I hate you green hair algae!!

[tommyz44]

Doing all of the above is more of a temporary fix. To understand why, you need to find the sourse. I had 0 phos and increasing levels of HA, almost a year of this. Even dosing LaCl I had increasing HA. I found out that most of my rock had phos bound up in it, by pulling a few rocks soaking them in fresh salt water 0phos and letting sit for a week .32 phos. Is it on all the rocks, or just a select few peices? Also what is your phos level at in your tank. If its bound up in your rock, its just a waiting game for it to releive itself. If its not the rock then you need to find out is the the food, bad water, phos in the salt mix, ect.

 

[gregrocks79]

I hate you green hair algae!!

Doing all of the above is more of a temporary fix. To understand why, you need to find the sourse. I had 0 phos and increasing levels of HA, almost a year of this. Even dosing LaCl I had increasing HA. I found out that most of my rock had phos bound up in it, by pulling a few rocks soaking them in fresh salt water 0phos and letting sit for a week .32 phos. Is it on all the rocks, or just a select few peices? Also what is your phos level at in your tank. If its bound up in your rock, its just a waiting game for it to releive itself. If its not the rock then you need to find out is the the food, bad water, phos in the salt mix, ect.

I think I was over feeding and had too much flow. Sand was kinda getting blown around here and there. It's only on a couple pieces of rocks. The problem is, I have corals growing on them already and can't take them out to soak. Could be the rocks but I'm not sure. Phos haven't registered on the tests but that's prob cuz it's bound in the GHA. Whatever it is, it seems to be getting better. Tank has been set up since June and it was put together from my other two tanks combined into the 60. Gonna give it more time since it seems to be getting better, well see. Thanks for the info

 

[tommyz44]

Tank has been set up since June and it was put together from my other two tanks combined into the 60.

If its getting better slowely then I would say your doing good! Like i said i had 0 phos for almost a year before the HA started to dwindel down. My biggest issue was having coral on most of the stuff so i couldnt take out and dose either. Glad its starting to work out! HA can be such a headake.

 

[gregrocks79]

If its getting better slowely then I would say your doing good! Like i said i had 0 phos for almost a year before the HA started to dwindel down. My biggest issue was having coral on most of the stuff so i couldnt take out and dose either. Glad its starting to work out! HA can be such a headake.

Thanks!! And yes, quite a headache. Nothing as bad as I've seen in people's pics. Glad it's not like that!! Haha. Well see how the tank looks in a couple weeks.

 

[gregrocks79]

Small update; I noticed some small pieces of HA have dislodged and even the cleaner shrimp seems to be snacking.

 

[likefish]

are you soding the peroxide directly into the display or into your sump for distrobution?

I ask because i am in the dame boat as you! But I have a 40 gal breeder, 60 gal cube and 120 gal SPS tank all running off a common sump.

I just fired up a 40 gallon remote refugium but the caeto i put in there is slowly fading....
Im trying to figure out how to get the nutrients transferred from my display algae into my refugium so it can start pulling nutrients.

Its no fun!

Curious to hear how you peroxide treatment pans out!

 

[gregrocks79]

are you soding the peroxide directly into the display or into your sump for distrobution?

I ask because i am in the dame boat as you! But I have a 40 gal breeder, 60 gal cube and 120 gal SPS tank all running off a common sump.

I just fired up a 40 gallon remote refugium but the caeto i put in there is slowly fading....
Im trying to figure out how to get the nutrients transferred from my display algae into my refugium so it can start pulling nutrients.

Its no fun!

Curious to hear how you peroxide treatment pans out!

I'm dosing into the return part of my sump for better distribution. So far it seems to be going well. Gonna do a water change today and have 2 more days of dosing. The sea hare and other critters have been eating the HA a lot more as well. Slowly getting better!!

 

[Ellery]

OH BTW cheap Hair Algae eaters are Black Mollies. Just slowly acclimate them from fresh to salt over 2 days in a 5 gallon bucket with a foam filter/heater. I have a pair in my 40B frag tank to eat the HA growing from the egg crate.

I figure if it good enough for Mike Paletta it's good enough for me.

Ellery

 

[JoelA7]

Not to hijack the thread but one of the most amazing "aquarium" displays I ever saw was a river system in a restaurant. It was populated by schools of black mollies and koi. The latter were like giant blimps and when the mollies encountered them the school would break into two portions as the koi slowly swam between. It was great!

Mollies is such a great idea! I might deliberately add some to my new tank. Probably a great first group to add too. Plus they breed and the fry would become food later on for say a trio of anthias.

 

[Zooxanthus]

I have herd that anytime you break a plants cell wall that it releases phosphates. Perhaps not picking the plants, maybe try to cover them with a rock and choke them out.

 

[gregrocks79]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Update: majority of the gha has been dying back and getting eaten by critters. I also noticed some SPS didn't like the h2o2 dosing and have finished w my regimen. That plus all the other steps seemed to have helped w my progress. My chaeto died back as well and I'm assuming it's due to lack of nutrients. Don't wanna starve the tank so I'm back to my normal feeding and husbandry. Since I now use GFO and carbon in reactors, I should be in normal parameters. I have also added some Fiji mud to my new fuge. (swapped from a 30 tall to a 20 long) I am going to add more macro algae as well.

 

[agold11520]

Stop working so hard. After trying all of the mentioned " GHA controls", and unmeasurable phosphates and nitrates, My LFS which sells only corals turned me on to Algeafix Marine, made by API. My uncontrolled hair algae melted away after about three weeks. Sea Hare returned to LFS. even the glass stays clear. Wont help will bubble algea and absolutely is safe for coral and Cheatomorphia. Best couple of bucks i ever spent!

 

[gguertin]

I fought hair algae and slime for 2 years... I bought a algae turf scrubber and it was gone within a month.

I have heard people bash them but I will never run a tank without one again. Against what many fans of scrubbers say I do still run my skimmer and do small water changes but it is hands down worth every penny. I don't know if I can link to the site I got mine from so I will just use the name but I got an l4 from turbosaquatics and use this on a 180g tank.

 

[geckoejon]

not a fan of dosing with peroxide. i tried with my last tank. a couple of my sps and goni didn't like it at all.

this tank i have a skimmer that is rated for twice the water volume, vinegar bathed and pressure washed the l r, and got some serious lights for my fuge. i literally have to chop the chaeto in half every 10 -14 days or it cloggs everything up! lol hoping this does the trick.

hope your gha goes away soon. this seemed to work for me....

 

[SantaMonica]

Also hope you get it won.

 

[gregrocks79]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. Looks like I've got it under control. All GHA has died off and is being eaten by the CUC. I'm guess everything I did helped. I'm going to put a cover over my overflow since the HA likes to grow in there and my fuge is going to have a bunch of different macro algae in it.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[gregrocks79]

 

[Every1jockzjay]

Loll atupid question but u never kno, u usin 0tds ro di water?

 

[Every1jockzjay]

My algae blenny would love ur tank...i feel bad for mine loll pickem at scraps lol

 

[gregrocks79]

Yup I'm using 0tds RODI. Had a lawnmower blenny a while ago but he died. The sea hare is doing a fabulous job of eating what ever is left! Almost all gone now too. Hooray I've won the battle haha