Here comes the GHA..

[DWill]

I'm not sure how or why this is happening considering I have nearly undetectable nitrate and phosphates... but... my nearly three-month-old IM 10 gallon has the first signs of green hair algae. I just noticed it today. It's litterally just a really small amount right now.

I don't want to dump a bunch of chemicals in this small amount of water... especially something like Vibrant.

So what's the best way to get ahead of it? It's the crevices of the rock so I can't get my fingers in to pull it out, I could probably pull it with the long forceps I have though. Should I pull it, try to wait it out... what? I have a Trochus in the tank that's done a great job so far, I'm sure if it could get to this GHA it wouldn't take off. I don't think it can get to it though because of where it is.

Thoughts?

Here's the water parameters and light schedule..

 

[Retro Reefer]

Hermit crabs are great for getting algae out of the nooks and crannies of your rock, the small blue legs seem to be the best in my experience. FWIW vibrant is just a bacterial blend not a bunch of chemicals

 

[Copingwithpods]

It's important to understand that GHA algae grows wild in all natural reefs where NO3 and PO4 levels are much much lower than even our uln tanks. If nothing is out competing it the algae will take over. Refugium, water changes, protein skimmers and natural predators are great ways of keeping it at bay.

When algae runs rampant most people will find that their nutrients are bottomed out. This doesn't mean there aren't any it means they algae is eating it as soon as it becomes available giving you a zero reading.

Let me ask about your readings. Are they truly zero (0.00)? What test kits are you using for these?

Finally on how to combat it. Multiple ways, you can use 10ml of h2o2 (1ml x gallon) and injecting it right onto the algae with all flow off. You can dose bacteria like microbacter or vibrant. You could up your cuc game.

Many ways to go about it and at the end of the day it's up to you how you want to go about it. Me in my personal tank went with a multiprong approach. Microbacter, refugium, natural predators and h2o2. It never stood a chance, specially in its infancy.

 

[DWill]

Hermit crabs are great for getting algae out of the nooks and crannies of your rock, the small blue legs seem to be the best in my experience. FWIW vibrant is just a bacterial blend not a bunch of chemicals

I understand about vibrant. But it’s seems 50/50 on things like fish being affected by it, corals as well. My tank is pretty new, the corals ate mostly LPS frags and a couple lobo’s. If I lost the corals it would be too big of a deal, other than the lobos there’s not a huge investment there yet.

But if I lost the Mocha Storms I would be really bummed and I’m not willing to take on that.

hermits are a good idea, didn’t think of it. Thanks for that tip. I think there’s still a LFS that’s doing curb side pickup here, I’ll check tomorrow. I don’t think a couple hermits could take out either the Trochus or the conch since they both turn themselves over. There’s a nasarius (sp) in there to but I very seldom see it other than the snorkel.

 

[Dtrisc525]

I’ve found my hermits, and an emerald crab can put a sizeable dent in a large outbreak, the rest i brush off with a brush and use a net to grab it up while suspended.

 

[Copingwithpods]

I understand about vibrant. But it’s seems 50/50 on things like fish being affected by it, corals as well. My tank is pretty new, the corals ate mostly LPS frags and a couple lobo’s. If I lost the corals it would be too big of a deal, other than the lobos there’s not a huge investment there yet.

But if I lost the Mocha Storms I would be really bummed and I’m not willing to take on that.

hermits are a good idea, didn’t think of it. Thanks for that tip. I think there’s still a LFS that’s doing curb side pickup here, I’ll check tomorrow. I don’t think a couple hermits could take out either the Trochus or the conch since they both turn themselves over. There’s a nasarius (sp) in there to but I very seldom see it other than the snorkel.

Don't worry about your cuc playing nice together, 99% of the time they will given they have empty shells to swap to the other 1% is just nature, it happens, some crabs will kill other crabs or snails, don't worry about it just replace them.

For reference this is my clean up crew
1 sand sifting star
1 red sea star
1 lettuce nudibranch
1 longspine urchin
1 pistol shrimp
4 scarlet hermits
4 blue hermits
3 Halloween hermits
2 blue tip hermits
4 baby hermit (for the pistol)
2 trochus snails
2 astrea snails
2 spiney star snails
1 super Tongan snail
4 bumblebee snails
2 turban snails
1 fighting conch
1 emerald crab
1 pom Pom crab

I don't worry about who fights with who or if they the blue and red hermits are starting gang warfare(get it? Bloods and crips? No? OK). Clean up crews are essential IMHO and replacing them every now and then is just part of the hobby.

 

[Cstar_BC]

Turbo snails all the way

 

[Copingwithpods]

Turbo snails all the way

Turbo snails are great but are voracious eaters and can easily starve in a small system specially in a system with other cuc members competing with them. Also important to steer clear of the Mexican variety as they are a colder water species and don't do as well in our 78-80 degree reefs.

 

[Crustaceon]

Oh you have excessive phosphates alright, lol. The problem is you’ll never see it on a test kit if you’re getting hair algae. It absorbs it. That stuff is literally your indication to use gfo, another phosphate removing media or increase water change frequency. Bacteria additives also reduce phosphates to some degree and can out-compete hair algae for resources. If you go the bacterial route, run a skimmer. Snails and other critters are the least effective solution IMO because they will sometimes eat the stuff, but they are masking the underlying problem and will often temporally “fix” the issue, starve, die and the algae will come right back. Hair algae is like a fire and phosphates is the oxygen. Take enough but not all away and PoOf. Gone.

 

[Cstar_BC]

Agree . But my LFS has a nice trade in program .

I also have a fair bit of gha left , and started small . Added 3 turbos (1 died/eaten)

Gave that 4 weeks

Just added 4 more turbos

That seems to be the magic number as the GHA is about 50% gone.

I also have Macroalgae growing in the tank

Turbo snails are great but are voracious eaters and can easily starve in a small system specially in a system with other cuc members competing with them. Also important to steer clear of the Mexican variety as they are a colder water species and don't do as well in our 78-80 degree reefs.

 

[DWill]

Oh you have excessive phosphates alright, lol. The problem is you’ll never see it on a test kit if you’re getting hair algae. It absorbs it. That stuff is literally your indication to use gfo, another phosphate removing media or increase water change frequency. Bacteria additives also reduce phosphates to some degree and can out-compete hair algae for resources. If you go the bacterial route, run a skimmer. Snails and other critters are the least effective solution IMO because they will sometimes eat the stuff, but they are masking the underlying problem and will often temporally “fix” the issue, starve, die and the algae will come right back. Hair algae is like a fire and phosphates is the oxygen. Take enough but not all away and PoOf. Gone.

The hair algae, or at least what I think is hair algae is on one small spot about the size of a dime in one crevice on a rock. I’m running g ChemiPure blue and dosing 5ml of Dr. Tim’s Waste Away 2x a week. could that small patch hide phosphate?

 

[Crustaceon]

The hair algae, or at least what I think is hair algae is on one small spot about the size of a dime in one crevice on a rock. I’m running g ChemiPure blue and dosing 5ml of Dr. Tim’s Waste Away 2x a week. could that small patch hide phosphate?

It could actually be indicative of just that rock leeching phosphate. Also if the patch is as small as you noted, I’d just remove it with forceps or tweezers until it doesn’t come back. It probably isn’t a whole tank issue if it’s that localized. Usually when you get hair algae, you get hair algae, lol.

 

[NS Mike D]

pull rock, spray with H2O2, rasp with stiff brush, scrape with knife if needed, rinse with rodi and return. it gets the algae and the nutrients it took up out of the tank. Algae is kept at bay with the grazers like tangs that are not an option in nano tanks. This process while not limited to nanos is proven to be effective.


+1 on little to no nutrients is the other side of the nutrients algae problem. Best to have targets for NO3 and PO4 like any other parameters and test kits that are reliable (API is notorious for being inadequate for NO3/PO4 for reef tanks). . Fwiw, Red Sea publishes targets of 1-2 ppm for NO3 and 0.08 - 0,12ppm for PO4.

 

[brandon429]

Fact.
as soon as I saw ten gallons = total access ability. No need to work through the water at all, a tank this new can’t have any issues other than lack of hands on at the right moment, showing control over the system.

agreed a tiny tuft of algae is no cause for concern in a new tank, that’s not why directly killing algae is best.

it’s to reinforce an internal motivation the hobby would other wise instantly override. being able to follow through with an internal nudge early on can save your reef, practice now before corals are packed.

you’ve seen threads where the tank was wrecked with algae, new and old tanks. You were motivated to begin an action or at least consider one...what Mike mentions simply kills algae it doesn’t harm corals or cause you to veer params to try and starve. You can feed well using a direct kill method

always keeping corals in consistent water + making use of your gallons, and just killing the algae as the tank matures, is secret weapon

a ten gallon reef is immune to all invasions in reefing solely because it’s ten gallons.

 

[DWill]

It could actually be indicative of just that rock leeching phosphate. Also if the patch is as small as you noted, I’d just remove it with forceps or tweezers until it doesn’t come back. It probably isn’t a whole tank issue if it’s that localized. Usually when you get hair algae, you get hair algae, lol.

Thanks. Im going to pull it out at the next water change. And maybe hit that spot with a little hydrogen peroxid.

 

[DWill]

pull rock, spray with H2O2, rasp with stiff brush, scrape with knife if needed, rinse with rodi and return. it gets the algae and the nutrients it took up out of the tank. Algae is kept at bay with the grazers like tangs that are not an option in nano tanks. This process while not limited to nanos is proven to be effective.


+1 on little to no nutrients is the other side of the nutrients algae problem. Best to have targets for NO3 and PO4 like any other parameters and test kits that are reliable (API is notorious for being inadequate for NO3/PO4 for reef tanks). . Fwiw, Red Sea publishes targets of 1-2 ppm for NO3 and 0.08 - 0,12ppm for PO4.

I’m using Hanna checkers for phosphate and Salifert for Nitrate. I’m doing a 2 gallon water change once a week plus running ChemiPure Blueband a skimmer. Maybe I’ll take the ChemiPure out for a while. I don’t like being so close to zero nutrients, assuming I understand what I read that zero can cause Dino’s.

 

[DWill]

Fact.
as soon as I saw ten gallons = total access ability. No need to work through the water at all, a tank this new can’t have any issues other than lack of hands on at the right moment, showing control over the system.

agreed a tiny tuft of algae is no cause for concern in a new tank, that’s not why directly killing algae is best.

it’s to reinforce an internal motivation the hobby would other wise instantly override. being able to follow through with an internal nudge early on can save your reef, practice now before corals are packed.

you’ve seen threads where the tank was wrecked with algae, new and old tanks. You were motivated to begin an action or at least consider one...what Mike mentions simply kills algae it doesn’t harm corals or cause you to veer params to try and starve. You can feed well using a direct kill method

always keeping corals in consistent water + making use of your gallons, and just killing the algae as the tank matures, is secret weapon

a ten gallon reef is immune to all invasions in reefing solely because it’s ten gallons.

Thanks for the advice. I’ve staying on top of this tank since I set it up. I test Nitrate, phosphate, calcium and alkalinity twice a week. Salinity, pH and monitor the temp daily. I set a account on AquaticLog so that I can chart everything. I’ve considered putting a Apex on it, mostly because I like technology; but there literally no room for probes unless I take the skimmer out.

i planing to move to a little larger tank in summer and will likely go with a sump then. But kinda on the fence a bit, i like the look and apparent quality of this IM tank, and, the AIO is pretty simple. id Be going with a sump for water volume and room.

 

[NS Mike D]

I suggest matching your filtration to target NO3/PO4 levels. Granted, it's generally recommend to target slightly lower numbers for new tanks.

Water changes can be sufficient for nanos and skimmers on nanos is debatable (I'll se if I can find my thread on this topic from the nano forum and come back a linked it here)

Edit: adding nano skimmer discussion thread link

Nano Build - Nano Tanks: Are Protein Skimmers Sufficiently Effective?

I am referring to mature tanks that are well stocked with corals , macro algae and other non-nuisance life that love to consume the things we remove from the tanks. I pulled my skimmer (Hydor nano) a few weeks ago and have my opinion, but first let's see what others have to say about whether...

www.reef2reef.com

Perhaps switch to plain activated carbon instead of the ChemPure for now. You can always go back if your nutrients start rising above your desired levels.

If after switching to activated carbon, you still have below desired levels, you can run the skimmer on a schedule, thus dialing back the amount of organics it removes.

 

[NS Mike D]

FYI:

I just checked out BRS who has recommendations specific to new tanks which is consistent with other reliable sources.

For tanks 1 - 2 years old, they recommend a range of 0.5 - 3ppm for NO3 and 0.03 - 0.07ppm for PO4.

 

[DWill]

FYI:

I just checked out BRS who has recommendations specific to new tanks which is consistent with other reliable sources.

For tanks 1 - 2 years old, they recommend a range of 0.5 - 3ppm for NO3 and 0.03 - 0.07ppm for PO4.

That’s where I got the numbers from. I’m on the low end of it. I meant to be low hoping to avoid as much algae and as much of the ugliest as possible. I didn’t mean to be on the very bottom end though. I think I’m going to remove the ChemiPure and leave the carbon as you suggested. I’ll run the run the skimmer for the time being and see how that works out.