I have been running my 55 gal w/20 gal fuge system now for over 2 yrs. I have had off and on bouts w/ hair algae the whole time. Its almost to the point where I throw in the towel and go fish only. I test for phosphates and nitrates and see near zero readings(I barely feed because im so gunshy over this rotten hair algae) I scrub off my algae, do water changes and then watch as my lush green carpet returns to cover my rock and equipment...Q: I know that low flow can promote cyanobacteria does it also promote hair algae. My tank is lit by 4 pcs @65watt ea 2 actinic 2 daylight. actinics = 7am-9pm, daylights = 10am-8pm. temp =80 water changes= 1 to two per mo. at 20 gallons a time. I cant help but wonder about the flow though I know I'm a bit low there w/ a mag 5 return and one low-med powerhead as a supplement and then just the runoff from my hang on Aqua C Remora. any input about my flow, photoperiod, would be helpful. I do have a nice fuge running w/ chaeto and some Halmeda I run the fuge lights opposite my tank lighting (overnight one could say). SOS Please Help.
S.O.S...at end of rope w/ hair algae
- Thread starter cmchap
- Start date
How old are your pc bulbs? If they're over 9 months old (based on your photoperiod) they've shifted spectrum into the "algae loving spetrum"..
I have a 55 w/ a 55 gallon sump/fuge and I run a mag 9.5 for the return as well as a pair of mj 1200's in the tank for flow. I've seen a little patch of hair algae sprout up, but it went away on its own.
Perhaps skimming a little wetter would help the situation. (organics arne't as concentrated but you'd be removing more of them at a time). Just remember what you dump from the skimmer should be replaced w/ saltwater. Also, How deep is your sandbed? If you're running a deep sand bed, I've heard of some people having touble with the beds over long periods of time. Perhaps siphoning out 1/3 to 1/2 of the sand bed (the whole thing on one side of the tank) now, and then another portion in 2 months or so MAY help.
Also, what kind of water are you using? If its tap, that could be your problem. If its ro/di, what are your tds at? Perhaps it's time to change the cartridges. Do you have a silica test kit?
I know I just threw alot of info at you, but these are just some possibilites. Let me know about the water/bulbs and we'll go from there.
Stewie
I have a 55 w/ a 55 gallon sump/fuge and I run a mag 9.5 for the return as well as a pair of mj 1200's in the tank for flow. I've seen a little patch of hair algae sprout up, but it went away on its own.
Perhaps skimming a little wetter would help the situation. (organics arne't as concentrated but you'd be removing more of them at a time). Just remember what you dump from the skimmer should be replaced w/ saltwater. Also, How deep is your sandbed? If you're running a deep sand bed, I've heard of some people having touble with the beds over long periods of time. Perhaps siphoning out 1/3 to 1/2 of the sand bed (the whole thing on one side of the tank) now, and then another portion in 2 months or so MAY help.
Also, what kind of water are you using? If its tap, that could be your problem. If its ro/di, what are your tds at? Perhaps it's time to change the cartridges. Do you have a silica test kit?
I know I just threw alot of info at you, but these are just some possibilites. Let me know about the water/bulbs and we'll go from there.
Stewie
I just went through a tough bout with HA myself. I hear people talk about HA and cyano and flow all the time but I had both growing on the outlets of my tunze 6100's pushing at 90%, Same with my return pump.
I did a few things an mine is almost 100% gone.
1. Lettuce nudi
2. Phosban reactor - this is the biggest help I think
3. Yellow tang.
4. More crabs and snails
5. Raise ALK
My flow has not changed and I did not reduce feeding. I can tell when my phosphate media is expiring because I get a quicker buildup on the glass, it used to be heavy every day, now I can miss a few days and you can hardly tell, unless I need to change the media.
HTH,
Greg
I did a few things an mine is almost 100% gone.
1. Lettuce nudi
2. Phosban reactor - this is the biggest help I think
3. Yellow tang.
4. More crabs and snails
5. Raise ALK
My flow has not changed and I did not reduce feeding. I can tell when my phosphate media is expiring because I get a quicker buildup on the glass, it used to be heavy every day, now I can miss a few days and you can hardly tell, unless I need to change the media.
HTH,
Greg
Critter
Premium Member
Most likely you are going through what I'm going through, I have a sump with cheto, I have a phosban reactor, I have kent nitrate sponge as well as nitrex, I do aggresive skimming, I have newer lights and I drip kalkwasser yet I have HA. I do testing and all reads 0, but yet I have HA. So from what I've gathered, is that over the summer my tank temps went up, and my flow went down.. I think this caused a buildup of nutrients in my rock/supstrate and its leeching from there. I've also found there are other forms of phosphates that you cann't detect with your garden variety testkit. If you have HA then you have nutrients in your tank testable or not. I havn't beaten mine down yet. The current thing I am trying is adding vodka. Vodka is a carbon which will give growth to bacteria, which will consume the nutrients. The bacteria can be skimmed out eaiser then the excessive nutrients. (do not add vodka until you read read read all there is about it or you could kill your fish)
The only thing I recommed adding is cleanup crew for the glass, mexican turbos are good. I have a yellow tang, and don't recommed adding one to remove your HA, mine doesn't touch the stuff.. I've also tried a sea hair, and mine was dead in a few hours (not sure why) so also don't recommend, I added a lawn-mower blennie and he has done some muching on it but not fast enough. After the holidays I'm going to do aggressive water changes and cleanup of my sumps and pumps etc, might even try siphoning what I can off the rocks. I'm alsmot at the maxium recommended dose for the Vodka so if I don't see any HA impreovments then I will discontinue that as well. Though since adding the vodka, my galaxian which was almost completely dead is showing sings of regrowth.
The only thing I recommed adding is cleanup crew for the glass, mexican turbos are good. I have a yellow tang, and don't recommed adding one to remove your HA, mine doesn't touch the stuff.. I've also tried a sea hair, and mine was dead in a few hours (not sure why) so also don't recommend, I added a lawn-mower blennie and he has done some muching on it but not fast enough. After the holidays I'm going to do aggressive water changes and cleanup of my sumps and pumps etc, might even try siphoning what I can off the rocks. I'm alsmot at the maxium recommended dose for the Vodka so if I don't see any HA impreovments then I will discontinue that as well. Though since adding the vodka, my galaxian which was almost completely dead is showing sings of regrowth.
Critter
Premium Member
I had same result with the AZNO3 and I think that SAT actually did more harm then good. Any reason using the sugar over the vodka? I thought about ths sugar, but I guess the look of the vodka just seemed a cleaner source. Thanks for the update, I had read that thred in the past over the summer.
You may try a batch of BIG mexican turbos.
I have noticed that when the film algaes start to get cleaned out (as the clean-up crew catches up) my Biggest Turbos will actually chomp on red and green filamentous algaes, and have cleaned off a couple of rocks for me that were getting overgrown. (My hermits are all but worthless.)
But, not until competition got a little heavier.
Cheers
Fred
I have noticed that when the film algaes start to get cleaned out (as the clean-up crew catches up) my Biggest Turbos will actually chomp on red and green filamentous algaes, and have cleaned off a couple of rocks for me that were getting overgrown. (My hermits are all but worthless.)
But, not until competition got a little heavier.
Cheers
Fred
My yellow mows the stuff down, in fact I'm not so sure that wasn't what was keeping mine in check before the losses I incurred during my Canada vacation. My yellow tang was one of the casualties. next thing you know I have HA all over. I just added this one a few weeks ago and loves the stuff. Others have said the same so I guess it is hit a miss with them, same with the foxface.
For me I can absolutely say for sure the phosban reactor with rowaphos helps. When the little bit I have left start to get greener I change the media, within a few days is turns brownish green and melts. I went from having it so bad it was killing my corals to now where you have to look for it to find it.
I also make sure I use a turkey baster to blow off all the rock once a week.
Greg
Dr4g0nf1y
Premium Member
Why sugar over vodka?
A) Cheaper
B) More accesable to reef people < 21 years of age. ;-)
C) Wife gets mad/hysterical when you're giving the tank Grey Goose.
I don't like the idea of adding livestock to clean up a HA problem. If you've got no clean up crew that's one thing. But adding "specialty" creatures just adds to the nutrient problem as they convert it from HA to fertilizer. Where as increasing your bacterial functions actually help complete the nitrogen cycle. Which is ultimately the main export feature of your tank.
People add Ozone to Protein Skimmers to help improve production, and I believe that practice has as many pitfalls and dangers as directly feeding the bacteria with the sugar.
I'm not saying this _IS_ the method to cure all Hair Algae. I'm just saying it worked for my specific situation and I'm just describing my thought process behind it.
So in other words... take what I say with a grain of sugar (as it were..)
A) Cheaper
B) More accesable to reef people < 21 years of age. ;-)
C) Wife gets mad/hysterical when you're giving the tank Grey Goose.
I don't like the idea of adding livestock to clean up a HA problem. If you've got no clean up crew that's one thing. But adding "specialty" creatures just adds to the nutrient problem as they convert it from HA to fertilizer. Where as increasing your bacterial functions actually help complete the nitrogen cycle. Which is ultimately the main export feature of your tank.
People add Ozone to Protein Skimmers to help improve production, and I believe that practice has as many pitfalls and dangers as directly feeding the bacteria with the sugar.
I'm not saying this _IS_ the method to cure all Hair Algae. I'm just saying it worked for my specific situation and I'm just describing my thought process behind it.
So in other words... take what I say with a grain of sugar (as it were..)
Critter
Premium Member
All valid points 
In reading your thred, you say you started at 1/8th teaspoon... then walked it up to 1 teaspoon... Did you go in increments of 1/8th, like 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 1? I'm thinking of trying the sugar and see if it works any different then the vodka.
In reading your thred, you say you started at 1/8th teaspoon... then walked it up to 1 teaspoon... Did you go in increments of 1/8th, like 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 1? I'm thinking of trying the sugar and see if it works any different then the vodka.
I had very long bryopsis algae in my tank for the first year. It grew in high flow areas. I had a phosphate reactor and actinics, and always 0 nitrate and nitirite.
To combat the bryopsis, first I shortened the time the lights were on. Then I started gradually adding animals that supposedly ate algae: yellow tang, red sailfin algae blenny, hippo tang, tuxedo urchin, zebra hermits, snails, cleaner shrimp. This was over several months. Then, Rickyfins suggested that I stop feeding my fish for a week and see if they would eat it. After about a week, it was gone, and it hasn't come back.
I don't know what fish or animals you have in your tank. If you have some that supposedly eat algae, try it. If you don't, add one and once it is acclimated try the above.
My combination of animals has helped keep the algae out of my tank, but I also have a clean up crew because the more fish, especially, big fish, the more nutrients going into your tank. It's reaching a happy medium of tank inhabitants, IMO.
To combat the bryopsis, first I shortened the time the lights were on. Then I started gradually adding animals that supposedly ate algae: yellow tang, red sailfin algae blenny, hippo tang, tuxedo urchin, zebra hermits, snails, cleaner shrimp. This was over several months. Then, Rickyfins suggested that I stop feeding my fish for a week and see if they would eat it. After about a week, it was gone, and it hasn't come back.
I don't know what fish or animals you have in your tank. If you have some that supposedly eat algae, try it. If you don't, add one and once it is acclimated try the above.
My combination of animals has helped keep the algae out of my tank, but I also have a clean up crew because the more fish, especially, big fish, the more nutrients going into your tank. It's reaching a happy medium of tank inhabitants, IMO.
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