First nuisance algae : Hair -_-

[LennyD4]

So I am being hit with my first wave of nuisance algae. My tank is 2 months old and is a 40B with 20L sump. I just finally got my reef octopus protein skim dialed in to where I think it should be. I have had a refugium with chaeto for just about a week now.

For about a week I saw small signs of algae. Definitely on the sand bed and very little on the rocks. Yesterday I came home to hair algae everywhere. Its not thick (yet).
Another change is that I dialed up my LED light over the weekend. Wondering if that may have sparked this.

Today I will be going to my LFS for a blenny , not for a cure, which I wanted anyway. I will expand my CuC. Trying to go crab free. Right now I have just 4 Nassarius and 4 Trochus whom the latter seem to be doing absolutely nothing.

So my questions are..should I get some GFO possibly? I have heard of using hydrogen peroxide. Not sure if I want to go down that road. I am aware that maybe turning lights off for a few days might help. I have a Duncan frag with a few heads and a few zoa frags. I believe they wont be too negatively effected by a few days of no light. Any suggestions are welcome. Test numbers will be coming today after work.

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[Rjukan]

Post a couple pictures. I wouldn't do anything just yet, the tank is too new. Do you use RODI water? What was your old light cycle, and what's the new one you went to over the weekend? Do you run your fuge light cycle opposite to your display?

 

[mcgyvr]

Phosphate test results?
GFO is for those with a phosphate problem.. Don't use it if you don't have one..
You can cause more problems running it when not needed...

Nitrate test results?

Got corals? If not turn your light back down.. Fish don't need light and algae is fueled by nutrients and light..

BUT.. In a new tank some algae should 100% be expected and tolerated..

Its likely that the only thing you may need to do is increase your water change amount or frequency to keep nutrient levels low and just give the tank time to mature..
I find that tanks get much easier and algae problems go away around the 8+ month mark...

Nassarius snails do not eat algae and trochus are really more for film algae...
I would NOT suggest a lawnmower blenny based on the information given so far..
Turbo snails would be a better choice or maybe an urchin of sorts.. depending on tank size

 

[LennyD4]

Thank you for the quick response. I am picking up a few turbo snails this afternoon. The tank is a 40-gallon breeder and the only Corals in it right now are a few zoanthid frags along with a small Duncan frag. I am going to test my phosphate and nitrate levels today when I get home. Hopefully with a new nitrate test kit because for some reason the salifert test kit just doesn't do it for me.

Phosphate test results?
GFO is for those with a phosphate problem.. Don't use it if you don't have one..
You can cause more problems running it when not needed...

Nitrate test results?

Got corals? If not turn your light back down.. Fish don't need light and algae is fueled by nutrients and light..

BUT.. In a new tank some algae should 100% be expected and tolerated..

Its likely that the only thing you may need to do is increase your water change amount or frequency to keep nutrient levels low and just give the tank time to mature..
I find that tanks get much easier and algae problems go away around the 8+ month mark...

Nassarius snails do not eat algae and trochus are really more for film algae...
I would NOT suggest a lawnmower blenny based on the information given so far..
Turbo snails would be a better choice or maybe an urchin of sorts.. depending on tank size

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[LennyD4]

So much stuff that I left out. Yes I use RO/DI. I have an in line TDS meter that still reads zero. My cycle is exactly the same. 9 am -9PM. The only thing I changed was the percentage of intensity which I ramped up. I run my refuge from 10PM-8AM.

Post a couple pictures. I wouldn't do anything just yet, the tank is too new. Do you use RODI water? What was your old light cycle, and what's the new one you went to over the weekend? Do you run your fuge light cycle opposite to your display?

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[accel]

Thank you for the quick response. I am picking up a few turbo snails this afternoon. The tank is a 40-gallon breeder and the only Corals in it right now are a few zoanthid frags along with a small Duncan frag. I am going to test my phosphate and nitrate levels today when I get home. Hopefully with a new nitrate test kit because for some reason the salifert test kit just doesn't do it for me.

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We have the same exact setup! 40B and 20L sump. Mine is 2.5 months older so we are at the same level. I am surprised you are just getting hit now. I think I was hit on 3rd or 4th week already. I wont be surprised if I was hit on 2nd week (I gotta review my photos).

I have a bad case of hair algae. I tried all snails but only my 4 Turbo snails were able to make a massive dent on them in 2 days. In less than a week there is no more hair algae. I have to overfeed the tank a little bit and drop algae pellets.

I have GFO running based on the Phosban's recommended levels. I think my GFO was not enough to counter the hair algae. Only with the help of Turbo Snails, Algae Scrubber, plus GFO where I managed to limit the hair algae in the sump (tidbits) and scrubber (most). I have chaeto and red ogo as well competing for whatever remaining nutrients. I overfeed.

 

[accel]

I have a Lawnmower Blenny too and he eats a lot of the algae on the rocks but I still think the Turbos do a way better job. Just watch our for corals getting toppled. A week ago my Candy Cane got toppled by a Turbo and fell on my Torch. He didn't look great and won't take food. It's on its recovery.

 

[LennyD4]

I have a Lawnmower Blenny too and he eats a lot of the algae on the rocks but I still think the Turbos do a way better job. Just watch our for corals getting toppled. A week ago my Candy Cane got toppled by a Turbo and fell on my Torch. He didn't look great and won't take food. It's on its recovery.

Wow. Definitely picking up some turbos today. I dont think I will be getting the lawnmower blenny. I was never really a fan and my next planned fish is the tailspot blenny. Just thought of the LMB for clean up purposes. I heard they get pretty big also. Are you running a skimmer ?


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[accel]

Yeah I have a Tunze 9004 skimmer. It was initially in the DT and then I moved it to the sump. It works and I am able to get a good skim on it.

My LMB is still in its teenage years but fat. I have seen bigger ones. He's a fun guy with a character. I used to have Tailspot Blenny but he jumped on the overflow and got trapped. I have an HOB overfloe instead of a built-in one (if I can go back in time I will find a reef ready tank).

I also have Purigen and Polyfilter. I am probably overdoing my filtration but again I am a heavy feeder.

 

[LennyD4]

How did you fit in your algae scrubber?

Yeah I have a Tunze 9004 skimmer. It was initially in the DT and then I moved it to the sump. It works and I am able to get a good skim on it.

My LMB is still in its teenage years but fat. I have seen bigger ones. He's a fun guy with a character. I used to have Tailspot Blenny but he jumped on the overflow and got trapped. I have an HOB overfloe instead of a built-in one (if I can go back in time I will find a reef ready tank).

I also have Purigen and Polyfilter. I am probably overdoing my filtration but again I am a heavy feeder.

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[accel]

Well actually it's not the official algae scrubber from santa monica, though I have considered one and one of their models should fit in the 20L. I do have a chaeto reactor that became an algae scrubber by accident. It won't grow chaeto but stuff that you get from an alage scrubber. There's a Youtube video where a reefer converted a chaeto reactor to an algae scrubber. I did not follow his instructions. Mine just became a scrubber for some reason.

https://ibb.co/cVpw7d
https://ibb.co/huhG7d
https://ibb.co/fss50y

There's some chaeto there since I was initially trying to grow one inside. That's the second harvest.

 

[LennyD4]

Just finished testing my water. Here are my numbers:

Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2.5 PPM ( Using Salifert test kit. Still don't trust this so Iam getting the NYOS kit on Friday.)
Phosphate: .01 PPM
Salinity 1.024
Calcium: 400
Alkalinity: 5.9 dkH
Magnesium: 1200

Need to get my saliinty, calcium, and Alk up hopefully with larger water changes. I do 5 gallon water changes every Sunday. I am looking for a nice 10 Gallon mixing bucket so I can at least do a nice 25% WC and see what it does to my numbers. I am usuing Instant ocean reef crystals.

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[accel]

Just finished testing my water. Here are my numbers:

Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2.5 PPM ( Using Salifert test kit. Still don't trust this so Iam getting the NYOS kit on Friday.)
Phosphate: .01 PPM
Salinity 1.024
Calcium: 400
Alkalinity: 5.9 dkH
Magnesium: 1200

Need to get my saliinty, calcium, and Alk up hopefully with larger water changes. I do 5 gallon water changes every Sunday. I am looking for a nice 10 Gallon mixing bucket so I can at least do a nice 25% WC and see what it does to my numbers. I am usuing Instant ocean reef crystals.

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Odd that your dkh is that low. Mine is 10dkh last time I checked. We use the same salt brand.

 

[LennyD4]

Yeah I have no idea why. I have heard that some salt batches could be off. I am going to test the dkh of fresh salt water when I mix it this weekend.

Odd that your dkh is that low. Mine is 10dkh last time I checked. We use the same salt brand.

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[monkeysee1]

Get some Rowa Phos.
I put some in a media reactor beside my sump.
Let it tumble gently.
Change every month.
I haven't had a hair algae (or ANY OTHER ALGAE) problem since.

 

[LennyD4]

Does it effect a refugium at all if you have one?

Get some Rowa Phos.
I put some in a media reactor beside my sump.
Let it tumble gently.
Change every month.
I haven't had a hair algae (or ANY OTHER ALGAE) problem since.

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[monkeysee1]

Does it effect a refugium at all if you have one?

Nope. NOT in the least.

 

[mcgyvr]

Nope. NOT in the least.

Sure it will...
His phosphate level is already low and using a product intended to reduce it even more will certainly have an effect on macroalgae that uses the same nutrients as the hair algea..

 

[LeJeune981]

Phos at .01 is ideal... I wish my system would run that low..

With or without gfo... my phos hovers at .07 to .10 (Hanna checker)


I would not run gfo in your system... much lower can be bad since phosphates are a key building block in life.. and all life uses some.. not only algae..

As mcgver said above... system is still very young... and algae is to be expected and embraced at this time..

My only suggestion would be to make a diy upflow algae turf scrubber.. then you can control where it grows.. algae is very bennificial to any system..


Urchins do an amazing job.. they eat anything and everything.. mine has eaten dinos...cyano...gha.. and even aptasia believe it or not.. not intentionally.. but it cleared a path down the middle of a rock overtaken by aptasia..

if you ever want pretty rocks.. or any coraline at all basically.. don't get one..

I'll add a pic of my tank.. roughly 18 months in..
Fuge is full if coraline... DT has a few spots only

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[mal7887]

I had amazing success with a sea hare. I picked one up at LFS for about $12, the tank was free and clear in just days.