What should I do? I have hair algae growing on the.coral rock. I have increased the water flow, water changes, filter cleaning to cut back on algae growth but how can I get the algae off of the rocks that has already grown there? Do I really need to take the rocks out one-by-one and scrub them?
Hair algae
- Thread starter JodyR
- Start date
Is this a newly setup tank? Say, 2-3 months old? If so, waves of various nuisance algae can just be part of the maturing process.
However, it would also be a good idea to test for nitrates & phosphates. That's what feeds nuisance algae and without them, your hair algae will die off on it's own. You can do WCs, run GFO, install an algae scrubber, grow chaeto, etc. to help fight the problem. But you also need to find & eliminate the source of the problem (overfeeding, old bulbs, etc.)
However, it would also be a good idea to test for nitrates & phosphates. That's what feeds nuisance algae and without them, your hair algae will die off on it's own. You can do WCs, run GFO, install an algae scrubber, grow chaeto, etc. to help fight the problem. But you also need to find & eliminate the source of the problem (overfeeding, old bulbs, etc.)
Are your light bulbs old? Change them out one or two at a time. (This assumes this is an established tank of course. If not then you can expect algae blooms.) Then start with a new toothbrush, swab all the rocks off. Next razor scrape the glass including the rear glass. Soak your powerheads in vinegar. Net out clumps of algae. Your filter sock should be clean before you start and after you pristine the tank, let the water run through that sock in order to catch the nuisance and corraline algae and say the next day, replace the sock with a new one. Now you're ready to export any remaining in the water column with water changes, say twice a week until you change out most, or a large % of it. At this point you should be in a much better position. Also, make sure you turn off powerheads and such when you feed, scoop out any excess nutrients before you resume, and protein skim with gusto. Get your nitrates to zero (AZ NO3 and Microbacter 7 combo works if you don't have a machine) and test for nitrates and phosphates on a schedule.
Looks like you beat me to the punch since I spent time editing correcting typos.
