How do I get rid of hair algae?

[rockytop02]

I have had a tank for 5 years now and have had no problems with hair algae growing in my tank. Recently, I got a double fluorescent bulb light for my tank and since then the hair algae has grown like crazy. The algae plugs up all of my filters and powerheads and I have to clean them out every day. The algae is growing on the sides of my tank and on the gravel.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of this please let me know. This stuff is getting annoying. Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks.

[rjrobert]

Hey Rocky, Whats the parameters of the tank.
PO4, Temp, PH specifically

Any changes in feeding cycles? Water changes etc.....

For the algae to grow they have to have access to excess nutrients.

I could make some recommendations but without knowing more specifics we all would be just guessing.

Bob ^2

[airinhere]

I have found this tool to be very useful for removing hair algae.

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/airinhere/90px-Humanpalm.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[zach0660]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10850276#post10850276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by airinhere
I have found this tool to be very useful for removing hair algae.

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/airinhere/90px-Humanpalm.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

lol, very original.

[sparkys24]

We went out and purchased a <a href="http://baja.divebums.com/FieldID/Images/Foretic_Paul/sea_hare_blunt-end_3160379.jpg">sea hare</a> and it went to work right away. It had our tank clean of not only the hair algae, but also cyano until we were able to fix the underlying problem.

[jubjub]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=520

thats their algae attack pack as they put it....basically get some crabs eat it right up

[Sarcophyton874]

If the algae is really long, nothing will eat it. You have to get a thin piece of tubing and manually suck it out when you do your water changes. Usually you can't get it all (strong roots), but it will be short enough for crabs, urchins, or fish to eat it.

[uscharalph]

I hate Hair Algae.

[Reefer Steve]

Get some po4 removing media and crank up the flow
up the alk and ph while you're at it
run your lights less while you're fighting!



Edit: I also believe a few people here like crankin up their MAG to like 1700 and that seems to do the trick also

[rjrobert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10850890#post10850890 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer Steve
Get some po4 removing media and crank up the flow
up the alk and ph while you're at it
run your lights less while you're fighting!



Edit: I also believe a few people here like crankin up their MAG to like 1700 and that seems to do the trick also

We don't know what the Alk and PH levels are right now so how can we say to increase them. Also why would you raise your MG level 350ppm higher than natural seawater especially when Mg has such core stability.

Don't care about a posting war here, simply want to know what information you have to base your suggestions as maybe I will learn something...

tks

Solving Algae is relatively easy, not painfree or quick but usually easy. Remove the reason for the algae to be there in the first place (usually an inbalance of nutrient import or export.. or a tank that is under 5 months old and is still cycling). Once the reason for the growth is gone then the post with the hand is the most accurate.

If you start playing with every parameter then you could have some serious other issues involved that will make things much worse. You begin to have die off which quess what - adds nutrients to the water and promotes algae growth.

I'm hesitant to make a suggestion without knowing more but the standard response is.

Test water parameters and post them here (PO4, Ammon, NO2, NO3, CA, KH, SG, Temp, PH)
Water Changes 20%+
Increase flow to keep the detrius in the water column
Skim the heck out of the water
Some more water changes 20%+
Examine your feedings and or any stocking issues
Manually remove as much algae as is convienant.
Some more water changes 20%+
see if algae starts growing again.
Run some type of GFO (Phosban etc...) for 3 days.
Test water parameters again

Long term items that usually help.
Run some MacroAlgae to help obsorb the nutrients from the water column.
Make sure the detrius stays in the water column for the skimmer to remove.
Maybe run a remote DSB or if possible run a DSB in a refugium if that's something you want to do.

Just my thoughts based on experience and spending to many nights reading these types of posts
:rollface:

Bob^2

[rjrobert]

Holy Cow I forgot once of the biggest things I simply take for granted but needs to be made sure of.

Make sure your using RO if not RO/DI water. If possible test the water going into your tank to make sure the filters are working properly.

[TitusvileSurfer]

He was algae free for 5 years before he added specific lights. Perhaps they are giving off a certain spectrum the algae thrives off of. I wonder if he goes back to this original lighting setup, the algae will retreat?

[victor_c3]

doing a couple of water changes (10-20% per week) and spending 50 bucks and adding a phosphate reactor and running it full time will just about ensure that hair algae goes away and never again comes back. Once the algae goes away, just get yourself into doing biweekly or monthly water changes.

protien skimming couldn't hurt either.

If you don't have any phosphates or other nutrients for the algae to feed off of, then you won't get algae to grow regardless of how much or little lighting or flow you have.

[Reefer Steve]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10851407#post10851407 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rjrobert
We don't know what the Alk and PH levels are right now so how can we say to increase them. Also why would you raise your MG level 350ppm higher than natural seawater especially when Mg has such core stability.

Don't care about a posting war here, simply want to know what information you have to base your suggestions as maybe I will learn something...

tks

Solving Algae is relatively easy, not painfree or quick but usually easy. Remove the reason for the algae to be there in the first place (usually an inbalance of nutrient import or export.. or a tank that is under 5 months old and is still cycling). Once the reason for the growth is gone then the post with the hand is the most accurate.

If you start playing with every parameter then you could have some serious other issues involved that will make things much worse. You begin to have die off which quess what - adds nutrients to the water and promotes algae growth.

I'm hesitant to make a suggestion without knowing more but the standard response is.

Test water parameters and post them here (PO4, Ammon, NO2, NO3, CA, KH, SG, Temp, PH)
Water Changes 20%+
Increase flow to keep the detrius in the water column
Skim the heck out of the water
Some more water changes 20%+
Examine your feedings and or any stocking issues
Manually remove as much algae as is convienant.
Some more water changes 20%+
see if algae starts growing again.
Run some type of GFO (Phosban etc...) for 3 days.
Test water parameters again

Long term items that usually help.
Run some MacroAlgae to help obsorb the nutrients from the water column.
Make sure the detrius stays in the water column for the skimmer to remove.
Maybe run a remote DSB or if possible run a DSB in a refugium if that's something you want to do.

Just my thoughts based on experience and spending to many nights reading these types of posts
:rollface:

Bob^2


Here's the Mag dealy
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1113109&highlight=byropsis

[rjrobert]

Steve, that is a really interesting thread. A little scared of the uknown but very interesting. I'm going to post this up in the Chemistry Forum and see what is said. I may even run a few control tests at home. I would be very worried about doing something this drastic in a display tank without more concrete data of the long term effects, but hey we are always learning in this hobby so who knows :)

[boxerzz]

I would say too that it is due to the lighting. Try change back your lights and the algae may retreat.

[filmoholic]

Rowaphos!

[projectmayhem16]

Depends on what's causing it. The algae will eat up excess nutrients so definitely check your nitrate and phosphate levels. When my tank started growing hair algae I just did a few water changes, plucked some of the algae out every now and then, and my red legs and turbos took care of the rest.

Poor turbos, I watched them eat my cyano after there wasn't any algae left in the tank to eat...