Green Hair Algea

serene75 · 09/12/2015, 09:05 AM

Hi all,

I did a mistake and now I'm harvesting what I did..
I have recently upgraded my 40 gallon breeder tank to innovative marine SR120 tank, by that I added additional dry rock's to my tank.. the big mistake is that I did not cure the new rocks, and now I'm facing algae all over my tank

..
I have been going regular water changes and adding in phosphate RX drops but still the problem remains..

What can I possibly do to clear them out.. need advise please .

shifty51008 · 09/12/2015, 09:09 AM

If your phosphates were high you will have to change the gfo daily, it actually gets used up within a couple hours depending on levels.

Add a few turbo snails to help also till you get your phosphate and nitrate levels in check.

shifty51008 · 09/12/2015, 09:10 AM

Also are you useing rodi water for your water changes?

serene75 · 09/12/2015, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shifty51008

Also are you useing rodi water for your water changes?

Yes I do use and I also now add some water conditioner to be more safe

serene75 · 09/12/2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shifty51008

If your phosphates were high you will have to change the gfo daily, it actually gets used up within a couple hours depending on levels.

Add a few turbo snails to help also till you get your phosphate and nitrate levels in check.

I changed my GFO today with the water change ..

zaitmi · 09/13/2015, 09:17 AM

Send pic of ur tank..so that other members can help u in better ways also post ur parameters.

stingeragent · 09/13/2015, 04:03 PM

Is it GHA? You could get a sea hare. Will make quick work of it. They starve out fast though once they eat everything so you'll have to rehome him.

AZRippster · 09/13/2015, 11:41 PM

Investigate Algae Turf Scrubbers (ATS). I was battling bryopsis (GHA) in our 450 DT until I implemented an ATS. GFO helped, and being vigilant in not overdoing feedings goes a long ways, but nothing as significant as an ATS. Once the ATS' mesh grew roots, it took about 2 weeks for the bryopsis to disappear. Admittedly I still have GFO running, but I will be taking that off in the next 2 weeks. Besides the removal of phosphates, an ATS has numerous other benefits.

CStrickland · 09/14/2015, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZRippster

Investigate Algae Turf Scrubbers (ATS). I was battling bryopsis (GHA) in our 450 DT until I implemented an ATS. GFO helped, and being vigilant in not overdoing feedings goes a long ways, but nothing as significant as an ATS. Once the ATS' mesh grew roots, it took about 2 weeks for the bryopsis to disappear.

I don't think bryopsis and gha are the same. I would think an ats would work a lot better on gha than bryopsis.
Here's a good link for id'ing algae that I've found helpful: https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

blando233 · 09/14/2015, 08:47 AM

change GFO and i would also check your RO to make sure it is at 0. Obviously water changes and what i did when i had this issue i bought a emerald crab and when i stuck him in the tank i put him right by the hair algae and the next day it was gone. I feel like they do there work at night. After that i just keep checking to make sure my phos is at 0 etc.

Bent · 09/14/2015, 08:48 AM

If it is indeed GHA. Your best option is:

1: nutrient control. Your using an RO/DI but I would fill up a glass with the output and check it for Po4. If that checks out, then you are getting nutrients probably from a couple of sources. The two biggest culprits are food/detritus and rocks leeching it. Did you cook your rock before adding it? One thing to do is fill a bucket up with R/O saltwater mix, test the po4, drop one of the questionable rocks in it, add a heater and power head and run it for a couple days. After about 2-5 days, test the po4 and compare it to the original. If it's high, then the rock is leeching it. In that case there isn't much you can do besides keep your GFO fresh and scrub them. Eventually when the po4 source is exhausted the algae should die back. Then make sure you address the detritus. Take a shop vac to the sump and suck all that crap out and Siphon the sand bed during water changes. For between water changes, you may even want to either invest in one of those gravel vacs, or you can simply route the end of the siphon back into the sump and put the end in a filter sock. That way you can siphon and filter to your hearts content between changes.

2: light is another source of energy for it, decreasing your photo period by a few hours, or just doing a 3 day blackout will help as well. Though if the nutrient issue is still present, the algae will return once the lights come back on.

3: manual removal is unavoidable. While a sea hare will indeed eat it, I can offer a few pointers that I have learned from my attempt at keeping one long term. (Successfully so far.)
-a sea hare (or any CUC member) will only address the symptom. While they typically are wonderful and chewing up the stuff, the reason why they are so good at it is also a problem. They must eat a lot simply because their GI system is grossly inefficient. Which means that they are simply relocating the algae for hair form to...err.."pellet" form. Which they make a TON of. So unless you are cleaning up their pellets, the algae will come back.
-I don't condone purchasing an animal that you plan on using and throwing away. So when the hair algae is gone, and you let him starve because you weren't prepared to meet his needs, that's on your conscience.

So you see, your still going to have to manually remove the stuff regardless.

Hope that helps.

09/12/2015, 09:05 AM	#1
serene75 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 39	Green Hair Algea Hi all, I did a mistake and now I'm harvesting what I did.. I have recently upgraded my 40 gallon breeder tank to innovative marine SR120 tank, by that I added additional dry rock's to my tank.. the big mistake is that I did not cure the new rocks, and now I'm facing algae all over my tank .. I have been going regular water changes and adding in phosphate RX drops but still the problem remains.. What can I possibly do to clear them out.. need advise please .

09/12/2015, 09:09 AM	#2
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	If your phosphates were high you will have to change the gfo daily, it actually gets used up within a couple hours depending on levels. Add a few turbo snails to help also till you get your phosphate and nitrate levels in check. __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

09/12/2015, 09:10 AM	#3
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	Also are you useing rodi water for your water changes? __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

09/13/2015, 09:17 AM	#6
zaitmi Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Kolkata, India Posts: 446	Send pic of ur tank..so that other members can help u in better ways also post ur parameters. __________________ Current Tank Info : 10 Gallon Sumpless Tank, 3 "Live Sand Light kessil a80 Live Stock Info : 1 tomato clown

09/14/2015, 08:48 AM	#11
Bent I got nothin' Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The anals Posts: 6,420	If it is indeed GHA. Your best option is: 1: nutrient control. Your using an RO/DI but I would fill up a glass with the output and check it for Po4. If that checks out, then you are getting nutrients probably from a couple of sources. The two biggest culprits are food/detritus and rocks leeching it. Did you cook your rock before adding it? One thing to do is fill a bucket up with R/O saltwater mix, test the po4, drop one of the questionable rocks in it, add a heater and power head and run it for a couple days. After about 2-5 days, test the po4 and compare it to the original. If it's high, then the rock is leeching it. In that case there isn't much you can do besides keep your GFO fresh and scrub them. Eventually when the po4 source is exhausted the algae should die back. Then make sure you address the detritus. Take a shop vac to the sump and suck all that crap out and Siphon the sand bed during water changes. For between water changes, you may even want to either invest in one of those gravel vacs, or you can simply route the end of the siphon back into the sump and put the end in a filter sock. That way you can siphon and filter to your hearts content between changes. 2: light is another source of energy for it, decreasing your photo period by a few hours, or just doing a 3 day blackout will help as well. Though if the nutrient issue is still present, the algae will return once the lights come back on. 3: manual removal is unavoidable. While a sea hare will indeed eat it, I can offer a few pointers that I have learned from my attempt at keeping one long term. (Successfully so far.) -a sea hare (or any CUC member) will only address the symptom. While they typically are wonderful and chewing up the stuff, the reason why they are so good at it is also a problem. They must eat a lot simply because their GI system is grossly inefficient. Which means that they are simply relocating the algae for hair form to...err.."pellet" form. Which they make a TON of. So unless you are cleaning up their pellets, the algae will come back. -I don't condone purchasing an animal that you plan on using and throwing away. So when the hair algae is gone, and you let him starve because you weren't prepared to meet his needs, that's on your conscience. So you see, your still going to have to manually remove the stuff regardless. Hope that helps. __________________ Quitters never lose. [QUOTE=CStrickland]Who gets mad at a starfish?[/QUOTE] Current Tank Info: 75g DT, 30G refugium, 10g chaeto tank, 50g stock tank basement sump

09/13/2015, 04:03 PM	#7
stingeragent Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,032	Is it GHA? You could get a sea hare. Will make quick work of it. They starve out fast though once they eat everything so you'll have to rehome him.

09/13/2015, 11:41 PM	#8
AZRippster Diver & Reef Aquarium Nut Join Date: May 2012 Location: Sierra Vista, AZ Posts: 1,127	Investigate Algae Turf Scrubbers (ATS). I was battling bryopsis (GHA) in our 450 DT until I implemented an ATS. GFO helped, and being vigilant in not overdoing feedings goes a long ways, but nothing as significant as an ATS. Once the ATS' mesh grew roots, it took about 2 weeks for the bryopsis to disappear. Admittedly I still have GFO running, but I will be taking that off in the next 2 weeks. Besides the removal of phosphates, an ATS has numerous other benefits.

09/14/2015, 08:47 AM	#10
blando233 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Rochester NY Posts: 79	change GFO and i would also check your RO to make sure it is at 0. Obviously water changes and what i did when i had this issue i bought a emerald crab and when i stuck him in the tank i put him right by the hair algae and the next day it was gone. I feel like they do there work at night. After that i just keep checking to make sure my phos is at 0 etc.