reef monster96
New member
I have GHA in my little 40 reef and it's being a pain to get rid off does anyone have any tips or advice on getting rid of it
Tips on getting rid of GHA
- Thread starter reef monster96
- Start date
college429
Member
gfo reactor and manual removal with toothbrush.
reef monster96
New member
I hade a sea hair but took it back to coral corral and I cant get one now it worked great. I’m not feeding my tank to much but I am running gfo do you all recommend a black out
Webmanny
Active member
In all seriousness...
Green hair algae: Quick fixes?
Algae is always annoying, but if you have green hair algae in your tank you might be especially worried. It blocks the light from reaching your corals and sucks up all those important nutrients. It can be tempting to reach for a quick fix, but unfortunately most do more harm than good.
Q- What eats green hair algae?
There are plenty of fish and invertebrates that have a taste for algae, but don't think they can solve your problem. Don't ever just buy a fish for the purpose of troubleshooting, especially if it doesn't fit your stock. You are supposed to fix any issues, not your fish.
Q- Algae control products?
Nope, not the best idea either. Although algaecides might work, they don't actually solve your algae problem. They just mask it (and might kill all your plants in the process).
Q- Scrub, scrub, scrub?
Before you whip out the algae scrubber and get to work, keep in mind that removing the algae is just a temporary solution. Although it's a safer option than algaecides and won't kill your plants, the problem will just return in a few days or weeks.
Solutions:
A- Lessen feeding.
B- Add a fuge or Algae reactor (At least 10% of the total water volume)
C- Lessen your lighting.
D- Carbon dosing.
E- Circulation.
In my opinion, I would implement them all. It does not hurt to have a fast removal system. You may see situations where the nutrients will be too low, but you can fix that by feeding a bit more.
In summary...
You don't get rid of the algae, you give it a better home. i.e. Fuge or Reactor.
Green hair algae: Quick fixes?
Algae is always annoying, but if you have green hair algae in your tank you might be especially worried. It blocks the light from reaching your corals and sucks up all those important nutrients. It can be tempting to reach for a quick fix, but unfortunately most do more harm than good.
Q- What eats green hair algae?
There are plenty of fish and invertebrates that have a taste for algae, but don't think they can solve your problem. Don't ever just buy a fish for the purpose of troubleshooting, especially if it doesn't fit your stock. You are supposed to fix any issues, not your fish.
Q- Algae control products?
Nope, not the best idea either. Although algaecides might work, they don't actually solve your algae problem. They just mask it (and might kill all your plants in the process).
Q- Scrub, scrub, scrub?
Before you whip out the algae scrubber and get to work, keep in mind that removing the algae is just a temporary solution. Although it's a safer option than algaecides and won't kill your plants, the problem will just return in a few days or weeks.
Solutions:
A- Lessen feeding.
B- Add a fuge or Algae reactor (At least 10% of the total water volume)
C- Lessen your lighting.
D- Carbon dosing.
E- Circulation.
In my opinion, I would implement them all. It does not hurt to have a fast removal system. You may see situations where the nutrients will be too low, but you can fix that by feeding a bit more.
In summary...
You don't get rid of the algae, you give it a better home. i.e. Fuge or Reactor.
steamer70
New member
Henchman24
Member
I have GHA issues at times. Testing for phosphates & lowering them with phosphate rx or GFO or phosban etc.. when I have GHA usually does the trick for me. If you have a good sized refugium or cheato reactor or algae scrubber & turn off the main display tank lights for a few days the algae in the sump should do a good job of starving the algae in the main tank as well. The longer I am in the hobby the more I realize how important testing water parameters is & maintaining proper levels through water changes or dosing keeps the reef tank happy.
