Already Battling Hair Algae

[Stray32]

I set up a 3 Gallon Pico a few weeks ago, and I am already battling hair algae. I have never had a problem with hair algae before in my 75 DT.

I have used only distilled water in the tank and my photo period is only about 8 hours.

What are my options for getting rid of this stuff before it completely takes over my little tank?

 

[Fluid]

Although this isn't a great suggestion, I've found that some of my scarlet hermits eat the stuff (as long as there is nothing else around).

 

[kraze3]

What are your water parameters? What is in the tank as of right now?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Re: Already Battling Hair Algae

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14860931#post14860931 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Stray32
What are my options for getting rid of this stuff before it completely takes over my little tank?

Next time you do a water change on your 75, save the water in three separate buckets. Take out the offending rock from the pico and scrub with a toothbrush or scrub brush in the first bucket, rinse in the second bucket and scrub again in the second bucket and do a final rinse in the third bucket before replacing the rock back in the pico. Run some GFO (like Phosban) in whatever filter you are using on the pico.

What's the stock list in that tank? (inhabs)

 

[Stray32]

Stock List:

3x Margarita Snails
3x Hermits
4x Nassarius

1x Panda Goby
Misc zoas, palys, and glove polyps

with about 6.5 lbs of LR

 

[kraze3]

Where did the water come from? Did you let the tank cycle?

Im gonna bet you have high nirates. Can you test and post parameters?

 

[Stray32]

I set the tank up with 2 gallons from my DT, and 1 gallon of new. Half of the sand I used was from my DT, the other half was new. The LR came from a local reefers established tank...lots of coralline algae. Considering all of that, I didn't expect a cycle. I tested a week after setup and ammonia was at zero.

My test kits are at home...the tank is on my desk at work, so I will test and post the params tomorrow.

 

[1602reefer]

Scrub, scrub, scrub... water change...scrub, scrub.

 

[THE ROOK]

I'd try some AlgaeFix Marine. There's a good thread over in the chemistry forum.