What to do with Green Hair Algae?

mpderksen said:
Getting an inline TDS meter is cheaper than buckets of AlgaeFix Marine. Good luck!
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The algaefix marine is a quick fix solution. It is not intended to fix the issue that feeds the algae.

Long term, running an ats will ensure removal of excess nutrients. I have not had any algae issues for almost a year since following on my own advice. This is on two separate tanks, my 90g and 150g, so I know it works.
 
wildman926 said:
The algaefix marine is a quick fix solution. It is not intended to fix the issue that feeds the algae.

Long term, running an ats will ensure removal of excess nutrients. I have not had any algae issues for almost a year since following on my own advice. This is on two separate tanks, my 90g and 150g, so I know it works.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to dispute you, brother, so no offense intended. I also had success with the product and was just focused on the long term, like you mention.
The best strategy would be full frontal assault with a combination of things.
 
I came across this post , I also have the first encountered with Hair Algae it appear in my quarantine tank but I think I make something worst as the rock holding my 2 SPS has the shoe algae in QT and when I finally done with the one month quarantine period I scrub the rocks with toothbrush and after dipping once again coral dip , I place them in to my DT, now I am worried if the hair algae will be affecting or rising in my DT? Is the hair algae something that is contagious ? I did clean it very clean but I wonder if the hair algae in those frags rock will re appeared and finally causing wide epidemic into my DT?

I have some yang that I am sure they will eat those hair Algae , is this true?
 
Everyone has GHA. Even if they can't see it, as far I I am aware. If your DT has good water quality, and you keep up the maintenance, it just doesn't show up. Let's say you don't notice your resin in your RODI is exhausted and you start putting nutrients in without knowing, or you start feeding too much, or a dozen other things, then the environment will allow it to grow. Good husbandry of the tank avoids many things, and experience teaches you what "good husbandry" is for your individual tank.
 
Thanks for your kind advise . I feel relief now .

I suspect it should be more likely the feeding of marine snow and adding amino acid in my Quarantine tank before that causing this GHA.
 
This might sound crazy, but are you sure this is regular ol GHA and not some other kind of turf algae? The short length and color and the fact that you said it doesn't readily scrub off makes me wonder.
 
Well, I thought I would give an update. I have been doing regular water changes, running GFO, dosing Prodibio and then with not a lot of progress seen, I finally decided to dose AlgaeFix. I started dosing this on Feb 24 and I dose every 3 days. And now today I notice that most of the algae in the tank is weakening. I think I am finally pushing it back.

Hopefully I will be rid of it soon and then can stop dosing the Algaefix and allow the low nutrient level to keep it away. Thanks for all comments I have received.

Here are pictures from today that show the light color of the algae...

i-Mh8BqgQ-L.jpg


i-w6qs6h7-L.jpg
 
Another update...

Tank is looking much better. GHA is about gone. I have dosed 8 treatments now of Algaefix Marine. Not sure when to stop but it will likely be soon. I also switched salts as I was not really happy with my Tropic Marin salt. I am now using the Reefer salt that BRS now sells and after a couple of water changes I can already see an improvement. I am getting better growth and my corals are looking better and I am seeing signs of Coraline on the rocks. I do now think I need to raise light levels in my tank as I have a couple of acros that don't have the color I think they should. They are a bit brown.

Now, I also took readings today and my Nitrate is still zero. I have never been able to get Nitrate levels above zero. My PO4 though was .05 using the Hanna checker. I had stopped running GFO but I am dosing Prodibio. Should I start up some GFO again?

Here are a couple of pics.

Thanks for following and for comments.

i-FZkZtz6-L.jpg


i-7kpbrv7-L.jpg
 
Patrick Cox said:
My PO4 though was .05 using the Hanna checker. I had stopped running GFO but I am dosing Prodibio. Should I start up some GFO
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In my opinion, yes, but with about half of what you think you need at first. Now that the PO4 is not sequestered by the dying GHA, you need to get it out of the water column. I too use the HANNA and change my GFO when I see 0.03. The first amount of GFO may drop it below detectable levels within a day. Not to be wasteful, but if that happens (since it should only be a few tablespoons) I would change it once more when it hits 0.00. If it doesn't hit that in a week, replace with another few tablespoons. It really doesn't take much. If it DOES hit 0.00, then still use small amounts and test regularly until ALL the GHA is gone, and go back to your normal amount. Frequent, small changes while testing will really help you zero in on what's happening with the die off.
 
Now that you have seen the Algae Fix work, for the short term, it is time to think a long term strategy.

As I said before, consider an algae turf scrubber for a natural method of removing excess nutrients and keeping hair algae out of your dt. Grow it where YOU want it to.
 
Wish I could be you. My GHA is indestructable. It thrives in my 75 despite running a cup of gfo with 3 week changes, 40% rodi h2o changes every 2-3 weeks, been dosing algaefix for 3 months and carbon dosing for the last 2 months. It will take over the world soon.
 
Patrick Cox said:
My aquarium is now about 2 years old and I am having my first outbreak of Green Hair Algae. I started my tank with dry rock and ran GFO and Rox Carbon for the first 6 months or so and my tank was very sterile and I was not able to sustain corals very well. After realizing this I spent lots of time trying to increase nutrients and over the past 9 months or so, I have gradually seen more algae in my tank and more color in my corals. Although I still have problems keeping some SPS corals.

Now after a 10 day vacation, I came home to a green hair algae outbreak. Over the past say 3 months, I have really noticed a lot of green film algae but my lawnmower blenny has really taken care of that. However he obviously does not like this latest algae. So, question is - what should I do now to reduce this algae?

Tank info:
75G - 36x24x20
Large Skimmer
No Carbon or GFO currently
Not mechanical currently but I have filter socks if needed
T5/LED lighting - 6 hours per day plus 1.5 hours dawn/dusk.
2 MP40 running 50-75%

SPS and LPS Corals

2 Clowns
1 Cardinal
3 Flasher Wrasse
1 Yellow Assessor
1 Possum Wrasse
1 Lawnmower Blenny


Parameters are as follows:

Salinity - 35 ppt
Temp - 77.6
PH - 88.05
Alk - 7.7 (This has been creeping lower. I think my corals are consuming more.)
Ca - 400
Mg - 1230 (I know this is low. I am dosing today.)
Phosphate - .03 (I wonder if the algae is consuming this and reading lower than actual?)
Nitrate - 0.1 (Same comment as PO4)

FTS from Today:
i-SfZRGmk-L.jpg



Thanks for your suggestions!
Click to expand...
Throw a fox face In there it will destroy it
 
Hello,
I noticed today that I am now getting a small amount of film/powder algae in a low flow area of my tank. It is down low in the tank behind my base rock. I don't think my powerheads push much water in this area. Is flow the only solution for this?

Also, would nitrate or phosphate be the primary nutrient for this algae? Both are testing zero right now. And if you will recall, I have been dosing Prodibio and Algaefix Marine. Both in low doses. All of the hair algae is basically gone.

Thanks

Algae is in the bottom back left corner from this angle:
i-FZkZtz6-L.jpg


Here is a picture of the algae:
i-235TJ76-L.jpg
 
Looks like cyano. Pretty typical after you clear the GHA. (At least the same happened to me). Yes to flow being helpful. Mine seemed to pass on its own without having to do much. Maybe just angle down your returns a bit? Are you comfortable with removing the foam on the MPs? They suck pretty good off the bottom in Reef Crest mode that way.
Also you do need to keep those foam pieces rinsed pretty often. I go back and forth whether or not to use them on mine.
 
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