hair algae.. removal?

Nitrous · 03/10/2010, 07:32 PM

Hey, I got some hair algae and just started to add coral... wondering if water changes will remove the cause and all of the hair algae? Or will my lawnmower and tang take care of most of it? hehe... I need to get rid of it, its starting to get all over! Please any advice would be great.

SATAN FISH · 03/10/2010, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitrous

Hey, I got some hair algae and just started to add coral... wondering if water changes will remove the cause and all of the hair algae? Or will my lawnmower and tang take care of most of it? hehe... I need to get rid of it, its starting to get all over! Please any advice would be great.

It most likely will only get worse. Pretty much all new tanks develop a hair algae problem. I had one and could not get rid of it for the life of me. I would pull my rocks and actually scrub all of it off, then rinse it in three separate buckets, then put it back in the tank. After all of this it would still come back in a couple weeks. I tried dosing vodka, that didn't work. I finally got a phosphate reactor and that slowly got rid of a lot of it. Now it doesn't bloom near as bad as it used to.

Just so you know, you are going to get really ****ed over this HA problem, and it is going to take time, trial and error to fix it.

Phosphates and Nitrates are the cause of HA. Phosphates should be below .03ppm and Nitrates should be below 5ppm.

troyman · 03/10/2010, 09:27 PM

a new tank really takes about a year or more to go through all it phases changing water is not gonna solve the problem make sure you have a phosphate media and nitrate remover i use phosoguard purigen and a good grade carbon

Number2 · 03/10/2010, 09:45 PM

remove all you can by pulling it out with your fingers and or a siphon tube, Keep up on water changes. Use RO/DI water for evap replacement. Don't overfeed.

You will get it soon enough.

SATAN FISH · 03/10/2010, 10:22 PM

My tank has been up for 9 months now, and I am just now noticing the HA is getting under control. I still have a little, but it is not spreading rapidly like it used to. I have noticed though, that it does not matter how much I feed (within reason of course). Whether it is 5 pinches of Formula 2 or two pinches of Formula 2. Never really made a difference.

I don't know if it is cause my tank is coming up on a year old now or because I got the phosphate reactor. Either way, I was almost ready to throw in the towel over the HA.

Now if I could just get my corals to grow... One thing at a time I guess.

troyman · 03/11/2010, 05:02 AM

algae is a symptom somthings wrong use a phosopours remover good carbon i use purigen also weekly water change make sure you calcium mag and alk is good

stevek480 · 03/11/2010, 06:50 AM

Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested the TDS on it? Starting out I had a big problem with HA and I found the DI portion of my RO/DI unit wasn't really doing much and my new water contained 5ppm of nitrates. Once I fixed that the HA went away pretty quickly.

kclewis · 03/11/2010, 09:15 AM

dont waste your time with purigen. diy media reactor (found here) and bulkreefsupply.com for you phosgaurd needs. way cheaper than any other route.

gradth · 03/11/2010, 11:09 AM

Time was my solution.

Tried algaex, worked but it came back.

LM blenny, have 3 tangs, even tried a long spine urchin. All three never touched the stuff.

Finally after about 8 or 9 months of the headache it just went away, almost over night.

drewp808 · 03/11/2010, 03:44 PM

i bought a few LM bleenys too and they could not even dent the HA problem i had, just in time like everyone else says is best.

855012 reefer · 03/11/2010, 04:19 PM

water changes+time. It took me 3 months to get it to go away. but it has been 2years and I haven't seen a strand of HA.

Bigshow · 03/11/2010, 04:38 PM

I used a lettuce nudi branch snail. Got rid of it and never have the issue again. But my tank is now a year old and everything is undercontrol so I'm not really sure what obliterated it. I also have tangs and blennys but they wouldnt touch it. I want to say it was the nudi, water changes and phosguard.

MrsHaggis · 03/11/2010, 04:41 PM

I got mine under control with a foxface rabbitfish and an emerald crab in conjuction with turning the lights off for 3 days then reducing them to 5 hours per day (instead of eight), feeding only once every 2 days and initially scrubbin a lot of it off.

Use RO/DI water (or at least RO).

And give it time - I've been fighting mine since Christmas and only this week is it under control (more or less).

Good Luck.

troyman · 03/12/2010, 05:11 AM

lol purigen is a good product guess it depends how you use it good luck

03/10/2010, 07:32 PM	#1
Nitrous Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Munroe Falls Posts: 90	hair algae.. removal? Hey, I got some hair algae and just started to add coral... wondering if water changes will remove the cause and all of the hair algae? Or will my lawnmower and tang take care of most of it? hehe... I need to get rid of it, its starting to get all over! Please any advice would be great.

03/10/2010, 10:22 PM	#5
SATAN FISH Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Denver CO Posts: 206	My tank has been up for 9 months now, and I am just now noticing the HA is getting under control. I still have a little, but it is not spreading rapidly like it used to. I have noticed though, that it does not matter how much I feed (within reason of course). Whether it is 5 pinches of Formula 2 or two pinches of Formula 2. Never really made a difference. I don't know if it is cause my tank is coming up on a year old now or because I got the phosphate reactor. Either way, I was almost ready to throw in the towel over the HA. Now if I could just get my corals to grow... One thing at a time I guess. __________________ _____________________________________________________ 125gal 6ft tank, 20gal refugium, ETSS sump bud 60 250w MH 15k x 3 39w T5 actinic x 8 170lbs live rock Pacific blue tang Yellow tang Ocellaris clowns, one black, one orange Six line wrasse Fire fish Fire shrimp Royal Gramma Purple psudochromis Starry Blenny Mostly LPS and softies. One yellow turbinaria Current Tank Info: Reef tank going since June 09

03/11/2010, 11:09 AM	#9
gradth Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver WA Posts: 517	Time was my solution. Tried algaex, worked but it came back. LM blenny, have 3 tangs, even tried a long spine urchin. All three never touched the stuff. Finally after about 8 or 9 months of the headache it just went away, almost over night. __________________ Josh Click on the redhouse for my 180 build. Current Tank Info: 180 gallon pennisula reef

03/11/2010, 04:41 PM	#13
MrsHaggis Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: St Louis, France Posts: 675	I got mine under control with a foxface rabbitfish and an emerald crab in conjuction with turning the lights off for 3 days then reducing them to 5 hours per day (instead of eight), feeding only once every 2 days and initially scrubbin a lot of it off. Use RO/DI water (or at least RO). And give it time - I've been fighting mine since Christmas and only this week is it under control (more or less). Good Luck. __________________ Nothing scarier than a clown!! ----------------------------- 1 ClownFish 1 SixLine Wrasse 1 Foxface Rabbitfish Mushrooms Long Polyp Leather Green Anchor Coral Zoanthids Trumpet Coral Goniopora Current Tank Info: 360 litre (95 US Gallons), Tunze DOC Skimmer 9010, Lights: Metal Halide 250 Watt and 2x24 Watt Moon Lights, Tunze MultiController 7095

03/10/2010, 09:27 PM	#3
troyman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: troy ny Posts: 1,025	a new tank really takes about a year or more to go through all it phases changing water is not gonna solve the problem make sure you have a phosphate media and nitrate remover i use phosoguard purigen and a good grade carbon

03/10/2010, 09:45 PM	#4
Number2 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: highland, Ca Posts: 104	remove all you can by pulling it out with your fingers and or a siphon tube, Keep up on water changes. Use RO/DI water for evap replacement. Don't overfeed. You will get it soon enough.

03/11/2010, 05:02 AM	#6
troyman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: troy ny Posts: 1,025	algae is a symptom somthings wrong use a phosopours remover good carbon i use purigen also weekly water change make sure you calcium mag and alk is good

03/11/2010, 06:50 AM	#7
stevek480 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Flemington, NJ Posts: 605	Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested the TDS on it? Starting out I had a big problem with HA and I found the DI portion of my RO/DI unit wasn't really doing much and my new water contained 5ppm of nitrates. Once I fixed that the HA went away pretty quickly.

03/11/2010, 09:15 AM	#8
kclewis REEFER Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Beautiful Bargersville, IN Posts: 383	dont waste your time with purigen. diy media reactor (found here) and bulkreefsupply.com for you phosgaurd needs. way cheaper than any other route.

03/11/2010, 03:44 PM	#10
drewp808 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: HONOLULU Posts: 143	i bought a few LM bleenys too and they could not even dent the HA problem i had, just in time like everyone else says is best.

03/11/2010, 04:19 PM	#11
855012 reefer !!!!!!!!!!!!! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 130	water changes+time. It took me 3 months to get it to go away. but it has been 2years and I haven't seen a strand of HA.

03/11/2010, 04:38 PM	#12
Bigshow Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Paseo District/Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 256	I used a lettuce nudi branch snail. Got rid of it and never have the issue again. But my tank is now a year old and everything is undercontrol so I'm not really sure what obliterated it. I also have tangs and blennys but they wouldnt touch it. I want to say it was the nudi, water changes and phosguard.

03/12/2010, 05:11 AM	#14
troyman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: troy ny Posts: 1,025	lol purigen is a good product guess it depends how you use it good luck