Green hair algae problem, please help

B

Bruce Wayne

Member
I have a 60 gallon (standard dimensions), established about 6 months, chaetomorpha fuge, octopus extreme 160, icecap overdriven T5s 4 x 85 watts, quiet1 4400 HH and a Koralia 1440 for flow, I was using a micron sock but I was advised against it so it's been replaced by a filter bag that is changed once a week, I do 10 gallon water changes weekly with the water from the LFS and if I miss a week I do 15...

salinity: 1.027; nitrates: undetectable; phosphates: undetectable; Alk: 5.0 (I'm dosing tomorrow); and amonia: 0.17 (approx); I didn't bother testing my MG or CA until I bring my Alk up to 10.0, my desired CA is 440 and MG 1450.

Right now I only have a small dottyback and a small pair of ocellaris, I want a mixed reef w SPS, acans and zoas and maybe 3 more small fish...

I had a sea hare and he did some eating but he died, I have had several fish die and I have green hair algae...I'm sure I was feeding too much and I am cutting back, what can I do about the green hair algae? I have heard yellow eye kole tang but a lot of people say that tangs don't eat green hair algae? Should I do a black out? 2 days? chemicals? sea hare and lowering feeding?

Thanks in advance...
 
Cutting back feeding as you apparently know is a big one. You could try adding GFO in a bag or reactor.

Yeah i've read bristle tooth tangs will eat nusance alage. No experience with that, though i do have a lawnmower blenny who tries his best to eat algae...but i don't have much! Anyway his behaviour and appetite lead me to think he'd become a fat tadpole if HA was on the menu.

Blackout worked for me re. cyano, i imagine it'd work the same re. HA. If you're worried about blackout affecting coral and fish - it doesn't. After 3 days of blackout, corals took half a day to normalise and fish were fine. But its a head start fix.

Why is ammonia up?? That feeds algae too.
 
ammonia should never be present in a mature tank. to hv ammonia and undetactable nitrate is hard to believe. u may want to get a new test kit. once u get ur water parameters in check, try getting 2-3 mexican turbo snails. they do an awesome job of eating hair algaem but u will need to shorten the algae in order for them to eat it.
 
I have lost a lawnmower, a pseudochromis, a fire shrimp, a midas blenny, a helfrichi, and a fairy wrasse that were never taken out...that must be it, I just thought that the nasarrius/live sand ate them...it sounds so dumb saying it out loud...

update, I just took out all my rock and went looking for them, I found nothing...what can I do? I also started my 2 day black out just now...
 
I wonder why those things have died. If you have lost some of this stock recently enough to think you may find them/remains, then its probable they've been breaking down and are the cause of your presently high ammonia... and you're right, the bacteria in the sand amongst other things is eating them.

Reconsidering, i don't think lights out for 2 days will help with algae as much as cyano, because of cyanos quicker generation. I reckon you'd have to do lights out for longer, and i think this would just be a headstart while employing more important strategies such as: cutting down food, after defrosting frozen food in SW washing it again in new SW, adding GFO, maybe adding GAC, making sure there isn't too much sunlight, incandescent, or other redish light hitting the tank, cyphoning out detritus, and maybe after ammonia is 0 adding more hermits and snails.

JMT, HTH.

[Edit] If you're doing a blackout, make sure its proper, and close all the blinds or throw a bedsheet over the tank.
 
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I might've missed something but I can't ever remember hearing that a 3 day blackout worked for HA. I know it is used for cyano, but all it really does is kill off what you can see. I've never seen a turbo eat HA either.

Many reefers have had success beating it by raisng thier MAG up to 1500ppm with Kent Tech M. and maual removal. There is something in that stuff that kills it. I always keep my mag at 1500 with TechM and all I can say is that I feed heavy, have had every sort of nuisiance outbreak I can think of EXCEPT hair algea. I've never had a patch bigger than a 50 cent piece

edit( I'd reccomend GFO too)
 
Sea Hares are notorious for dying and polluting the tank with toxin, did it die before or after the fish deaths? Adding a Phosphate reactor with granulated Ferric Oxide is always wise. You don't say what type of lights but 6 mos. may be getting close to their end and they could be losing their spectrum triggering the algae. It could also be the last hurray of the complete cycle which can go up to 8 mos. Check the lights, feed every other day and sparingly for now and if possible add the reactor.
 
The lights are icecap overdriven T5s 4 x 85 watts, I've had a phosphate reactor for about 5 weeks...the sea hare died about a month ago...using a bedsheet...I don't know what is going on w this HA...
 
change out all your water.

these small changes do nothing as far as export. and in your in some serious need for export
 
jasonrp104 said:
I might've missed something but I can't ever remember hearing that a 3 day blackout worked for HA. I know it is used for cyano, but all it really does is kill off what you can see. I've never seen a turbo eat HA either.

Many reefers have had success beating it by raisng thier MAG up to 1500ppm with Kent Tech M. and maual removal. There is something in that stuff that kills it. I always keep my mag at 1500 with TechM and all I can say is that I feed heavy, have had every sort of nuisiance outbreak I can think of EXCEPT hair algea. I've never had a patch bigger than a 50 cent piece

edit( I'd reccomend GFO too)
Click to expand...

never heard of mexican turbo eating hair algae? they do, but it has to be the mexican turbo snails, and not the regular turbo snails. make sure to trim down on the hair algae so the mexican turbo can eat it. dont like the mag treatment, bc overdosing can cause ur tank to crash.
 
jasonrp104 said:
Many reefers have had success beating it by raisng thier MAG up to 1500ppm with Kent Tech M. and maual removal. There is something in that stuff that kills it.
edit( I'd reccomend GFO too)
Click to expand...

Raising Magnesium supposedly kills bryopsis, not HA.

And changing all the water would probably not be the best idea.

Decrease your photoperiod, keep running GFO, feed every other day, and water changes. Good Luck

Also, what are you feeding? IMO frozen food fouls the water and should be fed once a week maximum
 
AMMONIA!!!!! The rest is of little importance until you get a handle on it and are no longer losing fish. Do a couple of large water changes (50%); vacuum gravel and rocks; find any dead things; etc.

After that, concentrate on the cause of the algae rather on the remedy.
 
I see you are using water from your LFS for water changes. What are you using for top offs? If you are using tap water than stop. Get RODI water from your LFS or better yet invest in your own RODI filter and use it for top offs and for mixing saltwater yourself. There are lots of nutrients in tap water that could feed hair algae. If you getting RODI water from your LFS you might want to purchase a TDS meter so you can measure its purity. Should read 0. If it is higher than 10 you are feeding that algae.

Also don't add anything to your tank until the ammonia drops to 0.0.
 
Mhm, bedsheet, towel, you clearly like the idea of a bedhseet. For me, HA, several fish dieing in a few months and ammonia aren't problems, so i'll just sleep on mine, but it could be an option for you if you think a blackout will help. No point in letting any light bounce into your tank.

Best of luck mate :D
 
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