What should I do, need some advice.

[spencjw]

So I have been dealing with some hair algae. Wasn’t smart and didn’t know what it was at first so tried to scrap off with a tooth brush. Yes of course it got worse. Not it is all over my scape. I do not have any coral on the rocks, would it be best to remove the rock and kill it with diluted peroxide? I have tried to manually remove it but it just keeps coming back. I have done a 5 day black out but that only killed off the Dino’s I think I had. I also bought an emerald crab but he I guess hasn’t been that hungry. The tank is only a 25 gallon lagoon. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[willygwak2]

I would say take out it the rocks and clean with something like vinegar or diluted peroxide, but wash them very good in tank water, don’t let the peroxide or vinegar get into the tank, then I would test your nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) and do water changes to slowly bring them down if they are high, nutrients spike algae if they are high

 

[spencjw]

I would say take o it the rocks and clean with something like vinegar or diluted peroxide, but wash them very good in tank water, don’t let the peroxide or vinegar get into the tank, then I would test your nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) and do water changes to slowly bring them down if they are high, nutrients spike algae if they are high

Do you think that would work better then doing something like Reef Flux? I am hesitant to put chemicals in the water.

 

[willygwak2]

It could be better to do that, just do anything you think is safest to get the algae off of the rocks while not hurting anything in the tank, then definitely check your nutrients or it will keep growing and coming back

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Be aware that your rocks are probably a haven for lots of your nitrifying bacteria, and if you treat the rocks with peroxide you may wipe that out. Don’t crash your tank.

 

[spencjw]

Be aware that your rocks are probably a haven for lots of your nitrifying bacteria, and if you treat the rocks with peroxide you may wipe that out. Don’t crash your tank.

So you think it would be better overall to do the Reef Flux and GFO?

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Have you tested your nitrate and phosphate? It’s possible they are contributing to the problem, but they’re likely not the whole problem. If you start using something like GFO and don’t have a way to test, you risk bottoming them out and then causing problems for your corals or even opening yourself up to dinoflgalletes.

Reef Flux and other algae ides are generally not effective against GHA. Your best bet is likely a combination of getting nutrient levels controlled, manual removal, and hair algae grazers like tuxedo urchins. It will take some time, but the best solutions in this hobby often do.

 

[spencjw]

Have you tested your nitrate and phosphate? It’s possible they are contributing to the problem, but they’re likely not the whole problem. If you start using something like GFO and don’t have a way to test, you risk bottoming them out and then causing problems for your corals or even opening yourself up to dinoflgalletes.

Reef Flux and other algae ides are generally not effective against GHA. Your best bet is likely a combination of getting nutrient levels controlled, manual removal, and hair algae grazers like tuxedo urchins. It will take some time, but the best solutions in this hobby often do.

I have tested, this started with both being bottomed out. I took my water to LFS and they said I had Dino’s and GHA. They told me to do a 5 day black out. I did and parameters jumped back up to .03 for phos and 1.5 for nitrates. The Dino’s were gone, sand looked awesome but still had hair. The sand has continued to look good but the hair is multiplying quickly. I attempted to do manual removal but it just keeps coming back. I was debating on doing a round of Reef Flux from reading online it has been successful for a lot of people. Or remove my rock since no coral on it and scrub and treat with a diluted peroxide, making sure I rinse extremely well before putting back in tank. So at a lose and I know things take time in the hobby I am trying to be as patient as I can. Been waiting awhile to put some coral in but want to make sure all is going well so I don’t kill anything with as expensive as some of these corals are. Jumping into the hobby on a budget and only 7 months in. I appreciate the help and feedback always.

 

[willygwak2]

Yeah I would definitely keep parameters around there, maybe a little higher, nitrate 2-6 ppm, phosphates 0.03-0.07

 

[petcellar]

You are at a great advantage because you don't have corals yet. Agree with getting this under control first.

You are free to cut back or even eliminate lighting while you fight the algae and get your nutrients under control.

I'd keep up with manual removal for now and beef up CUC. Tank is too small for a tang, but adding a bunch of snails will help. They won't eat the long hairs of algae, but will scrub the rocks where its been pulled up manually.

I wouldn't say I'd never use algaecide, because I know I certainly could get in a place where I would try it.

That being said, I think you can still beat it without it at this point.

 

[machliwala]

So I have been dealing with some hair algae. Wasn’t smart and didn’t know what it was at first so tried to scrap off with a tooth brush. Yes of course it got worse. Not it is all over my scape. I do not have any coral on the rocks, would it be best to remove the rock and kill it with diluted peroxide? I have tried to manually remove it but it just keeps coming back. I have done a 5 day black out but that only killed off the Dino’s I think I had. I also bought an emerald crab but he I guess hasn’t been that hungry. The tank is only a 25 gallon lagoon. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

First find out the cause of the hair algae, excess nutrients, excess sunlight and fix those issues then you need some algae predators. The best being tuxedo urchins. Snails are better at maintenance than managing an outbreak tangs and rabbit fish are also good predators Using a toothbrush is also a good idea It make a few week but eventually it will go away

 

[spencjw]

So I have been dealing with some hair algae. Wasn’t smart and didn’t know what it was at first so tried to scrap off with a tooth brush. Yes of course it got worse. Not it is all over my scape. I do not have any coral on the rocks, would it be best to remove the rock and kill it with diluted peroxide? I have tried to manually remove it but it just keeps coming back. I have done a 5 day black out but that only killed off the Dino’s I think I had. I also bought an emerald crab but he I guess hasn’t been that hungry. The tank is only a 25 gallon lagoon. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

First find out the cause of the hair algae, excess nutrients, excess sunlight and fix those issues then you need some algae predators. The best being tuxedo urchins. Snails are better at maintenance than managing an outbreak tangs and rabbit fish are also good predators Using a toothbrush is also a good idea It make a few week but eventually it will go away

I was told to not use a toothbrush because that will put it in the water column and allow it to attach to other places. I think that’s was I did wrong in the first place. I am going to continue with manual remove. Will look into an urchin when I get back, currently out of town which makes this whole situation ****tier. I appreciate all the help and yes I am trying to not use chemicals but I also hate seeing my tank like that. I feel like I put so much work into it, there should be no reason but I guess not everyone can skip passed the ugly stage.

 

[machliwala]

I was told to not use a toothbrush because that will put it in the water column and allow it to attach to other places. I think that’s was I did wrong in the first place. I am going to continue with manual remove. Will look into an urchin when I get back, currently out of town which makes this whole situation ****tier. I appreciate all the help and yes I am trying to not use chemicals but I also hate seeing my tank like that. I feel like I put so much work into it, there should be no reason but I guess not everyone can skip passed the ugly stage.

I've used a toothbrush everytime i've had hair algae. Specially when the hair algae is close to corals and is irritating them. For me it didnt cause them to spread but helped the predators get it into control. Once you have it, if you have very high phosphates and to some extent nitrates, hair algae will spread. The urchins are the best bet for getting rid of them but you do need to scrub the rocks for any of the longer strands. Tuxedo urchins are also very durable. Their only downside is that they scrape of the coralline algae as well. so if that's important to you then they are not a good solution. The key is to of course identify why you have it. Most likely phosphate has risen. I would avoid using chemicals for multiple reasons. The hair algae might go away or worse (decompose in the tank creating more nutrients) but then you might get cynao and other pests. The one other accelerant for hair alga is white/green/red light. if you can reduce them while you are having the issue, it will get rid of them faster.

 

[spencjw]

I was told to not use a toothbrush because that will put it in the water column and allow it to attach to other places. I think that’s was I did wrong in the first place. I am going to continue with manual remove. Will look into an urchin when I get back, currently out of town which makes this whole situation ****tier. I appreciate all the help and yes I am trying to not use chemicals but I also hate seeing my tank like that. I feel like I put so much work into it, there should be no reason but I guess not everyone can skip passed the ugly stage.

I've used a toothbrush everytime i've had hair algae. Specially when the hair algae is close to corals and is irritating them. For me it didnt cause them to spread but helped the predators get it into control. Once you have it, if you have very high phosphates and to some extent nitrates, hair algae will spread. The urchins are the best bet for getting rid of them but you do need to scrub the rocks for any of the longer strands. Tuxedo urchins are also very durable. Their only downside is that they scrape of the coralline algae as well. so if that's important to you then they are not a good solution. The key is to of course identify why you have it. Most likely phosphate has risen. I would avoid using chemicals for multiple reasons. The hair algae might go away or worse (decompose in the tank creating more nutrients) but then you might get cynao and other pests. The one other accelerant for hair alga is white/green/red light. if you can reduce them while you are having the issue, it will get rid of them faster.

Thanks, that’s all good info. I can remove the rock into another container, scrub with brush and rinse with RO. Replace and up my clean up crew. My nutrients have been low. Phosphates today were .07 and nitrates were .5.