how to get rid of hair algae
- Thread starter KingSpade
- Start date
Check your phosphate and nitrate levels and see if they are high. If your phosphate is high you can get phosban and even a phosban filtration device (type in phosban or phosphate at drsfostersmith.com) and that should remove some of that. If nitrates are high try doing a water change and for a more permanent solution try setting up a refugium with some macroalgae. Either way phosphate and nitrate can give plenty of nutrition for the algae. You might also check your lighting and make sure the lights aren't old, but I am pretty sure that doesn't help hair algae as much as red algae.
Bullet
New member
This is probably the most popular question we get on this forum. On our new website I am going to have a spot where we can answer some of the most popular questions we get on here....like this one 
Until then, let us help you out by you telling us:
What is your TDS of your RO/DI water?
What is you CA testing at?
What is your ALK testing at?
What is your PO 2 testing at?
What are you NO 3 testing at?
What is your maintenance schedule ie...water changes?
What type of skimmer are you running?
I believe your tank is fairly new but I don't think that hair algae is part of the natural cycle.
Let us know on these and then we should be able to get to the bottom of things.
Until then, let us help you out by you telling us:
What is your TDS of your RO/DI water?
What is you CA testing at?
What is your ALK testing at?
What is your PO 2 testing at?
What are you NO 3 testing at?
What is your maintenance schedule ie...water changes?
What type of skimmer are you running?
I believe your tank is fairly new but I don't think that hair algae is part of the natural cycle.
Let us know on these and then we should be able to get to the bottom of things.
KingSpade
In Memoriam
well my amm is 0, trites 0, trates 0, ph is 8.2-8.4, i dont have the phos, alk and calc test kits yet, i am getting those thursday when i go to the LFS. i am running an ASM G3 skimmer, i do have a refugium but waiting on a guy sending me chaeto, all i have in the fuge right now is sand and LR rubble. Also my lights are brand new. I havent done a water change yet since the tank has been up for less than 3 weeks. i hope this info can help lead to a soulution. i will look into the phosban, thanx Bob - Tony
KingSpade
In Memoriam
hey bob, i looked at the phosban and phosban reactor on that site you sent me to and here is something im not understanding that it said: Treats up to 150 gallons. Media capacity between 150 grams and 200 grams; maximum recommended flow rate: 80 gph for 150 grams of PhosBan, 90 gph for 200 grams. what does that mean? does that mean i will have to buy a small pump to run it? i have a mag18 for a return pump and dont really want to hook it into that and have to put control valves everywhere. any help or suggestions for this?
I just got myself a cheap pump from that same site. I think they cost about 9 bucks if you find them right. I usually use a power head for my extra devices. I have one running on my UV sterilizer at have as well as my protein skimmer. Some people run everything on one pump, but for me it is just easier to add an extra pump.
KingSpade
In Memoriam
ok i tested my phos and my calcium today. my LFS didnt have a saltwater ALK test so i still need to get that. my PHOS is 0 and my calcium is around 400. the hair algae is still growing, i just put 3 sandwich bags of chaeto in my fuge today, i have a 5000k daylight on there that will run at night when the moolights come on so hopefully that helps, i am also ordering a clean up crew this week. so any suggestions for me with this new info?
dascharisma
New member
If you don't yet have a clean up crew then I would forget about making any changes. Just get a bunch of astreas, ceriths, and crabs and you will be fine. All of the die off from the live rock is what is fueling the algae growth. You can't do anything to change that. Don't bother changing your lighting schedule or adding chemicals to the tank. The only thing I would do would be to check the tds of your water source. If you find it to be high you should fix it, but don't worry about the water in the tank. The algae will remove any excess nutrients in no time as long as there is no new input.
Your tank is experiencing the exact same thing that Tinytool's tank went through when we set it up. 4 days after adding the big clean up crew the problem was gone.
Brad
sgarrett1108
New member
I had some problems with this and put a small sailfin tang in the tank. He took care of it. but he didn't seem to eat anything else and died shortly after. But also I started to watch water param. closer and I don't have the problem any more
overanalyzer
New member
at the very least get a tap water filter on the cheap from a pet store and use that to get rid fo some impurities or get another water filter on order
csammis
Mental Institution
I've found that increasing flow helps as well, but that may be a side effect of the other measures I've taken to control algae in my own tank, which are the following:
* Increase flow (this needed to be done anyway)
* Decrease photoperiod
* RO/DI water
* Feed not flake food sparingly. I switched to frozen Formula One, the fish gobble it down with very little leftover, compared to a lot of flakes everywhere
* Refugium with macros to soak up nitrates and phosphates
