The battle with Green Hair Algae
- Thread starter Webmanny
- Start date
Reefpilot11
New member
I am having the same exact problem in my tank. I bought an army of emerald crabs and they have removed all of it from the rocks. But my sand grows a carpet of it in about three days if I do not agitate it or vacume the sand with a water change (I usually do 2 every 10 days) just trying to get it all out but I can never seem to get it all because it just grows back. All my water params are spot on. It's really frustrating because my sand bed looks like crap after 2 days after a wc.
Also I turned my lights really low one of the days it was raining all day and it grew even more this way.
Also I turned my lights really low one of the days it was raining all day and it grew even more this way.
tony727
New member
Try checking the water coming out of your ro/di for phosphate?
I have bryopsis lol
I pluck/scrape it out with my fingers every now and then, its slowly going away even though its quite a chore..
Reefpilot11
New member
Phosphates have been zero ever since the outbreak.
noob reefer
New member
Have you heard of nualgi? Its working wonders in my 30gal...had hair algea and red slime...on my 5th week of doseing and its all almost gone...its natural bacteria not an algicide..worth a shot
ChadRaay86
New member
Just glancing over your setup, I'd say you're putting too much food in the tank at the moment. I'd drop the reef frenzy and the flakes. With that size tank, your corals will get all they need from regular fish feeding/poop.
Feed pellets and start supplementing frozen mysis or rods food to keep your fish healthy (They like a variety and just pellets might kill them). Feed less in general, I (along with most other people) feed to much.
Other issues to look at, but are less likely the culprit are RODI water, phosphate overloaded rock, lack of water changes, or not changing your socks often enough.
Rowaphos is the best phosphate absorption media out there if you want to try a different media, just don't use too much too quickly or your corals will react negatively.
Just remember to get a permanent handle on the problem, the nutrients coming out of the system, have to outpace what is going in.
Feed pellets and start supplementing frozen mysis or rods food to keep your fish healthy (They like a variety and just pellets might kill them). Feed less in general, I (along with most other people) feed to much.
Other issues to look at, but are less likely the culprit are RODI water, phosphate overloaded rock, lack of water changes, or not changing your socks often enough.
Rowaphos is the best phosphate absorption media out there if you want to try a different media, just don't use too much too quickly or your corals will react negatively.
Just remember to get a permanent handle on the problem, the nutrients coming out of the system, have to outpace what is going in.
janes_mw
Active member
Even though you think your starving your tank your not! it is all about nutrients. If your Phosphate is .25 with algae out of control, it is WAY higher. Same with nitrates. Filter socks, every day change. Sponge filter, get rid of. Bump Mg to 1400-1500 for a little while. Silicates might be present in RO, check your RO. been here, didn't like it!!!!
Webmanny
Active member
I have 4 of the LEDS are red. Are you saying that the red ones should not be there? I may be reading it wrong, but you've peaked my interest as I added the red LEDs not to long before this issue started, but never connected the two.
janes_mw
Active member
still think you can cut the light to 25% if not much SPS. I run 215w on 120 at 65% with great SPS growth. Light + excess nutrients = lowest life growth. The reds are giving you nothing but grief, greens if you have, again not providing much. Blues, whites, and some UV.
Reefpilot11
New member
Here's an example of what covers my sand. Also I have a great amount of this algae (picture below) growing in my overflow, I let it grow out because from everything I've read it just absorbs nitrates? It just randomly started growing in there, and fast.
<a href="http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/mlongnecker11/media/969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b610/mlongnecker11/969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/mlongnecker11/media/17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b610/mlongnecker11/17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/mlongnecker11/media/969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b610/mlongnecker11/969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 969BCED9-7DE3-4B15-870F-8AA944AF19AE_zps7fnil6bp.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/mlongnecker11/media/17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b610/mlongnecker11/17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 17CCDB7F-468A-4E3F-90CF-1C44B673D194_zpszevnro1y.jpg"/></a>
AJ460
New member
The battle with Green Hair Algae
Ok people are going to say I'm crazy but hear me out and try it before you knock it. I myself just ended the same battle GHA for just over a year. Like u I scrubbed rock got a sea hair fox face did the 4 days of black out turned on the lights for 48 hours and then another 4 days of black out. I even taped 3 layers of black trash bags to the glass so that It could get no light. None of this worked.
Now I have a 150 DT 45 gallon frag tank and a 75 gallon sump it's about 200 gallons of water volume in total once u figure rock sand and all that happy stuff. I have a nwb250 reef octopus that's 3 times to big for my tank.
One day I was talking to THANE from TIDAL GARDENS ( people from Cleveland Ohio area will know who this is and they call tell u this guys has One AMAZING setup in his green house (pm me for his website)). I told him I was tired of the battle and I wanted to get out of the hobby. He said don't give it one more shot. Just give it one more month 2 tops I said ok what are u thinking. THANE asked how often do u do water changes? I told him 20% every 2 weeks. He said increase it do a water change every 3-4 days 25%. I thought about it and said what the hell. So I picked up 3 buckets of Red Sea Coral Pro ( my salt of choice) and started after about the third water changes I said screw this I do t have time.
So I programmed my apex to pump out roughly 1/2 a gallon old saltwater every hour. It pumps it right to a drain. And then the apex pumps in roughly 1/2 a gallon new saltwater. Giving me a total of 12gallons a day of water change or 6% a day.
So one bucket of salt Down and I still had GHA. but it it didn't look like it grew anymore and all of my corals where looking better and I noticed that I had to start cutting down my dosing.
So I started the second bucket and stayed with the 12 gallons a day. By the end of the second bucket the GHA was more the 70% gone and I unplugged my dosing pump. My levels where holding great. Ca 460 Alk 10 dkh and mg 1450.
So I started the third and final bucket of salt. I stayed with the 12 gallons a day. Half way thru the bucket all of my GHA WAS GONE. now I finished that bucket of salt at 12 gallons a day.
At this point I decided to stay in the hobby so I got another bucket of the Red Sea Coral Pro and cut back to 6 gallons a day. I have been doing this now for 8 months and have never Seen GHA since.
So take it for what it's worth it worked great for me. And my corals have never been happier. And they have never grown this fast.
GOOD LUCK
View attachment 296434
Ok people are going to say I'm crazy but hear me out and try it before you knock it. I myself just ended the same battle GHA for just over a year. Like u I scrubbed rock got a sea hair fox face did the 4 days of black out turned on the lights for 48 hours and then another 4 days of black out. I even taped 3 layers of black trash bags to the glass so that It could get no light. None of this worked.
Now I have a 150 DT 45 gallon frag tank and a 75 gallon sump it's about 200 gallons of water volume in total once u figure rock sand and all that happy stuff. I have a nwb250 reef octopus that's 3 times to big for my tank.
One day I was talking to THANE from TIDAL GARDENS ( people from Cleveland Ohio area will know who this is and they call tell u this guys has One AMAZING setup in his green house (pm me for his website)). I told him I was tired of the battle and I wanted to get out of the hobby. He said don't give it one more shot. Just give it one more month 2 tops I said ok what are u thinking. THANE asked how often do u do water changes? I told him 20% every 2 weeks. He said increase it do a water change every 3-4 days 25%. I thought about it and said what the hell. So I picked up 3 buckets of Red Sea Coral Pro ( my salt of choice) and started after about the third water changes I said screw this I do t have time.
So I programmed my apex to pump out roughly 1/2 a gallon old saltwater every hour. It pumps it right to a drain. And then the apex pumps in roughly 1/2 a gallon new saltwater. Giving me a total of 12gallons a day of water change or 6% a day.
So one bucket of salt Down and I still had GHA. but it it didn't look like it grew anymore and all of my corals where looking better and I noticed that I had to start cutting down my dosing.
So I started the second bucket and stayed with the 12 gallons a day. By the end of the second bucket the GHA was more the 70% gone and I unplugged my dosing pump. My levels where holding great. Ca 460 Alk 10 dkh and mg 1450.
So I started the third and final bucket of salt. I stayed with the 12 gallons a day. Half way thru the bucket all of my GHA WAS GONE. now I finished that bucket of salt at 12 gallons a day.
At this point I decided to stay in the hobby so I got another bucket of the Red Sea Coral Pro and cut back to 6 gallons a day. I have been doing this now for 8 months and have never Seen GHA since.
So take it for what it's worth it worked great for me. And my corals have never been happier. And they have never grown this fast.
GOOD LUCK
View attachment 296434
Webmanny
Active member
I'll try a bunch of the things you guys have shared here and start tracking progress.
janes_mw
Active member
That is funny mike
That is funny mike
That is funny mike
good luck Web..., that's why I call them "grief tanks" not reef tanks
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