way of ultrasound nutrients systems (ULNS) and practically starving their corals.
Other dose carbons to severely amp up their nutrifying bacteria using Vibrant, Nopox, Dr Tims, Vodka....
I'm a fanatical believer in dosing phytoplankton....
I have been daily dosing tetraselmis phytoplankton I brew myself from an online seller (Mercer of montana) (I have no hidden agenda in promoting them).
I'm up to dosing 64ozs fir a total water volume of 240g DAILY. I dose at night with my sump return pump turned off to allow the tetraselmis to float around the water column.
Biologically my water quality is amazing. Seeing corals really look fleshy.
My goal every night is to have a slight green tint to my water. By the next day is crystal clear. Not sure if copepods are gobbling it up, or corals or both....but I'm seeing a very stable ecosystem.
The amt of tetraselmis is outcompeting all other algaes allowing the cirals and LR to look fantastic. Corals appreciate the natural food source
WARNING I would not recommend dumping 64ozs syarting Day-1. Too much natural nutrients that will shock the system. But start with 4ozs, then work up to a higher number every couple of weeks.
SIDENOTE: you will have to clean your glass every other day as tetraselmis builds up on the glass. It will NOT spike nuisance algae as it outcompetes that stuff.
Smthg to think about.....
Some ppl go the way of ultrasound nutrients systems (ULNS) and practically starving their corals.
Other dose carbons to severely amp up their nutrifying bacteria using Vibrant, Nopox, Dr Tims, Vodka....
I'm a fanatical believer in dosing phytoplankton....
I have been daily dosing tetraselmis phytoplankton I brew myself from an online seller (Mercer of montana) (I have no hidden agenda in promoting them).
I'm up to dosing 64ozs fir a total water volume of 240g DAILY. I dose at night with my sump return pump turned off to allow the tetraselmis to float around the water column.
Biologically my water quality is amazing. Seeing corals really look fleshy.
My goal every night is to have a slight green tint to my water. By the next day is crystal clear. Not sure if copepods are gobbling it up, or corals or both....but I'm seeing a very stable ecosystem.
The amt of tetraselmis is outcompeting all other algaes allowing the cirals and LR to look fantastic. Corals appreciate the natural food source
WARNING I would not recommend dumping 64ozs syarting Day-1. Too much natural nutrients that will shock the system. But start with 4ozs, then work up to a higher number every couple of weeks.
SIDENOTE: you will have to clean your glass every other day as tetraselmis builds up on the glass. It will NOT spike nuisance algae as it outcompetes that stuff.
Smthg to think about.....
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
How do you have the Hydras configured? Too much white spectrum can make algae very happy.
Sometimes snails will go after it, sometimes not. But you'll want them in the tank anyway. Trochus are the most reliable overall. I think a Blennie is a great idea. Hopefully you can get these at your LFS, but if not check out ReefCleaners or AlgaeBarn. Quite often it can just be a matter of time - things will eventually balance out.
- D
Sometimes snails will go after it, sometimes not. But you'll want them in the tank anyway. Trochus are the most reliable overall. I think a Blennie is a great idea. Hopefully you can get these at your LFS, but if not check out ReefCleaners or AlgaeBarn. Quite often it can just be a matter of time - things will eventually balance out.
- D
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AjfromVa
New Member
I apologize. I guess you didn’t see that I started dosing pods when the cycle was complete. I have continued to dose pods every 2 weeks since. Also have been dosing phytoplankton. I tried to post pictures in the initial post but am not sure why they didn’t come thru.
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AjfromVa
New Member
I have been dosing phytoplankton as well as pods. I know algae blooms will happen. Just trying to get thru it
had a lawnmower blenny that took a swan dive. I’m using one of the signature series set-ups. I don’t remember which one right now.
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
That doesn't look bad.
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
Heh, sorry, the light settings.
vetteguy53081
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I expected to see worse. There are couple of ways you can go:
You can pull by hand what you can, reduce white light intensity and add good worker (clean up crew) :
4 turbo snail
4 astrea snail
3 trochus snail
4 nerite snail
6-8 blue leg hermits
OR
Reduce white light intensity for a few days and use liquid Vibrant which works well.
You can pull by hand what you can, reduce white light intensity and add good worker (clean up crew) :
4 turbo snail
4 astrea snail
3 trochus snail
4 nerite snail
6-8 blue leg hermits
OR
Reduce white light intensity for a few days and use liquid Vibrant which works well.
OP
OP
AjfromVa
New Member
O
Ok. I know it’s still a new tank and I want to get on top of the algae as fast as possible. To all that are suggesting a clean up crew, I added one from reef cleaners about a month ago. Long before the algae showed up.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
Phytoplankton, as a primary producer are at the bottom of the food pyramid pushing carbon up through the microbial loop. I can’t think of a better way to carbon dose without a skimmer. This is nutrient management on steroids because phytoplankton feeds diverse food webs that recycle live food to hungry mouths.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
Maybe I should apologize, but I look at pods as a sustainable janitor in the clean up crew. Instead of adding pods from a vendor to be eaten by fish before they are able to maintain sustainable population to feed mandarins. I suggested that you not add predators of pods for 6 months. Pods hide in and consume GHA so in respect to the food chain, pods are predators/consumers of GHA and in adequate populations would consume the GHA that you see. Incidentally, it’s not very much. You could brush it out with a tooth brush.
Clownfish_Boy
Well-Known Member
Try Vibrant Aquarium Cleaner. I saw a post in which the author successfully used some to get rid of hair algae.
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