hair algae

LOF14134 · 12/25/2009, 09:43 AM

I have had my tank up and running for 4 months now. when we first got the tank we purchased a tap water ro system, got it running and was using that water without really testing the tds levels. well it wasn't any good and when I finally got the tds meter and tested it I already was getting a lot of hair algae. I invested in a good 5 stage RO?DI system and the water now tests from 0 to 3. I have been doing partial water changes twice a week for the last three weeks but the hair algae still hangs on. I cut back on feeding my fish,have added more turbo snails and now to my real guestion. I read that sea hares will sweep your tank and eat all the hair algae, but also read they can poison your tank because they can release toxins if harrassed. I have a royal dottyback who is very aggressive to anything in his territory which is almost everywhere. I had to remove my firefish because he almost killed it. anybody have any experience with the sea hares, I have them ordered but now am reluctant to get them. I emailed the website (reef scavengers) about it and of course they assure me they are safe. any help would be appreciated.

jimzin15754 · 12/25/2009, 09:52 AM

I had a sea hare for about a month...If you have any powerheads/pumps make sure the intakes are shielded good! I found out the hard way that sea hares are pretty dumb. At 3 mm per hour (he was a slow mover) he still climbed onto the bottom of a rio 800 I had connected to my HOB overflow and got stuck. He didnt release the toxins in the tank but he did in my kitchen sink when I pried him out of it. The purple fluid that came out was wicked to say the least, had to bleach it off the counter and sink.

sheac12 · 12/25/2009, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOF14134

I have had my tank up and running for 4 months now. when we first got the tank we purchased a tap water ro system, got it running and was using that water without really testing the tds levels. well it wasn't any good and when I finally got the tds meter and tested it I already was getting a lot of hair algae. I invested in a good 5 stage RO?DI system and the water now tests from 0 to 3. I have been doing partial water changes twice a week for the last three weeks but the hair algae still hangs on. I cut back on feeding my fish,have added more turbo snails and now to my real guestion. I read that sea hares will sweep your tank and eat all the hair algae, but also read they can poison your tank because they can release toxins if harrassed. I have a royal dottyback who is very aggressive to anything in his territory which is almost everywhere. I had to remove my firefish because he almost killed it. anybody have any experience with the sea hares, I have them ordered but now am reluctant to get them. I emailed the website (reef scavengers) about it and of course they assure me they are safe. any help would be appreciated.

Most people would agree, you can get the the fish to keep the problem in check, but what you really need to do is get to the root for your problem. Check your other levels,nitrate, ammonia, phosphates, etc. I would be most interested in your phosphate levels. My guess is they are high and need to be dealt with.

If you are just now doing ro/di water replacements and it has only been three weeks, it is going to take awhile for the "bad" water to work its way out of the system and stabilize. If you haven't realized it yet, reef keeping is about patience, something I am still learning myself.

LOF14134 · 12/25/2009, 10:09 AM

all my levels are within range, I have tested for phosphate and it measures 0 but my lfs says the algae may be consuming all the nitrates and phosphates, so should I take a chance and get the sea hares? and do you think the dottyback will bother it?

LOF14134 · 12/25/2009, 10:20 AM

ok, I tested my phosphate level and it is .25 which is within range unless the algae is consuming it.

Seamus1 · 12/25/2009, 01:26 PM

I had the same problem a while back. I tried a sea hare, crabs, snails, water changes, etc. It all worked to a degree. The problem was solved though when I bought a phosphate reactor, and threw some chaeto in the sump (under a small PC lamp). The hair algae didn't disappear overnight, but it went away, and it hasn't come back.

csdavis · 12/25/2009, 04:36 PM

Yeah I have seen some people with a lot of hair algae problems, I have the best solution to be the phosban reactor, I found a guide that actually allows you to make one with a gatorade bottle which I am using now and it is awesome. Here is the link. It is pretty cheap

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...howtopic=77999

Also you can use a lawn mower blenny or a bicolor blenny both have done a good job with keep hair algae in check in the past. Best of luck.

glenns · 12/25/2009, 04:38 PM

I Phosban(GFO) to the media bag it comes with to the return section of my sump. A week later, the hair algae was almost all gone. The top tumbles lightly when from the overflow of the bubble trap.

jk1nole · 12/25/2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csdavis

Yeah I have seen some people with a lot of hair algae problems, I have the best solution to be the phosban reactor, I found a guide that actually allows you to make one with a gatorade bottle which I am using now and it is awesome. Here is the link. It is pretty cheap

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...howtopic=77999

Also you can use a lawn mower blenny or a bicolor blenny both have done a good job with keep hair algae in check in the past. Best of luck.

I'm read this thread and want to try this out... Would there be any advantage to making one of these for carbon as opposed to just throwing a bag of carbon in the sump?

garzaci · 12/25/2009, 07:59 PM

I recommend just to continue what you've been doing. Continue your water changes with good water. It won't work overnight. Also, pick out the algae when you get a chance and you'll be slowly exporting the excess nutrients

LOF14134 · 12/26/2009, 10:20 AM

thanks for all the advice but has anyone had experience with the sea hares? I don't have a sump but am looking into getting a refugium to set along side my tank which is a 34gal red sea max. I haven't looked into a phosphate reacter yet. another question? I have a bubble tip anemone that I put into my tank a couple of weeks ago for my clowns and it has gone into the rocks and won't come out. It moves around in there so I know its not stuck but why so shy?

fatdaddy · 12/26/2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOF14134

thanks for all the advice but has anyone had experience with the sea hares?

I've tried a few, but only this one worked:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-BALI-MONST...#ht_1112wt_942

Also, be careful with acclimating and water conditions. I bought one that only lasted a week.

However, I'd save your money. First, they don't live very long (either short life-cycle or they just don't do well in a tropical tank) and second, it's just a band-aid to your nutrient problem.

That said, however, they do work as advertised. The little guy will happily strip all your hair algae off the rocks. Just be warned that he may starve at that point unless you have a friend with hair algae issues. Sometimes a reef club will keep one to pass around to all the member's tanks.

pimpman75 · 12/26/2009, 04:34 PM

hir algae is pretty normal to get but to control it you should consider a reef janitor kit and a few tangs!

dclaassen · 12/26/2009, 05:45 PM

Yes, rest assured they will be fine and will eat ALL of your hair algae. They shouldn't be harassed by anyone either. Just be ready to trade them in to your lfs once they have eaten all the hair algae.

fatdaddy · 12/26/2009, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pimpman75

hir algae is pretty normal to get but to control it you should consider a reef janitor kit and a few tangs!

Tangs? Tangs are eating machines, but no tang will touch hair algae.

Same with:

Lawnmower blennies
Sally Lightfoot crabs
etc, etc.

I wish I had a nickel for every ad that suggested that x, y, and z ate hair algae. Except for one specific type of sea hare, this is pure whimsical thinking.

snails and hermits will eat it as a last resort. They mostly nibble around the edges.

12/25/2009, 09:43 AM	#1
LOF14134 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: minnesota,usa Posts: 34	hair algae I have had my tank up and running for 4 months now. when we first got the tank we purchased a tap water ro system, got it running and was using that water without really testing the tds levels. well it wasn't any good and when I finally got the tds meter and tested it I already was getting a lot of hair algae. I invested in a good 5 stage RO?DI system and the water now tests from 0 to 3. I have been doing partial water changes twice a week for the last three weeks but the hair algae still hangs on. I cut back on feeding my fish,have added more turbo snails and now to my real guestion. I read that sea hares will sweep your tank and eat all the hair algae, but also read they can poison your tank because they can release toxins if harrassed. I have a royal dottyback who is very aggressive to anything in his territory which is almost everywhere. I had to remove my firefish because he almost killed it. anybody have any experience with the sea hares, I have them ordered but now am reluctant to get them. I emailed the website (reef scavengers) about it and of course they assure me they are safe. any help would be appreciated.

12/25/2009, 04:38 PM	#8
glenns Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 623	I Phosban(GFO) to the media bag it comes with to the return section of my sump. A week later, the hair algae was almost all gone. The top tumbles lightly when from the overflow of the bubble trap. __________________ Glenn Current Tank Info: 90G w/20L Sump/Refugium, 6 T5 lights @54W ea., Reef Octopus EXT-PS-120, DSB/LR ,SPS, Derasa, GBTA, Zoo's, Fish, Inverts.

12/25/2009, 07:59 PM	#10
garzaci Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Richlands, NC Posts: 241	I recommend just to continue what you've been doing. Continue your water changes with good water. It won't work overnight. Also, pick out the algae when you get a chance and you'll be slowly exporting the excess nutrients __________________ Carlos No tank at all. Sold everything when I got stationed in Okinawa. Planning for when I return though. Current Tank Info: 20 gal reef tank

12/26/2009, 04:34 PM	#13
pimpman75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 52	hir algae is pretty normal to get but to control it you should consider a reef janitor kit and a few tangs! __________________ THE REEF CHEIF.. Current Tank Info: 120 perfecto REEF TANK

12/25/2009, 09:52 AM	#2
jimzin15754 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 109	I had a sea hare for about a month...If you have any powerheads/pumps make sure the intakes are shielded good! I found out the hard way that sea hares are pretty dumb. At 3 mm per hour (he was a slow mover) he still climbed onto the bottom of a rio 800 I had connected to my HOB overflow and got stuck. He didnt release the toxins in the tank but he did in my kitchen sink when I pried him out of it. The purple fluid that came out was wicked to say the least, had to bleach it off the counter and sink.

12/25/2009, 10:09 AM	#4
LOF14134 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: minnesota,usa Posts: 34	all my levels are within range, I have tested for phosphate and it measures 0 but my lfs says the algae may be consuming all the nitrates and phosphates, so should I take a chance and get the sea hares? and do you think the dottyback will bother it?

12/25/2009, 10:20 AM	#5
LOF14134 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: minnesota,usa Posts: 34	ok, I tested my phosphate level and it is .25 which is within range unless the algae is consuming it.

12/25/2009, 01:26 PM	#6
Seamus1 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Miami Posts: 172	I had the same problem a while back. I tried a sea hare, crabs, snails, water changes, etc. It all worked to a degree. The problem was solved though when I bought a phosphate reactor, and threw some chaeto in the sump (under a small PC lamp). The hair algae didn't disappear overnight, but it went away, and it hasn't come back.

12/25/2009, 04:36 PM	#7
csdavis Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 54	Yeah I have seen some people with a lot of hair algae problems, I have the best solution to be the phosban reactor, I found a guide that actually allows you to make one with a gatorade bottle which I am using now and it is awesome. Here is the link. It is pretty cheap http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...howtopic=77999 Also you can use a lawn mower blenny or a bicolor blenny both have done a good job with keep hair algae in check in the past. Best of luck.

12/26/2009, 10:20 AM	#11
LOF14134 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: minnesota,usa Posts: 34	thanks for all the advice but has anyone had experience with the sea hares? I don't have a sump but am looking into getting a refugium to set along side my tank which is a 34gal red sea max. I haven't looked into a phosphate reacter yet. another question? I have a bubble tip anemone that I put into my tank a couple of weeks ago for my clowns and it has gone into the rocks and won't come out. It moves around in there so I know its not stuck but why so shy?

12/26/2009, 05:45 PM	#14
dclaassen Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 78	Yes, rest assured they will be fine and will eat ALL of your hair algae. They shouldn't be harassed by anyone either. Just be ready to trade them in to your lfs once they have eaten all the hair algae.