AZNO3 is a nitrate reducer. I bought mine from premiun aquatics. Marine depot also sells it. I just followed the package instructions. You will notice your skimmer putting out more due to nitrate depletion. I had a bad HA problem almost sold my tank due to frustration. I read about AZNO3 on RC and decided I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a try. And no I did not remove lose alot of good stuff rom the rock, I use a soft bristle brush.
So Much Hair Algae!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter Spotted Leopard
- Start date
Spotted Leopard
New member
Thanks....I'll try that AZ-NO3 reducer and the soft bristle brush.
spooda420
New member
you can also reduce nitrate by a denitrifier... I just bought one a short while back and my nitrates are at 0
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1113405
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1113405
Subliminal
New member
Several things:
1. Your test kit will say your nitrates/phosphates are probably 0 because it's getting eaten by all the hair algae. You need to test the water BEFORE putting it into the tank.
2. Those critters you mention will eat hair algae, but only if it's just a tiny bit. They aren't going to munch on a 6 inch strand.
3. Hair algae is easy to pull out. Right before you do your water change, pop the top, grab a container with some water in it, and start yanking the stuff out. You can grab it in your fingers and then dunk your fingers in the container with the water and it'll come right off in the container.
4. Try reducing feeding and if your water contains nitrates or phosphates, switch water. It still takes some time, even with those 2 measures, but it's a start.
1. Your test kit will say your nitrates/phosphates are probably 0 because it's getting eaten by all the hair algae. You need to test the water BEFORE putting it into the tank.
2. Those critters you mention will eat hair algae, but only if it's just a tiny bit. They aren't going to munch on a 6 inch strand.
3. Hair algae is easy to pull out. Right before you do your water change, pop the top, grab a container with some water in it, and start yanking the stuff out. You can grab it in your fingers and then dunk your fingers in the container with the water and it'll come right off in the container.
4. Try reducing feeding and if your water contains nitrates or phosphates, switch water. It still takes some time, even with those 2 measures, but it's a start.
Spotted Leopard
New member
Well I tried a lettuce nudibranch....but it somehow died. Since seahares are in the same family, I think he's gonna die with a week. Also, aren't seahares a fragile type of nudibranch?
Plantbrain
Active member
I just manually remove it aggressively. Do not fret, the critters and desirable species will fill back in.
If you keep up on it, it never gets out of hand.
Water changes are your friend, you cannot over do those.
I'd stay away from any snake oil that claims to export or control NO3.
There's only one way to do so short of a water change, macro algae export etc: denitrification.
Coils or the DBS are decent methods there, with DBS being the easiest.
During the water change, you can do all sorts of cleaning etc easily.
Harass it. 1 sq ft is nuthing to clean, I've cleaned 8 ft planted tanks covered with BBA on every surface.
Do not wait for a weed to go away, attack it asap.
That and good general care will go a very long way.
PO4 limitation can work well in most cases.
If you keep a refugium, the NO3 and PO4 would be gone and provide a great place for a DBS.
If you focus on the needs for the other critters and plants in the tank, the noxious species rarely bug you.
That's always been a good approach and method in the hobby in general.
And that is the goal, not learning how to kill various noxious algae
, name some folks that wanted to do that as a hobby?
Some weeding is required, some cleaning etc, and if you neglect things for awhile, algae outbreaks can and will occur.
But if you stay on top of it, the effort is much less.
Regards,
Tom Barr
If you keep up on it, it never gets out of hand.
Water changes are your friend, you cannot over do those.
I'd stay away from any snake oil that claims to export or control NO3.
There's only one way to do so short of a water change, macro algae export etc: denitrification.
Coils or the DBS are decent methods there, with DBS being the easiest.
During the water change, you can do all sorts of cleaning etc easily.
Harass it. 1 sq ft is nuthing to clean, I've cleaned 8 ft planted tanks covered with BBA on every surface.
Do not wait for a weed to go away, attack it asap.
That and good general care will go a very long way.
PO4 limitation can work well in most cases.
If you keep a refugium, the NO3 and PO4 would be gone and provide a great place for a DBS.
If you focus on the needs for the other critters and plants in the tank, the noxious species rarely bug you.
That's always been a good approach and method in the hobby in general.
And that is the goal, not learning how to kill various noxious algae
, name some folks that wanted to do that as a hobby?
Some weeding is required, some cleaning etc, and if you neglect things for awhile, algae outbreaks can and will occur.
But if you stay on top of it, the effort is much less.
Regards,
Tom Barr
My seahare came as a hitch hiker (click here) and it didn't seem especially fragile. It twice crawled into the overflow through the tubing into my refugie, whether it is sensitive to bad water parameters I don't know.
/Magnus
Spotted Leopard
New member
hmm...sounds good...I think I will also get a seahare. Do they eat diatom algae as well?
Spotted Leopard
New member
I thought seahares and lettuce nudibranchs were the only types of nudibranches that wouldn't release poison into the tank upon death. Oh...and I got rid of 99% of the hair algae today with a toothbrush. 
oh lord....hair algae!!
my story....I have a 55g. had the current nova 8x54 watts of t5's light fixture. I had NO fish. I knew I could purchase a tang to help eradicate the HA, but since I have hallimeda prolifera, shoal grass, sea lettuce, mangroves, I didn't want those eaten too. I bought a sea slug---NASTY creature. didn't do a darn thing except die in a couple of weeks.
I posted on here and all I got was "reduce feeding>I had nothing to feed, lower temp, water changes>was changing roughly 50-75g a week, eliminate nutrients>wasn't dosing w/ anything, etc...." DID ALL THAT!! what a pain in the neck. just as soon as I did all that, it grew a foot.
the only thing that eradicated it was decreasing the light. I went from the 8x54 w fixture to a coralife pc fixture (low 200w's, not exactly sure). so I cut the lighting by more than a half. I had to take out the light loving corals (ie brains) that were on the bottom, but other than that.....WHOLAH!! no HA at all.
I don't know if this is a possible solution for you, but it worked for me!!
my story....I have a 55g. had the current nova 8x54 watts of t5's light fixture. I had NO fish. I knew I could purchase a tang to help eradicate the HA, but since I have hallimeda prolifera, shoal grass, sea lettuce, mangroves, I didn't want those eaten too. I bought a sea slug---NASTY creature. didn't do a darn thing except die in a couple of weeks.
I posted on here and all I got was "reduce feeding>I had nothing to feed, lower temp, water changes>was changing roughly 50-75g a week, eliminate nutrients>wasn't dosing w/ anything, etc...." DID ALL THAT!! what a pain in the neck. just as soon as I did all that, it grew a foot.
the only thing that eradicated it was decreasing the light. I went from the 8x54 w fixture to a coralife pc fixture (low 200w's, not exactly sure). so I cut the lighting by more than a half. I had to take out the light loving corals (ie brains) that were on the bottom, but other than that.....WHOLAH!! no HA at all.
I don't know if this is a possible solution for you, but it worked for me!!
Spotted Leopard
New member
That information would have been helpful...but I already got rid of most of my hair algae with a free toothbrush from the dentist
Spotted Leopard
New member
BUT...did I really get rid of the hair algae? Will it eventually grow back?
Spotted Leopard
New member
Spotted Leopard
New member
Why will it grow back? I mean I scrubbed it off the rock.
cnidaria nut
New member
Turbo snails, turbo snails, turbo snails.
