Hair Algae: The Best Way, The MANY Ways, To Get Rid Of It....

What have you found to be the best things/methods to beat hair algae? (choose all that apply)

  • Hydrogen peroxide

    Votes: 131 16.6%
  • Lawn Mower Blenny (or other fish)

    Votes: 169 21.5%
  • Manual Removal

    Votes: 363 46.1%
  • Rock Scrubbing

    Votes: 164 20.8%
  • Lowered Phosphates

    Votes: 175 22.2%
  • Tank Blackouts

    Votes: 46 5.8%
  • Urchins

    Votes: 152 19.3%
  • Fluconazole

    Votes: 90 11.4%
  • Granular Ferric Oxide (GFO)

    Votes: 75 9.5%
  • UV Sterilizer

    Votes: 72 9.1%
  • Refugium

    Votes: 179 22.7%
  • Algae Scrubber

    Votes: 63 8.0%
  • Clean Up Crew

    Votes: 326 41.4%
  • Lighting Change

    Votes: 61 7.8%
  • Sea Hare

    Votes: 59 7.5%
  • Vibrant

    Votes: 120 15.2%
  • Other (please explain in thread)

    Votes: 53 6.7%

  • Total voters
    787

revhtree

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Hair Algae: The Best Way To Get Rid Of It Is?

Hydrogen peroxide, Lawn Mower Blenny, Manual Removal, Rock Scrubbing, Lowered Phosphates, Tank Blackouts, Urchins, Fluconazole, Granular Ferric Oxide (GFO), UV Sterilizer, Refugium, Algae Scrubber, Clean Up Crew, Lighting Change, Sea Hare, Vibrant etc.

Wait, WHAT?!

There are many reasons as to why you might get an outbreak of hair algae in your tank and along with that many ways that you can also eliminate it. But today let's NOT talk about why you have had a hair algae outbreak but the best ways and methods, you have found, that work best to get rid of it!

What have you found to be the best thing (or combo of things) that finally got rid of your hair algae outbreak?

Before and After by @bwomac44
Untitled-6 copy.jpg
 

desagon

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I had it a few years back and it was nasty! I tried a few things like Microbacter7, foxface, tangs, snails, etc. What worked best for me was pulling all of it out of the tank, scrubbing it with a toothbrush and then throwing it in a brute can for a month with high heat (84) and a power head. Then I added a Tuxedo Urchin after it all went back in the tank and that little guy kept everything in check.
 

Bfragale

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manual removal, utilitarian fish and inverts (clean up crew) h2o2 on things that can be removed. Po4/no3 within range- refugium- this is what I focus on and has helped greatly in the past.
 

KingTideCorals

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All great options really to combat nuisance algae (primarily hair), but I think THE BEST option for all tanks is to start off with MANUAL REMOVAL... the more you can get out yourself and bring it down to manageable amount for your clean up crew the better!

Really a fun thread to hear others experiences and what has worked best for them! Also, be a good thread for hobbyists to fall back onto whenever they may possibly encounter a hair algae issue! Nice one @revhtree !
 

Treefer32

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I had purchased a used 125 gallon tank 10 years ago, I had it for 2 years until my home burned down. It took two years to beat hair algae and I had one.. Tank was finally looking good when I lost everything in a house fire. It was a neglected tank, I reused the 8 or 9 year old sand bed and reused the former owners sump and rocks, etc.

Things did not go well. MASSIVE outbreak of hair algae. Everything, I took rocks out and scrubbed them, I ran GFO and replaced it every two weeks... List of things I had tried.

1. 3 day black out period.
2. Scrubbing rocks in totes of water change water with bristletooth brushes.
3. Hand pulling every 2-3 days.
4. Massive numbers of snails
5. GFO reactor, changed out every few days.
6. Vodka dosing.
7. Weekly water changes
8. Algae scrubber
9. Scrubbing rocks
10. Acid washing and bleaching my rocks.
11. (while tank was operational, removed a few rocks at a time and acid washed and bleached then cured for 3 monthes in fresh salt water, changing it every 2 weeks to pull out any die off and scrubbing the rocks.

After doing all this, I finally had eliminated hair algae over a 2 year period.
 

Kingston

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Scrubbing rocks with toothbrush, manual removal and siphoning out. I try to stay away from chemical as much as possible. Maybe my astrea snails helped a bit, I don't know but now my rocks look very bare almost like an immature tank and struggling to keep beginner SPS alive.
 

WiscoFishNut

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Lowered Phosphates via a GFO reactor is what turned the tide for me in the end of the GHA battle
 

vetteguy53081

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For me.... a combination of:
Reduction in white light intensity
Manual removal by hand
Added snails- astrea/turbo/cerith
Added chemipure elite
 

Cory

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For me its been uv sterilizer for dinos. Snails for film algae. And decorator urchins for hair algae. On the reef algae is controlled by urchins and parrot fish mainly.
 

Brownhelix

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For me it's just patience. When you have enough corals growing and your tank gets established it will go away on its own.
 

Aquatic acrobat in your aquarium: Have you ever kept an eel?

  • I currently keep an eel in my tank.

    Votes: 29 14.9%
  • I have kept an eel in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 32 16.4%
  • I have not kept an eel in my tank, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 35 17.9%
  • I have no plans to keep an eel.

    Votes: 96 49.2%
  • Other.

    Votes: 3 1.5%
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