Green hair algae on rocks...

W

Wilkerson.reed

New member
I am 13 and new to saltwater tanks... There is some sort of green hair algae on the live rock in my tank. I have tried using algae removers, left the light off a longer than usual (can't leave them off for a really long time I have corals and fish) , and also tried to remove it with tongs. It is attached to the rock and can't get it off and out of the tank. I don't have a protein skimmer at the moment but am about to get one because someone said this will help with problems in the future, but I still need to remove the hair algae off the rock. another thing is under the hair algae there is a white looking thing with REALLY small tentacles and am afraid it might be aiptasia and if I try to remove anything near it, they could spread faster if it is aiptasia. Any suggestions on how to remove the hair algae?
 
I have a 36 gallon tank with about 2-3 inches of live sand, 15 pounds of live rock, a clownfish, banner Cardinal, skunk basslet, yellowtail damsel, two anemones, star polyps, pulsing xenia, and finger leather
 
+1 on the skimmer.
It might be bad advice and if it is I'm sure I will be corrected but if the rock can't be removed for scrubbing you can try a toothbrush in the tank followed by a water change. Maybe cut back on feeding, the cause is usually excess nutrients which I know I'm guilty of. If you have a place to put it preferably high flow area run some chemi pure elite. Also increased water changes will help export nutrients.
 
manual removal and limiting the nutrients(nitrates and phosphates) will solve the problem. run some kind of phosphate media to starve algae off phosphate. use ro/di water. you should post the pic of "white looking thing" to see if it's really aiptasia.
 
It is u see a bunch of other live rock at the moment, but I will try to remove it and scrub the rock then try to place it in a good flow area... I should also try to cut back on feeding because I am also guilty of that...
 
Take a pic of the aptasia, r you usi,g rodi water yet? I think i remember saying u didnt. If you dont ur in for a world of trouble down the road
 
Wilkerson.reed said:
Do emerald crabs get along with other fish and corals well?
Click to expand...

for the most part yes. depends on how hungry your carnivore fish are (if you have any). emeralds will feed on it at night when the lights are out (if they are threatened during the day they will sit in your rocks).

the fastest way is you can take the rock out and put some peroxide in a spray bottle and spray the rock. that will nuke the bad stuff. let it sit on the rock. then rinse it with RODI water etc then put back into the tank.

you really need to find an rodi unit. even if its a cheap one like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Reverse-Osmosis-100-Gallon/dp/B00DOG64FM

that one is only 60 bucks. i have used it. it works. it will save your a ton of headache. at your age a few lawn mowings should save you up enough cash :D

water is everything in this hobby :D
 
Last edited:
GHA is tough. It causes some people to leave the hobby in a huff. Nitrates, phosphates, light. Limit all you can. Please remember your corals and fish will be perfectly fine without lights for a few days. Throw a blanket over it if you can still keep your temps on point. I would advise against any manual removal where you can't keep the GHA from then floating around the tank (ie toothbrush). If you're going to do something like that, remove the rock from the tank.
 
Okay thanks everybody! I just drained a little water from my tank and removed all my rocks and put them in the water... I scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush and it worked really well... The algae was easier to remove than I thought with a toothbrush. Just wanted to let yall all know it worked and thanks!
 
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