easiest way to remove hair algae

[Fishnthecorner]

Hey guys. been in the reef keeping for quite sometime now. Started a 75 gallon Reef ready FOWLR Tank. I asked this question over there, but not too many responses. Seems everyone is over here in reef discussion. My tank is doing fairly well. set-up in late August. All water parameters are in check. No corals. Whats the fastest easiest way to remove this darn hair algae?

 

[paraletho]

I take a gravel vac and put a filter sock on the hose end and put the sock in the sump. Then I pick the algae with a good pair of tweezers and turn it loose at the gravel vac to be sucked into th sock which filters the algae out and returns the water to the system. Get your skimmer pulling some good dark gunk and install a reactor with some hi cap GFO. Once you get the nitrate and phosphate down it will start to die in sheets.

 

[quincy2008]

keep your Mg levels in the high range 1400-1500

 

[dbdisok]

Ok, I have a major outbreak of green hair algae. I do not have a sump to use as described in paraletho's response. Up to now I have been pulling the algae out when I make a water change. I was wondering if I could accomplish the same result using a 5 gal. bucket with a maxi-jet 600 to return water from the bucket to the display?

Also, is it advisable to use a gravel vac to remove some detritus?

 

[NeverlosT]

mexican turbo snails (cost like $2 each) and GFO (grandular ferric oxide) in a fluidized filter (cheap too). Together, they will take down hair algae like no other.

good luck.

oh yeah, feed less too.

 

[dbdisok]

Thank you for your reply. Can you help me out with a better description of what a fluidized filter is.
I have a 55 gallon tank with a Marineland hang on the back filter with Chemipure bags in it and a hang on the back protien skimmer. Live sand and rock in the tank. Set up and running for 2 years.

FYI: I will be upgrading to a 120 gallon RR in the near future so I want to limit additional equipment for my 55.

 

[AMDphenomx4]

Just a little tidbit. Db why would you use a 5g bucket and pump it back up when you could just put the maxijet in the tank?

 

[dbdisok]

I was thinking of using the bucket as a temp sump. Using gravity to pull the water and algae from my tank and catching the algae in sock filter. The maxijet would return the water back to my tank.

 

[Fishnthecorner]

Since I have no corals. Would turning off the lights for a few days work? Say 2 or maybe 3? If so, where does the HA go?

 

[Playa-1]

Since I have no corals. Would turning off the lights for a few days work? Say 2 or maybe 3? If so, where does the HA go?

HA can be very challenging to deal with. Your best bet is to manually remove it before it gets out of hand and get your phosphates under control.

 

[Seamus1]

phosphate reactor

 

[mod0522]

What kind of fish do you have in the tank, if any? Tangs and rabbit fish will grub on algae and I adore my lawn mower blenny. He, along with my snails and sea hare take care of any spots my tangs and rabbit miss.

 

[barderer]

phosphate reactor and better skimming will solve your problem. I would sacrifice the water instead of pumping it back in the tank. You will just be pumping fragments of HA back in thus distributing it.

 

[cuda70bill]

I agree on the phosphate reactor, started to have a small problem, plucked it all got the reactor going not a problem since

 

[2 TAZ]

Bulkreef supply sells fluidized filters that can be filled with phosphate remover there link is here on the sponser page good luck

 

[Jason Donohoe]

Two Little Fishies makes a GFO reactor (PhosBan 150) that will hang on the back of the tank and then can be transferred to a sump when you make the move to your bigger tank.

http://www.twolittlefishies.com/tlf_prod_access.html?lang_id=1

I use 2 of them daisy-chained together. The first has carbon and the second GFO.

To get rid of my hair algae problem I manually removed as much as possible and started using GFO. Live rock will store a lot of phosphate and it will seem to take forever to make a difference and then one day nothing will grow back. With high enough phosphate the GFO will become exhausted quickly and will need to be changed frequently, possibly daily at first. With no corals in your tank you don't have to worry about overdoing it with the GFO (rapid drops in phosphate can be hard on corals with symbiotic algae). Unfortunately there is no way to tell if it needs to be changed or not.

Good luck.

 

[Fishnthecorner]

Reactor

Reactor

Ok, I ordered a Phosphate reactor. Doesn't have too much info with it. it comes with a pump. Do I need some sort of media??

 

[Jason Donohoe]

Check out this article on GFO by Randy:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.htm

Here is another on phosphate and algae:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2002/chem.htm

I use the granular GFO from Bulk Reef Supply in my reactor.

 

[jimsplace]

Along with the above "to do list" try Algae Fix Marine. Fixing your pram's will keep it away in the future AFM will kill it now.