hair algae

findgnemo · 06/16/2006, 07:04 AM

what will eat this? are hermit crabs good for this?

Devildogg9745 · 06/16/2006, 07:31 AM

lots of turbo snails might help

cantfindnemo · 06/16/2006, 07:43 AM

A sea hair slug works great for this.

whiteshark · 06/16/2006, 07:48 AM

I second turbos! Beware, however... They are clumsy and will knock over any corals that aren't attached to the rock.

MarkD40 · 06/16/2006, 08:03 AM

I recently put a phosban reactor in my sump and it has made a huge difference in 10 days.

Bambalamb · 06/16/2006, 08:13 AM

Kole tangs and lawnmower blennies have been known to eat it.

ricks · 06/16/2006, 08:19 AM

You should yourself why your getting the algae in the first place....

MarkD40 · 06/16/2006, 02:49 PM

ricks, I hate this knee jerk response! He is getting hair algae because of nitrate and phosphate in the water either due to its' presence in his make-up water or from fish food! Knowing why you are having a problem is the first step but the solution is not always easy.

I have a RO/DI unit that produces water with a TDS of 0, a 75 gallon sump with a 6" dsb, a 20 gallon refugium with chaeto, 500gph turnover of water in my display, two SEIO 2500gph stream powerheads, 700 watts of Metal Halide and actinic lighting, a 40 watt UV sterilizer and a substantial clean-up crew. 20% water change every two weeks.

My tank holds a 2" six-line wrasse, a 3" yellow tang, 2 small gobies and a maroon clown plus an assortment of LPS and mushroom corals.

I was still battling hair algae in small amounts until I added a phosban reactor 2 weeks ago. Finally the hair algae is fading away.

My point is that hair algae can be very difficult to get rid of once it takes hold. I really feel for anyone waging this battle because it can be very frustrating. I have known why I was getting hair algae for years and did everything i could to starve it without luck until recently. If successful reefing was as easy as reading a cook book it wouldn't be any fun!

06/16/2006, 07:04 AM	#1
findgnemo Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: florida Posts: 375	hair algae what will eat this? are hermit crabs good for this? __________________ 55g 38lbs of lr fowlr 20g fo fishes 20g - 1 ocellaris clown 55g - 2 maroon clowns, 1 hermit crabs, 1 firefish, 1 diamond watch goby more to come

06/16/2006, 07:48 AM	#4
whiteshark Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 3,024	I second turbos! Beware, however... They are clumsy and will knock over any corals that aren't attached to the rock. __________________ Deep Blue 60 gallon cube: Setup in progress.

06/16/2006, 08:03 AM	#5
MarkD40 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 647	I recently put a phosban reactor in my sump and it has made a huge difference in 10 days. __________________ My ship came in. Unfortunately it hit a reef. Current Tank Info: 110 gallon reef display tank, fish, LPS, SPS and mushrooms. A 75 gallon sump in basement with protein skimmer, 40watt UV sterilizer, RO/DI, refugium with chaeto, phosban reactor. 40 gallon frag tank.

06/16/2006, 02:49 PM	#8
MarkD40 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 647	ricks, I hate this knee jerk response! He is getting hair algae because of nitrate and phosphate in the water either due to its' presence in his make-up water or from fish food! Knowing why you are having a problem is the first step but the solution is not always easy. I have a RO/DI unit that produces water with a TDS of 0, a 75 gallon sump with a 6" dsb, a 20 gallon refugium with chaeto, 500gph turnover of water in my display, two SEIO 2500gph stream powerheads, 700 watts of Metal Halide and actinic lighting, a 40 watt UV sterilizer and a substantial clean-up crew. 20% water change every two weeks. My tank holds a 2" six-line wrasse, a 3" yellow tang, 2 small gobies and a maroon clown plus an assortment of LPS and mushroom corals. I was still battling hair algae in small amounts until I added a phosban reactor 2 weeks ago. Finally the hair algae is fading away. My point is that hair algae can be very difficult to get rid of once it takes hold. I really feel for anyone waging this battle because it can be very frustrating. I have known why I was getting hair algae for years and did everything i could to starve it without luck until recently. If successful reefing was as easy as reading a cook book it wouldn't be any fun! __________________ My ship came in. Unfortunately it hit a reef. Current Tank Info: 110 gallon reef display tank, fish, LPS, SPS and mushrooms. A 75 gallon sump in basement with protein skimmer, 40watt UV sterilizer, RO/DI, refugium with chaeto, phosban reactor. 40 gallon frag tank.

06/16/2006, 07:31 AM	#2
Devildogg9745 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Milwaukee,WI Posts: 107	lots of turbo snails might help

06/16/2006, 07:43 AM	#3
cantfindnemo Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 196	A sea hair slug works great for this.

06/16/2006, 08:13 AM	#6
Bambalamb Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 102	Kole tangs and lawnmower blennies have been known to eat it.

06/16/2006, 08:19 AM	#7
ricks Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: portland,or Posts: 906	You should yourself why your getting the algae in the first place....