Gha?

[Thornbreaker]

I'm assuming this is green hair algae?

It's gained a foothold in my DT. Grows like weeds in my sump. This is a shot of just one spot, but I have a turf like section growing next to my blasto. I had been keeping it "trimmed" back, but in trimming it that just seems to make it happier to spread elsewhere.

Is the best way to get rid of this and relegate it back to the sump by blacking out my front display for a few days? Is it safe to leave my blue lights on for my torch and blasto during that time?

I have an in-wall where sunlight isn't direct, but definitely shines some indirect sunlight on the tank each morning.

 

[Uncle99]

Any sunlight brings tons of algae

 

[Uncle99]

Any sunlight brings tons of algae

Had some sunlight when I started this last rebuild, just 2 inches or so which crossed the tank for 3 hours from noonish to 3PM.

In 6 months, tons of algae, green hair stuff, even with nutrients on the low end, 5ppm nitrate, .03-.07 phosphate....

Soon as I blocked this little sunlight, 2 months later, all gone...

 

[Thornbreaker]

Had some sunlight when I started this last rebuild, just 2 inches or so which crossed the tank for 3 hours from noonish to 3PM.



In 6 months, tons of algae, green hair stuff, even with nutrients on the low end, 5ppm nitrate, .03-.07 phosphate....



Soon as I blocked this little sunlight, 2 months later, all gone...

That's good. Did you leave any overhead lights running?

I'll need to make a blackout for the front.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Uncle99]

That's good. Did you leave any overhead lights running?

I'll need to make a blackout for the front.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

I did nothing but block outside light from hitting the tank, of course keep my phosphates in check at 0.03-0.07 (max of .1 before using GFO)

It started to melt away within 2 weeks, turned from strong and bright green to weak and beige....used a toothbrush once a week.....

I was so surprised that just a tiny bit of sunlight would equal so much algae.

 

[Thornbreaker]

I did nothing but block outside light from hitting the tank, of course keep my phosphates in check at 0.03-0.07 (max of .1 before using GFO)

It started to melt away within 2 weeks, turned from strong and bright green to weak and beige....used a toothbrush once a week.....

I was so surprised that just a tiny bit of sunlight would equal so much algae.

So I tested a bit last night. I threw a blanket over the front panel (in-wall tank, so easy just to cover the front). That made the inside panel of the front glass pretty much a mirror, which seemed to have my foxface freaked out. I took it down for now, but think he'll get over that if I leave it up? I found him camo'ed in the back of the tank behind the rockwork lol.

 

[Thornbreaker]

Probably going to pick up some extra CUC this weekend too. Maybe some margarita snails and one more conch, but my LFS doesn't usually carry Margaritas and that next day air from live aquaria ain't cheap.

 

[Uncle99]

The only problem with Margarita snails is they are from cooler waters so if your running normal 78-80’wont last long.

Ninja Astrea for the green, Mexican turbo for brown/ red and Nars for your sand.

Beware of any crabs, problematic IMO

 

[j.falk]

Ninja Astrea for the green, Mexican turbo for brown/ red and Nars for your sand.

Beware of any crabs, problematic IMO

So the Ninja Asteas won't eat brown hair algae? Good to know. I was about to order some from LiveAquaria to deal with my newly developed brown hair algae issue.

 

[Uncle99]

So the Ninja Asteas won't eat brown hair algae? Good to know. I was about to order some from LiveAquaria to deal with my newly developed brown hair algae issue.

Can't say they won't eat brownish/red, but the Mexicans removed virtually all my brownish/red in a few weeks. I did, "redirect" them by placing them in affected areas during that time and continued that until all gone. I used only 6 in a 65g.

My Ninjas do an OK job on the green (rock and glass) and certainly better the Astreas, I keep about 30 or so of these.

The Nars, don't clean sand however they will churn it as soon as they smell food and if anything dies (hopefully not) they will quickly dispense with it.

In the end, these things led to zero algae for me.
Correct lighting spectrum, intensity and length. Zero sunlight!
Perfect on point water with virtually no flux through the day.
Nitrates 2-5ppm....maintained by NoPox.
Phosphate 0.03-0.07 .1 max....maintained with ROWAPHOS.
Regular water change 10%
Weekly toothbrush
And of course the snails.....no crabs....the snails just too expensive and crabs don't process much.

This process took a few months to be honest.....but it will work...

Maybe some of these will help....good luck

 

[Thornbreaker]

The only problem with Margarita snails is they are from cooler waters so if your running normal 78-80'wont last long.

Ninja Astrea for the green, Mexican turbo for brown/ red and Nars for your sand.

Beware of any crabs, problematic IMO

Oh that's right, I think I did read that above 78 is bad for the margaritas. Mexican are out of "season" or so LA says.

Ninja Astrea sounds more like what i need though.

Is that the same as a "spiny star astrea"?

I don't have crabs either, except for one hitchhiker hermit that I relegated to my sump. No clue if he's still alive at this point.

My tank is only a year old, so I'm sure this partly just the typical phases of algae battles. I would worry less, but the biggest patch is infringing on my blasto. The GHA popped up after I beat red cyano and started in the sump. I think it took a foothold after I cleaned my sump one day and had also turned back up the intensity of my lights by 10-15%.

 

[Thornbreaker]

Most of my tank is nerite, ceriths, a few larger and smaller Nars, 2 conchs, a BTU, and 2 shrimp. I love Nars. I probably need more, but for some reason the larger ones I have seem to die off to about 3 left.

I've ordered a couple dozen smaller Nars from reefcleaners in the past, but even those have dwindled down to just a few.

Not sure why. Rest of the CUC does fine.

 

[j.falk]

Ninja Astrea sounds more like what i need though.

Is that the same as a "spiny star astrea"?

Yes.

 

[Uncle99]

Yes.

Agreed!

 

[Thornbreaker]

Thanks. I picked up 5 Mexican Turbos today at my LFS. We'll see how they do.

That doesn't help, we're on to ninja snails.

 

[Uncle99]

Thanks. I picked up 5 Mexican Turbos today at my LFS. We'll see how they do.

That doesn't help, we're on to ninja snails.

Use both!

Keep "redirecting" (placing them) in affected areas.

 

[Thornbreaker]

Update:

GHA continues to be a nuisance. The Turbos I picked up, died within a couple of weeks? Not sure why?

My trochus have also passed away. Nerites, ceriths, and nassarius all seem fine. Shrimp and BTU are all fine. Blasto and Torch seem quite happy.

Tested nitrates and phosphates last night and they're under 5 ppm and .03 ppm.

Scrubbing/pulling it out just seems to spread it. I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

I've been periodically covering the front of the tank with a blanket. My concern though is that this creates a reflection on the inside that the fish seem to freak out about (foxface hides behind the rocks and doesn't come out). Should I keep doing the blackout for a couple of days ever few days and reup the CUC again?

Or is there something else I should try at this point?

 

[j.falk]

I've read quite a few threads where people have said that Vibrant Reef Cleaner worked in their aquariums for hair algae issues.

 

[Anemone]

If you are going to black out your tank, you need to give it no light at all. The same light your corals use, the GHA uses.

If you have that much GHA, then your tank is probably creating much more nitrate and phosphate than your tests indicate - it's just being bound in the algae. Continual manual removal, along with stable low nutrients is really the best long term solution.

Kevin

 

[Thornbreaker]

I've read quite a few threads where people have said that Vibrant Reef Cleaner worked in their aquariums for hair algae issues.

Is that legit? If it would help get a foothold again for my CUC to take back over, I might try that once I'm back from vacation.

As it appears to be a bacterial based liquid, I would think that certainly keeps any other side effects down. I am seeing a bit of back and forth on if it effects snails though.

I just ordered 10 trochus and 8 ninja star astrea.
Bit concerned that I've lost most of my larger snails lately.