Ridiculous amounts of hair algae

[talon4x4]

in my sump!! Leave it or start the pain staking task of removing it all?? The issues I have with it in my sump, its growing all over my chaeto and my mangroves. It also clogs up the maxijets I have running (circulation, UV, carbon/gfo reactor) However, I'm guessing that it helps keep the unwanted nutrients at bay and it is only in my sump. Plus, the only way I could probably prevent it from coming back, if I remove it, would be to change out the 5 year old PC bulbs that are over the sump. My fear is that it may spread to the DT.

Thoughts or suggestions?!?

 

[smogl00]

I would start by replacing those PC bulbs, and adding a couple mexican turbo snails or a lawnmower blenny to start slowing chomping down on it. That way you won't have to stir up a ton of stuff by manually removing it.

 

[daveml]

I had a issue with a lot of hair algea in my DT a few months back. I put in 3 Mexican Turbos and they took care of it in no time at all.

 

[talon4x4]

Turbos it is then. Anyone have a good source for the real mexican turbos?? I believe there are some sold as turbos that aren't and they don't eat algae as expected (I think I read that somewhere). I don't want to put a blenny in there. I'd be afraid he would get sucked into my skimmer. Even though the hole is small I wouldn't want to take the chance, even thought I love those little guys.

 

[jdoenumber2]

I may be alone on this. But i feel hair algae in the sump is a good thing. It grows faster than any macro. Does a great job taking up nutrients. And last but not least, if it wasnt in there it would be in your display tank. I used hair algae for a while to keep Nitrates at 0 and Phos very low. I would just pull out clumps every couple of weeks.

 

[Conesus_Kid]

I may be alone on this. But i feel hair algae in the sump is a good thing. It grows faster than any macro. Does a great job taking up nutrients. And last but not least, if it wasnt in there it would be in your display tank. I used hair algae for a while to keep Nitrates at 0 and Phos very low. I would just pull out clumps every couple of weeks.

X2

Harvest it regularly and you're removing excess nutrients from the system. I'd be hesitant to add snails to a sump for fear that they'd clog/burn out my return pump. I also wouldn't bother to change the bulbs. They're doing a good job growing that algae that's locking up nutrients.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

x3. You've accidentally created a turf scrubber. Don't put snails in there to eat it, they'll just poop nutrients back into the water. Manual removal is the way to go IMHO.

 

[scaz]

x3. You've accidentally created a turf scrubber. Don't put snails in there to eat it, they'll just poop nutrients back into the water. Manual removal is the way to go IMHO.

x4. Turbos make babies like crazy and they will crawl into pumps. What goes in must eventrally come out. Change the lights so that the Macro alge which is easier to remove takes up the nutrients.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

x3. You've accidentally created a turf scrubber. Don't put snails in there to eat it, they'll just poop nutrients back into the water. Manual removal is the way to go IMHO.

x4 or 5

manual removal and leave the lights alone

 

[magman53]

I wish I could grow gha in the sump, imo it's better for pods and more natural for removing any excess nutrients,

 

[wetbehindears]

Can I get some? I've never had hair algea.

 

[scaz]

Can I get some? I've never had hair algea.

WOW you are blessed!

 

[chrisqueenz]

X6 (I think?) I have my 75G fuge that is covered in hair algea! Does an amazing job keeping my display "clear" in many ways.

 

[talon4x4]

Glad I looked at this thread before I went to buy snails tonite!! Everything everyone has said makes perfect sense. I guess it really doesn't make sense to remove it, especially since I don't have any in my DT. And it is the perfect place for pods, I can definitely see them crawling around in it.

Guess everything will stay as is and I will just manually remove the stuff that is growing out of control.

Thanks for all the input on this!!