Green Slimy Hair- Yuck

[Chrissy]

I have just read a bunch of threads on/about algae. Most of the conversations were about red slime. I couldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t find much about the green slimy, hairy type. Anyone got any remedies? I am starting to have one heck of a problem. Water tests ok.
Also is it an algae or is it a bacteria? Please I need some advice.
Thanks
:fish1:

 

[Jamokie01]

hair algae is algae. Your water is testing fine because the algae is absorbing the nutrients as they become available. What kind of cleanup crew do you have? What kind and how many fish? Skimmer? Water changes?

 

[Chrissy]

I have 2 damsels
1 wrasse
1 tang
3 clowns
few snails, hermits, 3 pep shrimp
55 gal
CPR skimmer
Fluval filter

I need a bigger cleanup crew- comments on how many and kind?

 

[ChickenCannoneer]

I think that you should invest in a bigger skimmer first. HTH, Tim

 

[Tbohinc]

what are you running in the Fluval filter dirty pads and media can cause a big problem with algae

 

[shawnz28]

when you say your water is testing fine what are the parameters of the phosphate and nitrate?

 

[Chrissy]

just cleaned the pads less than a month ago (in the filter)

I don't have a test for Phospate....

everything else is zero or barely showing a reading

 

[shawnz28]

Phosphate can be a huge contributor to hair algae.... If you are running any kind of mechanical like pads in the fluval I would religiously clean them at least every two weeks imo

 

[Jamokie01]

If your running filter pads you need to clean or change them at least once a week otherwise they will become a biological filter and potentially cause a cycle when you do clean or change them. There is absolutly no point of testing for phosphate if your having a hair algae problem, it is obviously there, reguardless of whether or not it appears on a test.

 

[Chrissy]

ok- it is a pain to even open the filter and try to close it again....
I wont buy another one...

however what is a good suggestion to use instead of a filter pad?

Seems I need to get that pad out soon!

 

[Jamokie01]

Nothing. If you have liferock, live sand and a skimmer, mechanical filtration is unnecessary. Just make sure you have good flow in your tank to keep detritus and other junk suspended in the water column until the skimmer can pull it out.

 

[Chrissy]

you are right I need a bigger skimmer!
:-(

 

[Thurge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7292251#post7292251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jamokie01
Nothing. If you have liferock, live sand and a skimmer, mechanical filtration is unnecessary. Just make sure you have good flow in your tank to keep detritus and other junk suspended in the water column until the skimmer can pull it out.

I would agree with a minor exception, with enough live rock and sand you don't need a mechanical Filter, but mechanical filtration should be employed. Its always better to get poo out before it breaks down, and mechanical filtration will do that. Otherwise you are waitng for the turd to physically break down to the point a skimmer will pick it up.
To that end any Hand on the Back filter will work fine, just rince your pad every week and replace monthly.

 

[Chrissy]

thanks for the advice

I have a hard time closeing the filter (takes 2 people and water everywhere)- so does anyone have ideas for a replacement to the filter pad?
I have 3 layers within the filter to use...

 

[Jamokie01]

Thurge,
Think of it this way, your trapping fish crap in a filter pad, and then running all of the tanks water through the crap. Does that sound nice? Realistically, unless your cleaning the pad 3 times a day and changing it once a week, the detritus is still breaking down into dissolved organics into the water anyways, which will be skimmed out of the tank. Detritus if kept in the water column will be removed by the skimmer.

 

[cmador]

Personally, I don't use either mechanical or chemical filtration. Maybe it's because my tanks are so small and I do 10-20% weekly water changes. Oversized skimmer, good water movement plus a fuge with macro. Quick and easy would be an AC110 filled with macro with a clip-on light. You can always add a sponge or carbon if you think you need to. Ideally the macro would use the nutrients your green hair algea is using to survive. Good luck.

 

[Thurge]

If its in the water column its still got to break down (meaning fall appart) to be skimmed out, and trapped in a filter pad it at least has the possibility to be removed. As for running the water through it, thats kind of a moot point, its an enclosed environment where ever it breaks down its going to polute the while body of water. I hear what you are saying, and I have run it both ways. I went back to running a filter pad because I decided that tiny pieces of fish crud floating all throughout the water column falling appat to the point of skimming, looked, well, like crap.

 

[Chrissy]

From another thread - A person suggested a lawnmower blenny... and when he was done cleaning his tank he passed him on to another person with a tank problem. GREAT IDEA.. pass the hair algae eating critters to those in need!
this would keep a happy and fat fish!

 

[Jamokie01]

A good cleanup crew is necessary, but you want to make sure you solve the problem by eliminating the nutrients in your tank, which Im guessing are coming from your filter pads.

 

[mntl]

Some quick questions:

Is this fish only (did not see any coral listed).

Do you use a sand bed (I'll assume you do, if not then I will shoot up some different questions)? How deep and how long has it been set-up/what are you cleaning regimes? Do you clean the sand or let it sit?

What kind of flow do you have in the tank?

How often do you due water changes and how much?

What do you feed your fish? How often? How much? If it is frozen do you thaw then strain out the water the frozen food was in (it is loaded with nutrients)?

P04 is a necessary test, but it is most likely going to not register (your algea is making sure of that) if it does then basically even with your algea there are not enough things in the tank to "bind" all of the phos inputs you add (ie: you need more filtration or less inputs).

Basically your inputs are exceeding the tanks capabilty to process the waste and the algea is stepping in to help out . The extra waist is either in your sand, in your rocks, in the water you put into the tank (are you using ro/di or tap?) or the food you feed your fish. The waiste from the fish (poop etc) is not being processed fast enough to rid the algea of a nutrient source, is it growing on the rocks, on the sand or both? If it is on the sand and crawling up your rocks, then I would start cleaning the sand, if it is on you rocks and not sand, then I would turkey-baist the rock and start doing heavier waterchanges until it clears. The others can give you better info on mechanical filtration, all I use is a skimmer. A clean-up crew converts waist, it does not remove it. Unless you have a a means for removing clean-up crew waist then you are just converting poop/algea to poop, which in the end just feeds algea?

-John-