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

[ReefBeta]

Hair algae sounds like the least of concern for me nowadays. I can't remember what's the last time I had seriously troublesome outbreak. In my latest build, I got a brief encounter with it. But it went away soon after decent size of CUC were added. Between CUC and tangs, there aren't much chance for it to establish. All the other nutrient perspective is irrelevant. I know that because there are still some hair algae in my tank, but they're all in the spot that hard for fish and snails to get to, like a narrow gap between two rocks. As soon as I move the rocks and expose them, they're gone within days. So it's not that they don't have enough nutrient to grow, it's that they're eaten faster than they can grow. Also bacteria might play a role there that slow down their growth, but that's a harder point to verify.

 

[Azgoose]

Really, I just removed it by picking it all off the rocks to the point that my CUC could handle the rest. I've never seen the stuff again.

What did you have in your CUC line up?

 

[Timfish]

Manual removal.

 

[fnlyreefready]

All of the above
Best option to not get GHA: not get into Saltwater tanks.

I found gha always has a cause. For me it was phosphates. As soon as I got it under control it disappeared. Just water changes and cutting down feedings. Also dropped my t5s from 10-8 hours pictures are roughly 3 weeks apart

 

[Johnjman]

I used Vibrant and it was amazing. I didn’t think that anything was happening and then about 3.5 weeks later it really started working.

 

[CoralVision]

Vibrant works great! For my other vote, I cut down on feeding and cut out frozen food for a while.

 

[weamdog]

I see lots of water changes mentioned, which scares me. I run a 7 stage RODI to clean my water. Remember, sometimes the cure can be worse than the ailment.

I'm on well water which is all over the place. One time my koi were not doing well so I did a big water change only to make things worse. Come to find out I end up with ammonia in my well from time to time. Thus the need for a 7-stage.

I also have a sneaky suspicion that more than nitrate and phosphate are behind hair algae. Well, and besides light.

 

[Jase4224]

For me having a strong grow led over my chaeto has prevented hair algae In my display by out competing it.

I noticed after a couple of years of having my tank setup that I did eventually start to get some hair algae in my display so using a small pump I blew off the rocks and found the hair algae was actually growing directly on the detritus and not the rocks. Now I regularly clean my scape with this method and I have minimal hair algae with no cleanup crew (Tuskfish) and no tangs (on order).

Also vacuuming my sand bed makes a big difference in controlling excess nutrients.

 

[sledge760]

Please just say green hair algae
Not GHA
ughhhh

What is the messing difference? Is it worth you even mentioning it.? Acronyms are common with fish keeping. I guess you must be new to the hobby.

 

[dragonreef69]

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

I used a bicolor blenny, cleanup crew with emerald crabs and manual. Best way I've found to manually remove it is with my thumb on a peice of 3/4" tubing, start the water flowing, sick up some algae & pinch it off with your thumb. I've done a 120g with only a 5g bucket of algae & water. It quick & you don't have to replace that much water.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

It’s sad when you used to have green hair algae, then get dinos and wish you had the green hair algae back.....;Facepalm

This happened to me, too. Overrun with hair algae, finally won the battle, and in came the dinos!

After dinos hair algae doesn't seem so bad. At least hair algae gave me an excuse to have a Mexican Turbo. Those are awesome snails if you have algae. Tuxedo urchins are good algae eaters, too. And as a bonus, what they don't eat they will wear as a hat!

 

[NJM]

It’s sad when you used to have green hair algae, then get dinos and wish you had the green hair algae back.....;Facepalm

What are/is dinos

 

[Tuffloud1]

What are/is dinos

Dinoflagellates

 

[Wolfman238]

Vibrant worked for me takes time but nothing good happens fast

 

[Elliott Comans]

This is the nemesis I still battle. It is getting better, but still there. I have and am currently doing the following

1) Manual removal
2) Frequent water changes
3) Chemi pure
4) Sea hares - RIP
5) Astrea Snails
6) Kole and Sailfin tangs
7) Lawmower Blenny (RIP - thanks Kole tang)
8) Refugium
9) Crying a lot

9) I've cried heaps over gha and bryopsis and honestly has had no effect. Tried upping the cry rate with no success. Am I doing it wrong

 

[Tmrvstyle]

All of the above
Best option to not get GHA: not get into Saltwater tanks.

Sounds great, seems like a pipe dream to me, I go up and down at times, have had tanks with none for a year, and it seems to show up.

 

[sghera64]

Tang, Trochus snails, reduced photo period and more blue light wavelengths and less green, white and red wavelengths. Also patience: some things do need to run their course.

 

[Steph72]

Napalm! Lol
But seriously I just scrub or scrape it off and try to keep feeding under control as much as possible

 

[ReefMan692]

Vibrant is an option? Really? Seems silly. Should be replaced with "organic carbon + bacteria dosing" vibrant is not magical stuff IMO its vinegar and bacteria but hey if it works it works

 

[loli2010]

Every weekend it took me 3 hours to scrub all the algae. I had 13 urchins, snails, tangs and nothing helped. Battle lasted for 5 months and then I tried microbacter clean in combination with razor marine and it was 80% gone in 2 weeks. All corals survived only my chaeto suffered.