How long can Hair Algae Survive outside of Water?

Hair Algae Wizard

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Folks,

Battling hair algae in my new tank. Tank is new, and just finished its cycle, and now about 3 weeks old. I've got a massive outbreak of green hair algae, and it's making me crazy. My clean-up crew is helping, but there is still a HUGE amount to get ride of. No3 and Po4 are low, so I'm guessing all the Po4 is bound up in the hair algae. I do run a refugium that is about 4 days old now.

As much as I am loathe to do it, I'm considering removing all my rock, and letting the dang HA simply die. But, obviously this comes at a risk of harming both my live rock, and dry rock that has been maturing the last few weeks. Is this a viable idea? How long before this evil green menace dies out of water?

I know see the irony of my screen name, and hate it! :)
 

Miami Reef

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Don’t kill your live rock. You’ll just go through another cycle again. Algae needs nutrients and lights to survive. If you have algae, you have nutrients. Just wait it out and let it run it’s course.

I’ve heard vodka dosing can work to lower nutrients, but take it slow. Dosing too much will cause a bacteria bloom. But honestly, don’t do anything hasty. Your tank is brand new, and the first forms of life is algae, so embrace it.
 

Dave Cureton

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Do you have any corals yet? If not I would dose the tank with Vibrant. I was shocked at how well it took out HA in my tank. If you have corals you can still use Vibrant but be careful as it is powerful stuff and can take nutrients down to zero and hurt your corals.
 
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Hair Algae Wizard

Hair Algae Wizard

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Do you have any corals yet? If not I would dose the tank with Vibrant. I was shocked at how well it took out HA in my tank. If you have corals you can still use Vibrant but be careful as it is powerful stuff and can take nutrients down to zero and hurt your corals.

Thanks, no corals, just a clean-up crew. I will look into Vibrant now. Thanks!
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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See my post there, you have a way to be algae free by the end of the day as well as the rest of the time it runs. You have the option of opting out of the uglies phase, which doesn't ever go away for many. It only self corrects sometimes, not the majority of times.

You have the ability to:
-Make your reef currently run without algae right now and stop having to explain the problem to everyone who sees it. Be able to put entry level corals in place, vs weeks of possible hopeful turnaround.
-you can predict what invasion is coming next, and how to handle it now, before round two from a new genus comes about.
-no testing of params is required. It is a form of action, not chemistry, that saves your tank or makes it enjoyable. Your choice is merely one to have the algae or not have it, we are pros at latter but 98% of people with algae want it that way.

Message me if you want the job done, your reef can be custom cleaned into perfection
B
 
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tehmadreefer

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Gha in a 3 week old tank is completely normal and you will have even more outbreaks in the ugly phase.
 
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Hair Algae Wizard

Hair Algae Wizard

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See my post there, you have a way to be algae free by the end of the day as well as the rest of the time it runs. You have the option of opting out of the uglies phase, which doesn't ever go away for many. It only self corrects sometimes, not the majority of times.

You have the ability to:
-Make your reef currently run without algae right now and stop having to explain the problem to everyone who sees it. Be able to put entry level corals in place, vs weeks of possible hopeful turnaround.
-you can predict what invasion is coming next, and how to handle it now, before round two from a new genus comes about.
-no testing of params is required. It is a form of action, not chemistry, that saves your tank or makes it enjoyable. Your choice is merely one to have the algae or not have it, we are pros at latter but 98% of people with algae want it that way.

Message me if you want the job done, your reef can be custom cleaned into perfection
B

Ok, you piqued my curiosity, sending you a message.
 

Newb2reefing

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See my post there, you have a way to be algae free by the end of the day as well as the rest of the time it runs. You have the option of opting out of the uglies phase, which doesn't ever go away for many. It only self corrects sometimes, not the majority of times.

You have the ability to:
-Make your reef currently run without algae right now and stop having to explain the problem to everyone who sees it. Be able to put entry level corals in place, vs weeks of possible hopeful turnaround.
-you can predict what invasion is coming next, and how to handle it now, before round two from a new genus comes about.
-no testing of params is required. It is a form of action, not chemistry, that saves your tank or makes it enjoyable. Your choice is merely one to have the algae or not have it, we are pros at latter but 98% of people with algae want it that way.

Message me if you want the job done, your reef can be custom cleaned into perfection
B
I recently got a biocube 32 and it has algae bad. Display gets covered in couple days. I would like to know more on what I can do to slow it down. TIA
 

jordan9095

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Lights out for a few days. Simple and free. I would suggest live rock enhance if you want to buy something. I’ve had good results with that product
 

FragileReefer

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When people say that this hobby is a practice in patience, this is your first test of that.

1. Ugly phase is such a small word for whats going on in your tank the first 3 months. You will see algae, diatoms, sponges, bacteria blooms, slimes, cruds, and a whole list of things i dont have names for. Let nature take its coarse and document!
2. Chemicals and Treatments tend to cure symptoms not the cause. Aspirin does not heal my broken foot it makes the pain manageable so that i can heal in time. Vibrant may weaken and kill some of the algae so you can get a handle on it but if you keep dumping in the sushi special into your tank every day algae will still grow.
3. I can pinch off more algae in 1 minute than my snails and grabs eat all day. Clean up crew helps with the little extras left around but they dont do your job for you. Its like throwing spaghetti on the floor expecting my roomba to clean it up. It sadly doesnt work like that.

When my tank begins to show too much algae make the following changes:
Increase water change (volume or frequency)
Manual removal (this is the biggest step, if you remove 90% the rest of this list will get the last 10%)
Get a hungry diverse clean up crew (old snails get lazy)
Remove detritus (turkeybaster is your friend.get that junk in the water so your filter can handle it for you)
Cut feedings. (its almost always this for me. I try a new food, see good results, get heavy handed, then see algae.)


This is all for future algae problems. The truth is your tank is new and trying to balance itself out. And when it does it will look amazing, but until then you are left with the mess you have. Plus NEWS FLASH! Algae is good! Yes, Yes, it is an indicator of poor water quality but the organism itself is good. Its soaking up harmful nutrients from the mass of bacteria all over your rocks fighting for space. Its a messy process and the algae is just feeding on result of that process. When you finally get your tank balanced and all the algae has disappeared you will have that same idea as us all and add a little too much food to feed your thriving reef.... here comes Algae to fix the imbalance you have caused. Welcome to reefing! lesson 1 in the bag
 
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Hair Algae Wizard

Hair Algae Wizard

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When people say that this hobby is a practice in patience, this is your first test of that.

1. Ugly phase is such a small word for whats going on in your tank the first 3 months. You will see algae, diatoms, sponges, bacteria blooms, slimes, cruds, and a whole list of things i dont have names for. Let nature take its coarse and document!
2. Chemicals and Treatments tend to cure symptoms not the cause. Aspirin does not heal my broken foot it makes the pain manageable so that i can heal in time. Vibrant may weaken and kill some of the algae so you can get a handle on it but if you keep dumping in the sushi special into your tank every day algae will still grow.
3. I can pinch off more algae in 1 minute than my snails and grabs eat all day. Clean up crew helps with the little extras left around but they dont do your job for you. Its like throwing spaghetti on the floor expecting my roomba to clean it up. It sadly doesnt work like that.

When my tank begins to show too much algae make the following changes:
Increase water change (volume or frequency)
Manual removal (this is the biggest step, if you remove 90% the rest of this list will get the last 10%)
Get a hungry diverse clean up crew (old snails get lazy)
Remove detritus (turkeybaster is your friend.get that junk in the water so your filter can handle it for you)
Cut feedings. (its almost always this for me. I try a new food, see good results, get heavy handed, then see algae.)


This is all for future algae problems. The truth is your tank is new and trying to balance itself out. And when it does it will look amazing, but until then you are left with the mess you have. Plus NEWS FLASH! Algae is good! Yes, Yes, it is an indicator of poor water quality but the organism itself is good. Its soaking up harmful nutrients from the mass of bacteria all over your rocks fighting for space. Its a messy process and the algae is just feeding on result of that process. When you finally get your tank balanced and all the algae has disappeared you will have that same idea as us all and add a little too much food to feed your thriving reef.... here comes Algae to fix the imbalance you have caused. Welcome to reefing! lesson 1 in the bag

Thank you, I appreciate this reply!
 
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