Getting rid of HA

[mallorieGgator]

So, now HA is starting to creep into my tank. I tried to control it by removing it but it's really hard to pull off the rocks because I can never get it all! I have a refugium with a small amount of chaeto but nothing special. It's growing better than it was but it's still growing slow. No phosphates (likely due to HA) and no nitrates. So, what are some tricks to getting rid of it? It's so ugly!

 

[allsps40]

You have no detectable po4 but it is there trust me. Your test kit might not be sensitive enough to detect lower levels. I have been fighting CCA in my display and fuge, killed it in my display but still in my fuge. My test kits read 0 po4 but Hanna test found 0.28 not bad but there. Do you have a phos reactor? If not they really help. Get a tang to eat the algae, my yellow tang keeps my tank pretty clean.

 

[KafudaFish]

1. Figure out the cause: is it your rocks or are you introducing the fuel such as your food?
2. Had success with large mexican turbos. IF it is minimal spread this could keep it in check. This won't address #1 rather will limit the issue. There are other biological controls too that people report.
3. Keep fighting the fight and wait it out.

How old is the tank and how long has the HA been there?

My guess is around one year old and a month or two of HA.

 

[mike_cmu04]

Dosing vodka will reduce the phosphates and nitrates to help get rid of or control it. Read up on dosing it and go slow.

 

[RVANANO]

Where are you getting the water for top off?

 

[mallorieGgator]

The tank is about 5 mos old. The HA started about a month ago. I don't have a reactor and can't afford one nor do I have room in my sump for one. I have 3 fish right now and a smaller CUC but they don't touch the HA. It's popping up in little spots on the rock and growing from those spots. It's irritating and good thing I don't have many corals in the tank. I get my top off water from a LFS because I can't afford an RO/DI until January.

 

[zachfishman]

Try adding some emerald crabs and mexican turbos to your CUC. My turbos mow through GHA, and I'm planning on adding a few emeralds soon (wish I could keep a tang, but my system is too small).

 

[mallorieGgator]

I removed ALL of my emeralds because they were eating my stony corals! lol. So no emeralds for me! I'll try the turbo snails. Thanks

 

[mfforeman]

My emeralds haven't touched the GHA on my sand bed. They do a good job on the rocks though.

 

[vikubz]

If you feed frozen rinse it before feeding. Keep up on water changes. Do you run a skimmer?

 

[mallorieGgator]

I do run a skimmer and I've read articles in coral mag that says it really makes no difference if you rinse it or not because phosphates are natural in any food you feed that is an animal.

 

[vikubz]

With frozen foods, it's not the food but rather the gels and/or binding agents that it comes in. I also reduced the light cycle by a couple hours.

 

[sirbiggstixx]

well hair algae has to have phosphates, so to remove hair algae you need to get rid of the problem..check your water, even if its the mixed water from fish stores..If you dont use rodi water, then maybe get some phosphate buster to help remove your phosphates from your tap water..you could be overfeeding but it takes a good bit of food to cause that many phosphates to cause hair algae to bloom..you can also use either a phosphate reactor or just get a cheap hang on filter and throw some GFO in it or another kind of phosphate eliminator. Some of these are more expensive then others..Again i am just naming things you can try..Some people dont like using some of these but in this hobby different things work for different people..

you can also use vodka to dose your tank and remove some of the phosphates..then process takes a decent amount of research but is not hard..it also takes a little time and patience..when i dosed vodka i would start adding .5ml everyday for a week. then each new week i would add .5ml to the total dosage..

another way to remove hair algae is to drip kalk..kalk raises your calcium. the more calcium you have in your tank(dont go over 500) the more it starves the hair algae. also kalk helps you maintain your levels..but only drip this at night when the ph has gone down..please if you dose with vodka or use kalk do your research..neither are hard to do but need to studied a little before attempting..

 

[scottsdale454ss]

hair algae ..

Ohhhhh so thats what HA is :-/

 

[Cahooligan]

+1 on mexican turbo snails. i put one in my 75, and it wiped all hair algae within 2 days.

 

[zachfishman]

another way to remove hair algae is to drip kalk..kalk raises your calcium. the more calcium you have in your tank(dont go over 500) the more it starves the hair algae.

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[spazthecat]

I believe the theory behind dripping calc is that it will precipitate the phos that is in your tank and pull it out of the water column.

--Andy

 

[Sharkkeeper]

I agree with spazthecat on that answer!

 

[Mr. Fish]

(dont go over 500)

Why?

 

[Nebthet]

There are two good members of the clean up crew to use to get rid of hair algae in the tank. Both the long stuff and the shorter stuff.
The one others have already told you is the Mexican Turbo snail. Get a large one if you can.
The other is a fuzzy Chiton. They will go to work on your rocks while the Turbo will work more on your tank walls.

Also, watch your feeding habits of your tank mates. Once every couple of days is enough unless you have a fish that is too thin. If you are doing more than that you are adding too much to your tank and this could be where your phosphates and nitrates are coming from that are encouraging your HA growth.

This was my tank prior to adding two Turbo snails in the beginning of October.
I had HA all over the back wall and purple octodes growing like insane around my MontiCap.
At the end of October, I also started switching over from Tapwater to RO water, but by then the Turbos were already working on the HA issue.

This is my tank as of Yestarday.