what algea is this and how to i get rid of it

[wakeboarder2342]

I have been plagued by what appears to bea hair algea attack for the last 3 or 4 months.


Any help on an ID and what i can do to treat it?



http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/wakeboarder2342/IMG_2364.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/wakeboarder2342/IMG_2365.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/wakeboarder2342/IMG_2367.jpg

[fish4lyfe]

Yep hair algae, i bought some blue legged hermits and they completely owned the algae.

[gtoon159]

Looks like the same stuff that I have been having trouble with and the first thing that was suggested to me was getting my alkalinity to 11-12. and stabalizing my PH. when I started I found that my PH was low 7.8 and my Alk was down around 6.5.

I had run out of Kalk washer a month or so before and that could have contributed to the lower numbers as well as the algea bloom. So now about 6 weeks later and tons of manual scrubbing later we seem to be turning the corner.

I am using 2-part to dose with here is a link in case you are intersted.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Two-Part-Kits/c52/index.html?osCsid=5c358e358a4e11089e8922a7e51e30ab

They have a nice calculater to help you dose their products to get things back in line. Hope we both succeed in getting whatever this is out of our tanks.

George

[wakeboarder2342]

I have a calcium reactor so CA and ALK are in good check.


I was pretty sure it was hair algea but usually my tangs and hermits eat hair and they wont touch this stuff.


I think i get me a sea hare on order

[Reeftanks6]

You could get some snails in there as well with some crabs or hermits.

[wakeboarder2342]

Decided id try beefing up the clean up crew. I have a unicorn tang that has disappeared so im guessing he is decomposing somewhere in there and causing my algea bloom. Im going to do a few water changes and i ordered teh following

1- naso tang
1- algea blenny
75 red leg hermits
15 turbo snails
15 margarita snails
1 sea hare



That should make short work of it i hope!!

[reeformadness]

Are you using RO/DI water? I wasn't, but as soon as I started my hair algae started to go away. Not sure if that was the real reason, but it has never come back.

[wakeboarder2342]

yep alwayas use ro/di