Help with hair algae

tprize

tprize

New member
So I think I have reached the limits of my local forum help. I've tried all the suggestions and at this point I feel like giving up. I hope you guys can help.

To begin my tank is 20g and has been up for over a year.
On 9/03/14 I saw this appear on my rock.


So to begin, I started doing weekly water changes to lower phosphates. I also got much better phosphate media and got a phosphate reactor. I got all my numbers in shape. Nothing got better.

So on 9-13-14 the tank looked like this.


So I moved onto the next suggestion add hermit crabs to gobble it up, which I did. Here it is on 10/10/14


Still no changes. So starting on 11/01/14 I also raised my magnesium with kent tech M to 1400-1500, and have kept it there. Here is the tank today 11/11/14



Please help! I really don't want to quit this hobby after 10 years.
 
I'm not sure hermits would do it - what about an emerald crab? I just brought one back to the LFS; he was doing a really good job on the algae when he wasn't eating my stomatellas, which is the only reason I brought him back. My LFS specializes in coral and they keep emeralds in all the frag tanks to handle any hair algae.
 
black out the tank for 3 days. If not gone in 3 days give it a couple more. Cover the glass and turn out the lights. Everything else will do fine while in blackout.
 
Emerald Crabs, Cerith Snails, Nerite Snails might be worth adding

Also, is there any direct or indirect sunlight hitting the tank?
 
I had an issue a while ago, fixed by, 1 feed fish less, 2 stop feeding coral, 3 lower light intensity if you can (LED?) 4 lessen light duration. Did not have it as bad as you but mine is GONE
 
I had the same problem when I got back from a deployment. I threw some phos zorb in my sump for a few days and it solved the problem. Chemicals are usually a last choice for me but it was really bad.
 
I am using tech m, and it's to the point my test kit that maxs out at 1600 can't read how high it is.
 
I honestly think it may be worth scrubbing down some of those rocks in a bucket outside of the aquarium. maybe use the water from your next water change.

considering how heavy the growth is, even if you add the right cleaners they will not be able to keep up..

Looks like you only have a few rocks with limited corals.. Don't think it would hurt to pull out a rock or two, scrub em down.. Then worry about preventative maintenance going forward.
 
If the GHA is not in your substrate, I would treat every rock with a 2 minute soak of 20% hydrogen peroxide, including the coral. Use a stiff brush and scrub your rocks clean. If the GHA is in your substrate, I would remove and replace. It is way too thick to use natural cleaners.
Patrick
 
Subsea said:
If the GHA is not in your substrate, I would treat every rock with a 2 minute soak of 20% hydrogen peroxide, including the coral. Use a stiff brush and scrub your rocks clean. If the GHA is in your substrate, I would remove and replace. It is way too thick to use natural cleaners.
Patrick[/QUOTE
Patrick, doesn't hydrogen peroxide kill bacteria too? Would it be more advisable to do a quarter of the rock at a time on a weekly basis?
Click to expand...
 
I do not know if hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria. I will research that. However, the substrate has way more bactetia than the live rock.
Patrick

PS. It seems there are conflicting opinions about H2O2 killing bactetia. It depends on the bacteria.
 
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Use API algaecide for marine aquariums!

It worked on me. I had red slime all over everything on my tank. Even though people said it wont work on red slime because they are a kind of bacteria. it said on the bottle it does so I gave it a try. I dose like 3 times according to the directions (It's like once every three days) and removed like half of my tank water after that and everything went back to normal. That was red slime algae so it should work on hair algae too! Oh my yellow tang eats most of the hair algae in my tank but your tank is 20 gallon so give that algaecide a try!
 
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Kenzo0 said:
Use API algaecide for marine aquariums!

It worked on me. I had red slime all over everything on my tank. Even though people said it wont work on red slime because they are a kind of bacteria. it said on the bottle it does so I gave it a try. I dose like 3 times according to the directions (It's like once every three days) and removed like half of my tank water after that and everything went back to normal. That was red slime algae so it should work on hair algae too! Oh my yellow tang eats most of the hair algae in my tank but your tank is 20 gallon so give that algaecide a try!
Click to expand...

Glad it worked for you
Here is a whole thread on that
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1595003
 
Tprize, you didn't state which test kit you're using. Some will go above the limits they say. Though easy way to calculate is to take RODI water (say 10mL) and mix it equally with tank water (10 mL). The resultant will test out at half of tank amount.
 
Aquarist007 said:
Subsea said:
If the GHA is not in your substrate, I would treat every rock with a 2 minute soak of 20% hydrogen peroxide, including the coral. Use a stiff brush and scrub your rocks clean. If the GHA is in your substrate, I would remove and replace. It is way too thick to use natural cleaners.
Patrick[/QUOTE
Patrick, doesn't hydrogen peroxide kill bacteria too? Would it be more advisable to do a quarter of the rock at a time on a weekly basis?
Click to expand...

Scot,

When it comes to GHA infestation, I don't use caution after it gets in my substrate. I am presently fighting it in my 12 year old Jaubert Plenum with a DSB using urchins, Emerald crabs, nudibranches, snails and Tangs. I have removed every live rock and treated each with a 2 minute dip at 20% h2o2. These live rocks and corals were transferred to holding tanks to wait out the quarantine.

After 45 years of reef keeping, I am relying on natural herbivores to maintain the tank. If it was not for my commitment to 12 year DSB, I would have sterilized the substrate with hydrogen peroxide and recycled the tank. I allowed the infestation to become established before reacting to it. I am in the last phase of clean up, but it took 2 months to get here.
Patrick
Click to expand...
 
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