Catch 22 situation: what would u guys do?

[Porkibear]

I've got a piece of liverock which has a small ledge that I've been able to place a small coral frag of clove polyps on. The coral frag had a few strands of hair algae that eventually bloomed into a big "tuft" of hair algae. Cool thing is that the coral has spread itself on the main piece of liverock as well.

In order to get rid of the hair algae, I'm probably going to have to get rid of the whole frag (which cost me $10). Would it be possible for me to place the frag on the "ground level" substrate without having the hair algae multiply and spread to other rocks by isolating it and giving it less light?

Opinions please. I'm gonna take care of this within the next day or so. Just planning my attack on the hair algae before it becomes a huge problem.

 

[Craig Lambert]

How's the flow in the tank? Is there any way to turn the area the frag is currently located into a high flow area?

 

[Porkibear]

BTW...here is a picture of part of the coral frag:

 

[Porkibear]

I suppose I could....its just that this particular coral frag doesn't like high flow either and curls up...

 

[Craig Lambert]

I see...When you said frag, I assumed it was SPS. I guess you've tried removing the HA mannually. From the pic, it doen't look like there is that much.

 

[lfjewett]

Put the frag in your sump for 3 days. I'm willing to bet those corals will be just fine, but the hair algea won't last that long.

 

[TWallace]

Don't lettuce nudibranchs eat hair algae? Is that an option?

 

[Freed]

Doesn't look like hair algae to me. Looks like Bryopsis. I could be wrong though.

 

[Porkibear]

Here's a picture of the liverock....the one in the middle with the frag sitting on it. The algae is a big tuft of green hairy "grass-like" macro-algae.

I just took the frag and pulled out most of the hairs on it (as best I could), and moved the frag in front of my small powerhead. I also pointed the powerhead at the piece of liverock and a bunch of detrius billowed out of the crevice the frag was sitting in. The liverock looks pretty clean right now, so I'll probably do a few frequent water changes in the next few days to get some of the detrius out of the circulating water.

 

[Porkibear]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6858493#post6858493 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Craig Lambert
I see...When you said frag, I assumed it was SPS. I guess you've tried removing the HA mannually. From the pic, it doen't look like there is that much.

Yes...like I said, it's not THAT much hair algae, but I'd like to get rid of it before it becomes more of a catastophe. Actually, the hair algae has overgrown the corals on the frag and I think it's impeding the coral growth.

 

[Mishap]

The cloves will survive with little to no light for a few days. My colony is near impossible to kill. So I'd say go for the sump idea.

 

[Freed]

If it's bryopsis you better take it out and scrub it with a brush.

 

[SDguy]

Doesn't look like HA or bryopsis to me. Some other macro algae...perhaps even tiny caulerpa...to small to ID yet. I had some start like this....took over a year to develop into a recognizable shape. I would just remove it manually...no biggie.

With proper tank husbandry, it should not spread.

 

[Porkibear]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6858576#post6858576 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
Doesn't look like hair algae to me. Looks like Bryopsis. I could be wrong though.

Actually, you could be right....I did a Google image search of "bryopsis" and the results come up very similarly to what I'm calling "hair algae". Looks like what I have is more of a detritius problem on the liverock. I've got a bunch of turbo snails working, so maybe I should get a few more. *shrug*

The first stage of my battle against macro algae is underway.

 

[Jon Evans]

starve it in the sump

 

[Porkibear]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6858843#post6858843 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
Doesn't look like HA or bryopsis to me. Some other macro algae...perhaps even tiny caulerpa...to small to ID yet. I had some start like this....took over a year to develop into a recognizable shape. I would just remove it manually...no biggie.

With proper tank husbandry, it should not spread.

Well, unfortunately, I've got another liverock piece in my tank with actual "caulerpa" grape macro algae on it, but my new lawnmower blenny has been loving it feeding on the caulerpa and not this supposed mystery bryopsis algae. Hehe.

 

[rich99rich]

I agree that it's not hair algae. It looks like some other form of macroalgae. I had something similar on a frag that I bought and my tangs ate it up by the end of the day.

 

[vessxpress1]

I agree, it doesn't look like any hair algae I've seen. I use to worry about infecting my tank with a piece of LR with hair algae on it. I don't care anymore because I know the spores are always there wether you see the stuff growing or not.

You just have to starve it. Throw a bag of phosguard, and a bag of Kent nitrate sponge in a filter/high flow area and as much flow as possible in the tank. If that still doesn't work, maybe you need different lights. And if you get coraline algae growing on everything, that will really deter any more hari algae from growing. I think if you try the first stuff I listed, you might be suprised. Like I said, I just don't worry about it anymore.

 

[Zoalander]

Toss the whole piece, once macro algea gets going your next thread might be "how long to dry rock to kill macro algae".

 

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6859546#post6859546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vessxpress1
I agree, it doesn't look like any hair algae I've seen. I use to worry about infecting my tank with a piece of LR with hair algae on it. I don't care anymore because I know the spores are always there wether you see the stuff growing or not.

You just have to starve it. Throw a bag of phosguard, and a bag of Kent nitrate sponge in a filter/high flow area and as much flow as possible in the tank. If that still doesn't work, maybe you need different lights. And if you get coraline algae growing on everything, that will really deter any more hari algae from growing. I think if you try the first stuff I listed, you might be suprised. Like I said, I just don't worry about it anymore.

I agree...if your method of keeping algae out of your tank is to try to not introduce it, rather than good husbandry techniques...you will lose the battle. Tiny blooms will wax and wane...let it die off on it's own, rethink the situation if the polyps start to suffer (which I assume they are not if they are spreading).