Can't get rid of hair algae

[tangman99]

I have tried everything I can think of and I still can't rid of my hair algae:

I have measured my nitrates with 3 different kits and they all show 0

I have tested my Phosphates and they show about .1. I have added Phosguard just incase in my sump but that has not helped.

I have done two 25% water changes

I have added mexican turbos, blue leg hermits, scarlet hermits, turbos and they don't help.

I have reduced feedings to about once every 4 or 5 days to see if that has any impact and feeding much less.

The only other thing I can think of is that I have 4 VHO lamps of which the rear two are about 18 months old. I am not replacing them because I will be adding my MH lights within 2 weeks and will use my 2 new VHO lights as my supplement lights. I would remove the last two but I'm not sure I can with an Icecap 660 ballast wired to run 4 lamps.

I can't think of anything else that can be causing it and it is not getting any better.

Any ideas of what could be causing this or how I can beat it?

[Gary Majchrzak]

You listed recyclers (the snails), but what are you doing to limit and export the nutrients that fuel nusiance algae growth?
(What type of skimmer, what type of RO unit, do you harvest macroalgae etc. etc.)

[reefD]

test your water source for phos.if it has any levels STOP using it! and by the way .1 phos is very high if you dont want algea. again test your top off salt mix water source for phos level. any detctable levels is BAD!

[reefD]

again test your water source for phos . in other words if you use tap test it right from the sink for phos. any levels means change water source or add use ro/di unit. thats the reason we use them...to avoid algea blooms!

[reefD]

you should replace bulbs every year to avoid this. it certainly can be the cause! so just keep up schedule and always replace bulbs after a year so you dont have this issue again. simple resolution if you think about it ...and you negelected to do it and now you may be paying for it.

[tangman99]

The bulbs actually slipped my mind until this happened and it came to mind that it may be the problem. Sorry I left out some info on other items asked about.

I have an AquaC EV-180 skimmer and I use RO/DI water only for top offs and water changes.

My RO/DI water always tests 0 TDS and no trace of Phosphates or Nitrates.

My next project after my MH lights is to add a refugium to keep some macros.

[sanjosereefer]

You should find the source to eliminate it from growing back, but I've used Chemi Clean in the past with good results to "clean up" a tank.

Also, I have some emerald crabs who seem to like the hair algae.

[reefD]

only gareentee cure all answer is to reduce all nutrient levels. algae can feed if levels are zero.

[yoyoyoo123]

Get that refugium up and running, you will definately not regret it!

[reefD]

fuge certainly will benefit greatly! really helps!

[tangman99]

It's in the plans. But I can't think of the nutient source that is any different over the last 4 years with no problems.

I only add RO/DI water what tests perfect.

I have cut my feeding down to half as much and less in quantity. I do feed frozen brine shrimp and frozen formula one and two cubes. Not all at the same time but in variety.

And light. Nothing else enters the tank.

(Beating head against wall)

[OnTheReef]

Stop beating your head against the wall, that is cruel to the sheetrock that holds up your paint. But seriously, you have detectable phosphates -- until your phosphates are zero you have a well-known, well-understood problem,

[fishykid9212]

Buy a yellow tang, or really any tang and it will eat it for you

[mraafat]

I set up my tank not too long ago and had a nasty outbreak of hair algae. Anyways, I purchased a sea hare and it began devouring that stuff like it was nothing. I recommend you get one, but they can be toxic if they die. The next morning it got close to one of the powerhead units and died. I purchased another one the same day, and the new one hasn't been doing nearly as good of a job as the first one, so i guess it depends on individual hares. You would be treating symptom, not the problem.

[tangman99]

I have a yellow tang and I never see it messing with the stuff. I have phosguard in the sump. How long does that stuff last? It has been in there for a couple of weeks.

I am thinking the only source of Phosphates has to be the feeding which I have cut way back.

[mm949]

most granular po4 sponge will change color from bright white to yellowy dirty color...depends how much u use..change weekly if discolored...If po4 are producing in the tank it mostly likely from the live rock...use a small power head and work all the nooks/crannies to blow out any detritus and then gravel vac the substrate to remove all the dirt...do this weekly till most of the rock stays clean....good practice to do it every third month...If you are running a sump you can gravel vac into a felt filter bag 100m itno your sump WHILE it is running...

[Alaskan Reefer]

Have you tried toothbrushing it off, netting it, and then blowing the detritus out of your rocks out prior to a water change? That's a sure fire way to get rid of it -- eventually it will absorb all of the phosphate in your water column and any that's stored in your live rock. As long as you don't add to the problem by adding more phosphate (such as feeding frozen food without rinsing it first), you'll eventually starve it out. Might take a few harvests, but it will work. I spent about 6 weeks doing so and turned a massive problem into one that never recurred. Adding phosphate media will help while you're fighting it. Adding a refugium with macroalgae will give you a leg up on it ever coming back...

[Alaskan Reefer]

I blow detritus out of my rocks prior to every water change, by the way. Let it settle on the sand, lightly siphon it all out. Makes for a very, very clean tank...

[daveonbass]

hmmm...that's all odd advice but I guess whatever works for you. If you scrape it with a toothbrush then you rish moving it to other areas of rocks. And I too have a yellow tang that won't touch the stuff. I'm getting a foxface but again I know it's treating the problem. And to top it off I have Two seperate refugiums...and My whole tank is covered with hair algae...so go figure. It's gonna take something different in every tank...so keep trying and let us kow what works for you.

dave

[archie1709]

This was my outbreak:



I tried introducing these:




That didn't work. These fellas got tired easily and sleep more than eat.

Then I tried a progressive water change routine for the next month. I rearranged the rocks to prevent any dead spots. I added a couple more powerheads. I used this:



I used the powerheads to blow off detrius from the rocks. I brought down my nitrates from 180 to zero using pwc and this:



I lowered Phosphates from 10 to zero using RowaPhos.

After a month:



And now:





Goodluck with yours!

[Alaskan Reefer]

Dave -- hair algae is going to be all over everything soon enough anyway, I've never seen it remain localized in a tank. The reason you use a net along with the toothbrush is to get it out as quickly as you can -- but some just brush it and siphon what they can reach afterward.

I advocate manual removal because it's a pure form of getting phosphate out of the system -- once you harvest the hair algae, that phosphate is gone and won't come back unless you add it back in yourself, which usually happens when people use dirty tap water or feed / overfeed with unrinsed mysis or other frozen food -- the binder and liquid in such foods is VERY rich in phosphate. Some people just let hair algae grow and then die off after all of the phosphate in the system is consumed -- that works too.

Refugiums will keep hair algae from growing by competing for the nutrients, but won't stop an existing problem -- a healthy hair algae crop will use available phosphate and to a much lesser degree nitrate just as easily as your macroalgae will.

Nice job in your battle, Archie. Very similar to how I accomplished the same result. Harvest, blow rocks, water change. Harvest, blow rocks, water change. And so on -- I did it for six weeks, eliminated the problem (stored phosphate), added a refugium, and have never seen hair algae again... Looks like you're on the same path.

[archie1709]

Thanks. I appreciate the advice that I get and sometimes I wonder why I had to think of intricate things to buy in order to get things better.

What I got in this forum is (a) BUY TESTERS and test, (b) PWC -this one was emphasized to me so much by everyone, and (c) good husbandry.

Definitely testing makes me see my water in a big picture. So instead of shooting in the wind, I actually am able to target specific areas of concern.

Thanks alaskan. those are good advice for me to keep, by the way.

PS: I am probably returning some of my turbo snails back to the LFS. They're running out of things to eat. They even have competition on film algae because the pods are all over them at night.

[ncsaltwater]

Nuisance algae start in your tank when you have excess nutrients. Algae thrive on nitrate, phosphates, and silicate. Even though your test shows zero it doesn't mean you don't have one of them in your system. In most cases your system is using them up (algae is using them) just as fast as they are being produced. In my experience I have found the following to be some things to consider in order to get the algae under control and eliminated from my system.

Protein skimming (Once you see algae starting to grow adjust your skimmer to do wet skimming)
Don't add any more fish to your tank
Increased flow (This helps to keep the nutrients suspended in the water so that your filtration and protein skimming can remove them.)
Feed lightly (cut what you have been feeding 1/2)
Vacuum substrate or bottom (This worked for me when I have it)
Hand Harvest algae (hand pick as much as possible - each day)
Stop adding supplements (coral foods, etc.)
Increase your water changes. (I was doing 15G/wk in my 72G along wth doing 5G/day for three weeks)
Use only RO/DI water (0 TDS)
Top-off with Kalkwasser
Change out old Bulbs (This has a bigger effect than you might think)
Start to run a phosban reactor (I ran one for 3 months with Rowaphos, Kent sells one for like $35.00)

[daveonbass]

I have new bulbs...
a cup of skimmate a day...
two fish...
Two fuges...(hair algae didn't start till the fuges were up and running)
feed now every other day...
only RO/DI water which I test...
No more coral feedings...
have tired harvesting in many differnt ways...
vaccume the rocks and substrait...
and have numerous differnt currents at varying levels...

And STILL a ton of hair algae grown back in one to two days. It's sick to the point of ridiculous. I'm still trying stuff...but again everyones system is different.

[Alaskan Reefer]

Dang Dave, sorry to hear that. Mine lasted for six weeks of contstant attack -- my routine of harvesting, blowing out rock, siphoning sand, 25% water change was daily for six weeks -- almost three buckets of salt used in a 75 gallon system in six weeks. For me the bottom line was that my LR was saturated in phosphate, and it just started spewing it and didn't stop for quite a while. A stark contrast to when I took the tank down here about three months ago to set up my 125. I expected to be cooking the rock for 6-8 weeks anticipating lots of goo removal -- after 3 weeks not a trace of shedding. Point being the rock got VERY clean in my HA battle, which was over three years ago...

NEVER STOP FIGHTING!