Green hair algae

[Electric eel]

Is there an "If all else fail use this" method of getting rid of green hair algae?
I have it and I know why but how do I get rid of it? I had a sea hair for 2 nweeks then it died.:neutral: Any help would be great.

[Canuckgod420]

My yellow tang loves the stuff...I took it out of my display and put it in my 40G frag tank....2 weeks later, everything was clean.

[HL649]

Yup, I tried the sea hare route to. On 2 separate occasions I had 2 of the little guys that cleaned up my 75 real nice and then starved to death. Needed another solution. I bought a hippo tang and my algae problem disappeared. My tank now looks like I don't even have algae growing in it, he keeps it that clean.

[Ryan]

Yup, I tried the sea hare route to. On 2 separate occasions I had 2 of the little guys that cleaned up my 75 real nice and then starved to death. Needed another solution. I bought a hippo tang and my algae problem disappeared. My tank now looks like I don't even have algae growing in it, he keeps it that clean.

Hippo tangs arent the best bet for controlling algae. Some eat lots some dont as Regal Tangs are generally more of a shrimp eating tang than a Herbivore. Plus the fact they can get 12" puts a fish like a yellow tang a better option than a Regal.

[danny zubot]

I second the yellow tang approach personally. You might also consider a PO4 or Nitrate reactor.

[freddy]

I read about using a syringe of boiling water and squirt it into the algae,so I was doing a water change the other day and decided to try it.I didn't use a syringe but pulled a piece of rock out that had hair algae on it and scrubbed half of it with a toothbrush(in the water I had taken out) and the other half i poured boiling water on to,the half I scrubed,hair algae is growing back,the half I poured boiling water on is as clean as can be,no sighn of algae returning.Yellow tangs are very good at keeping it in check.

[fkshiu]

Green sea hare (dolabella auricularia)

Just remember to pass it on when you run out since it will die if you don't. I've got one mowing the lawn now as I type.

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Sea Hare and Scopus tang worked well in my personal tank. I also noticed my Brown Bar (Dragon) Goby was tearing it off quite readily.

Ken

[mr.wilson]

You need to eliminate the source of the hair algae problem which is usually excess nutrients arising from one or a combination of any of the following...

1) Frozen food isn't adequately rinsed to remove phosphate.
2) Algae is allowed to die off or strands are severed.
3) Substrate needs to be vacuumed.
4) Rock needs to be sprayed with powerhead or baster to remove detritus.
5) Source water is not zero TDS (add RO/DI unit).
6) Phosphate removal system is inadequate (add iron-based binder).
7) Not enough carbon used or allowing it to stay in the tank too long.
8) Over-feeding.
9) Not enough reef janitors (herbivores & detrivores).
10) Inadequate protein skimming.
11) Inadequate refugium nutrient export.
12) Not enough water changes.
13) Inadequate mechanical filtration.
14) Over-active biological filtration (remove wet/dry filtration if you have it).

After you have found and eliminated the sources, you can raise the magnesium (K level) in your tank to 1500 and the algae will die off in less than a month. If you don't keep on it, it will come back.

[Myka]

I agree to find the source of the nutrients instead of putting a bandaid on it by adding a fish to eat the algae. There is lots of easy to read information in the algae link in my signature. Lots of different approaches to lowering nutrients.

[naesco]

Take a look at the size of the guys tank before recommending a tang.

The regal is omnivorous. It is the only tang that is a meat eater.
If you saw it in algae it was searching for meatly morsels in the algae.
Simply put the yellow and regal tang are not good options.

A sea hare is a good option if you take the time to acclimatize it and feed it algae or return it to the lfs when the algae is done.
Don't let it starve in your tank.

The best option is to clean up your water problem and you will find that the algae problem will go away over time.

[gobytron]

I agree to find the source of the nutrients instead of putting a bandaid on it by adding a fish to eat the algae. There is lots of easy to read information in the algae link in my signature. Lots of different approaches to lowering nutrients.

Haha...
I wonder what mother nature would call this bandaid solution...lol

I think it's cool that you can have something of a functioning ecosystem in your tank with a natural food source for one of its inhabitants...


Hair algae sucks though...lol
i get little sprouts every now and then that i just pluck carefully...

was thinking of an emerald crab though...?

[fkshiu]

I don't see how adding a creature to eat the hair algae is a "bandaid" either. If that we're the guess your entire clean-up crew would be a "bandaid" solution. It is merely one in a combination of methods that can be used to tackle the problem.

[aquajeep]

my 75 gallon has gha slowly taking over.ive tryed to lower nutrient levels but did not work.i have a green emerald 7 bl hermits12 snails but snails only clean glass hermits up to 2 inches from sand bed and i never see the emerald unless he sheds. do sea hares climb rock.?half my rock is covered in nice green bristle like algea then gha on top.not much to hold on too.yellow tang looks like a better choice for picking between polyps...but i heard they pick on my xenia and anthelia.??

[Myka]

Haha...I wonder what mother nature would call this bandaid solution...lol

I don't see how adding a creature to eat the hair algae is a "bandaid" either. If that we're the guess your entire clean-up crew would be a "bandaid" solution. It is merely one in a combination of methods that can be used to tackle the problem.

I was mainly referring to adding large or potentially large fish to system for algae control. A balanced clean up crew is essential. Algae is a sign of obvious excess nutrients for one reason or another. You may add a fish or other critter to eat it, but if you carry on with your regime the algae will be back as the nutrients continue to rise. You need to learn to adjust your habits in order to vanquish the algae for the long run. Adding a giant poop machine like a Tang or Foxface to a tank that is already overloaded with nutrients isn't always the best option. People end up putting fish and critters onto their system without really thinking about it too much just because "it will eat the algae". All too often you see big fish crammed into small tanks for this reason. That's why I call it a bandaid. Imo, get rid of the algae first, then add fish.

[Canadian]

You know, I can certainly appreciate that generally the cause of hair algae is excess nutrients. And that typically the excess nutrients are caused by some poor husbandry.

However, people seem to be really quick to attribute the problem to someone's husbandry without getting all the information.

I find the most often misdiagnosed cause of hair algae is poor liverock. Over the last 10 years liverock has become more and more poor in quality. Additionally, LFSs generally have really poor "curing" practices. Liverock is tossed in a vat with some meagre flow and everything on the rock decays and clogs up the liverock. So most hobbyists are buying nice, big, expensive chunks of phosphate to start out their reef tank - great start! Unfortunately, most newbies don't read about "cooking" and despite great husbandry practices and top notch equipment they find themselves battling hair algae in short order.

When the problem becomes too much to bear, they post online after numerous failed attempts to get the problem under control. Inevitably they post that their test kits read zero phosphate and zero nitrate. They might even be astute enough to observe (if they have them) that their SPS are rather pale in coloration. Then some "well intentioned" hobbyist suggests they have to have phosphate and nitrate or the algae wouldn't be growing - "it's just being pulled out of the water by the algae so your test kit can't read it" or "your [insert brand/type of test kit] isn't very good and isn't capable of reading values below x".

With this phosphate laden liverock remaining in their tank they're going to fight a long, arduous battle. The phosphate is slowly leaching out, and you'll often see detritus being expelled from the liverock just like you would see in a vat with "cooking liverock". Unfortunately the tank is well lit and there's already hair algae there so it traps the organics being purged from the liverock and continues to fuel the algae's growth without it ever making its way into the water column. This can go on for years and all the while you'll test your water and continue to be befuddled by the fact that you're adhering to every good husbandry practice under the sun with no measurable phosphate or nitrate and yet this insidious hair algae continues to grow while your corals suffer from a lack of nutrients.

The take home message: Start with clean liverock. And if all else fails to correct the problem should you have started your reef tank with yucky liverock, start again with clean liverock. We, myself included, far too readily accept paying thousands of dollars for equipment and carefully planning out our equipment layout and design and then go on, without so much as a second thought, to just purchase whatever liverock is readily available and toss it in our "kinda well thought out tanks" only to become frustrated.

[mr.wilson]

Most nuisance algae is bacterial (cyanobacteria) and should be treated as any bacterial infection that can proliferate in any tank "good" or "bad". New tanks and poorly set-up and maintained systems are just more likely to get algae plagues. I think of it the same way as a person with a healthy lifestyle is less likely to get a cold/flu than someone with an unhealthy lifestyle, but they are both vulnerable.

Algae plagues will not go away with mere husbandry improvements. You need to get on a level playing field and eradicate as much of it as possible.

[Myka]

Well said Canadian. What I refer to as "excess nutrients" is whatever the live rock and livestock cannot process. With that definition algae is a result of excess nutrients every time. I agree that many people have poor quality live rock, or end up damaging it in their attempt at curing. Many people have a tendency to add too much livestock to a tank too quickly, which the liverock (bacteria) can't keep up. It takes time to develop a good healthy store of bacteria.

Cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates are both bacteria, and not algae. Dinos are often mistaken for diatoms. Fortunately, both will also respond to attempts at lowering nutrients.

Most people don't know how to set up a reef in a way that prevents many algae and bacterial issues. Most people don't stop to think about how one's rockscape may affect the end result, or how the rocks that make it up will affect things. Or, or, or... For the most successful reef you need to take so many things into consideration that many people either don't think about or just don't know about.

When people ask about an algae or bacteria problem, they aren't usually willing to rip their takn apart and start again with a new and improved design. Most people won't even hear that as a viable option.

[Electric eel]

Mr Wilsons advise was very good. There where some issue that i had not addressed. All the advise has been great. I have tried the sea hair once and i am now on my number two try. The sea hare does not seem to climb the live rock. It seem to want to remain in one area of the tank and so far is not looking so good. I have purchased a Scoupa tang to see if it will eat some of it. So far not so good either! I have and will follow some of the advise given. BUT my main question is "How do I get it off my rock" Will it go away on its own? Should I remove all the rock and do something to it? I will not keep the tang or the seahare if they do the job. I will pass them on.
Any advise on the hair on the rock would be great! Once again Canreef members ROCK! I also purchased Rowphos to put in my sump. I also have carbon in there also. both are near the exit. Should they be placed in a certian order? Rowphos first then carbon or???

Thanks everyone
James

[BlueAbyss]

Wow, some great information in this thread!

I agree with what Myka, Canadian, and mr.wilson have already said. I specially agree with what Canadian said about the curing methods of live rock... my live rock is still maturing, there is always all kind of detritus and junk coming off my rock (well, the Vanuatu rock at least). There are also a lot of living creatures on this rock, so that may have something to do with it... but, when I take a turkey baster to my rocks you should see the junk that comes off them. If the problem is indeed some nutrient leaching from the rock (very likely), you're in for a battle but it will end eventually. Look at it as cooking rock in a running tank :lol:

I think people underestimate the value of cleaning your rock... make sure you give your rocks a good squirt at least once a day, it will help in the long run.

[blake374]

I ran a phosphate reactor for a month with rowaphos. After that I scrubbed the rocks and that made the problem much much better. I guess this dosn't really get to the source of the problem, but it cleared the problem up, while I worked on the source.
In my experience tangs don't eat green hair algea. They eat other types though.

[burgerchow]

Mr Wilsons advise was very good. There where some issue that i had not addressed. All the advise has been great. I have tried the sea hair once and i am now on my number two try. The sea hare does not seem to climb the live rock. It seem to want to remain in one area of the tank and so far is not looking so good. I have purchased a Scoupa tang to see if it will eat some of it. So far not so good either! I have and will follow some of the advise given. BUT my main question is "How do I get it off my rock" Will it go away on its own? Should I remove all the rock and do something to it? I will not keep the tang or the seahare if they do the job. I will pass them on.
Any advise on the hair on the rock would be great! Once again Canreef members ROCK! I also purchased Rowphos to put in my sump. I also have carbon in there also. both are near the exit. Should they be placed in a certian order? Rowphos first then carbon or???

Thanks everyone
James


James, from your signature, you have 2x250watt mh over a 70 gallon tank and all you have is a bunch of softies and fish. I think you have too much lighting over that tank. Try yanking off as much hair algae off the rocks as you can, do a 30to 40 % water change and keep the tank in total darkness for 3 or 4 days. The corals you have shouldn't be harmed and the fish don't care about darkness. How old are the bulbs on your m/h ?

[aquajeep]

hmm mabey thats my prob too. 1x400w halide and 2x65w comp and 2x65w actinic compacts.72 gal tank with 7 small-med fish and softies.very little nutrience gets in with 6 stage reverse osmosis di water system on well water too.feed every 2-3 days only.everything healthy except xenia???anthelia and too much gha.all perameters check good.lights 5 months old although they were cheap on ebay,mabey crappy bulbs out of spec already???

[bvlester]

hmm mabey thats my prob too. 1x400w halide and 2x65w comp and 2x65w actinic compacts.72 gal tank with 7 small-med fish and softies.very little nutrience gets in with 6 stage reverse osmosis di water system on well water too.feed every 2-3 days only.everything healthy except xenia???anthelia and too much gha.all perameters check good.lights 5 months old although they were cheap on ebay,mabey crappy bulbs out of spec already???

I would yank the halide the PC lights will do the job for the softies. your xenia and anthelia need quite a bit of flow they like that my xenia was doing ok till I moved it to a much higher flow area and it has doubled in size in a month. Also if you can get to the cause of the Hair algea then things in your tank will be a bit happier.

Bill

[Electric eel]

James, from your signature, you have 2x250watt mh over a 70 gallon tank and all you have is a bunch of softies and fish. I think you have too much lighting over that tank. Try yanking off as much hair algae off the rocks as you can, do a 30to 40 % water change and keep the tank in total darkness for 3 or 4 days. The corals you have shouldn't be harmed and the fish don't care about darkness. How old are the bulbs on your m/h ?

I will give that a try. What about ambient light (from windows)?

[bvlester]

my 75 gallon has gha slowly taking over.ive tryed to lower nutrient levels but did not work.i have a green emerald 7 bl hermits12 snails but snails only clean glass hermits up to 2 inches from sand bed and i never see the emerald unless he sheds. do sea hares climb rock.?half my rock is covered in nice green bristle like algea then gha on top.not much to hold on too.yellow tang looks like a better choice for picking between polyps...but i heard they pick on my xenia and anthelia.??
I have blue leged herms they climb the rocks but my 2 red leged herms out perform any of the others that are in the tank. Also snails will go on the rocks I have them all over them, I have about 7 or 8+ different types of snails they all go on the rocks. Any other falicies out there.

Not trying to be meen or anything just facts are facts.

Bill

[burgerchow]

I will give that a try. What about ambient light (from windows)?

How much ambient light you have? A lot of lights from windows will always promote algae.

[aquajeep]

slowly boiling each rock with big patches.kills the gha but not the hard bristle algea.my new yellow tang was doing great picking small bits near corals for the last 2 weeks.......until this morning as i see my large bta has eaten him whole! ughh cant win.changing the lights might be working hard to tell yet.mabey i need 3-6 tangs as i dont have many fish anyway lol.i need a sea hare.who in the okanagan has one to pass on??