Green hair algae help

[leetch]

I have a 29 gal reef tank with a fair amount of green hair algae growing mainly on 1 rock. There are small tufts on other rocks but nothing that's significant. I've been plucking it on a weekly basis for a while now but it's definately a losing battle.



I've employed the crew of 6 red legged hermits but they seem to be pretty disinterested in the hair algae. I know there's no way of avoiding green algae but I also don't want to let it get out of control.



The tank has a stock of the following:



1 pair or mated false percs (approx 3.5 inches of fish)

1 tailspot blenny (approx 1.5 inches) who seems to only like meaty foods

1 female blue reef chromi (she's the queen of that tank - approx 1.5 inches)

1 Yasha Goby with his little pistol shrimp friend (Goby approx 1.5 inches) - neither of which eat vegetables either

about 15 assorted snails from large turbos to those small buggers that love to hide in the sand

approx 8 crabs (6 red legged and 2 blue legged)



Total approx 8 inches (probably closer to 10 inches) of fish who will eventually grow to around 12 inches or more....hopefully will be moving to a 55 gal tank by then.



Is it possible to add the services of a lawnmower blenny or some other small algae eater or do you think at this point it would create a problem with overstocking and the waste would just create other problems?



Are there other alternatives anyone can think of other than keeping the tank dark for a few days. I don't want to remove the rock with the biggest problem as it serves as the home for the Goby and his buddy the pistol shrimp.



Other tank info:



2 hob filters - 1 has the chemical and sponge media, the other serves as my fuge for my chaeto since I don't have room for a sump.



1 skimmer



T5 4 bulb 96 watt lighting



2 powerheads one Seio prop 320 and a Seio prop 530 on opposite sides of the tank (closer to the surface to create more movement and downdrafting in the tank.



There sand is clear of any algae or cyano. I had a cyano problem a while back the adding the chaeto hob filter-fuge worked wonders. I generally feed 2 small portions a day and the lights start at 9 am for 1 hour of the blue, then from 10-7 with full spectrum then back to 1 hour of blue from 7-8pm then off. The bulbs in the lights are brand new so they aren't the problem.



Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated.



Ph 8.4

Ammonia undetectable

Nitrite undetectable

Nitrate less than 10

Alkalinity 3.5

Gravity 1.026

[coral_killer37]

Phosphate feeds hair algae. you could run some gfo in a reactor. check out bulk reef supply, they stock both products.

[chathomas]

I had my entire 150 pounds of rock in my 90 gal with 8 inch long hair algae and It just went away, here is how. I bought 3 turbos, they didn't do much until I got the algae a little shorter, I have 20 hermits who also didnt touch it until it got shorter. My lawnmower blenny was the best buy I have ever purchased. He went to town on it. Eating so much I thought he would explode. So I went lights out for 3 days and yes everything did fine. Next every day I scrubbed with a toothbrush because a lot of the hair was growing. I found out I had a 5ppm of phosphates so I did 2 times per week water changes because I filled the tank from my LFS water and I don't trust that it wasn't the source. I started making my own water so that I knew no phosphates. Today every single piece of hair algae is gone!. Dude, my wife nor I thought we would never be able to put anything in the tank. It took a few weeks but finally it is gone.

[Reef Bass]

My lawnmower blenny wants nothing to do with hair algae. He likes the algae that grows on the front of the glass.

[chathomas]

Dang really. The way I see it is its luck of the draw on any fish doing what they are suppose to do. I lucked up. Now all I am worried about is getting him to eat prepared foods because all he has done is eat hair algae. I love him. He did his job. I believe every fish in my tank should have a job.

[leetch]

I was considering a lawnmower blenny but I'm not sure I can add any more fish...I'm afraid of overstocking then I would have a whole different problem on my hands.

Last I checked, my phosphates were undetectable but it's been a few weeks since I've done that. I figured they were still low because the Cyano had gone away right after I added the chaeto and cyano is fed by phosphates. I'll have to check it again.

It's also weird that it's mainly only growing on one rock. The other have either nothing or one small tuft which is easily removed...driving me nuts. It's still relatively short at this point - 1" or less - but I know it's a problem that is just growing every day.

[d0ughb0y]

when I had my smaller tank and had hair algae problems, nothing worked until I got the lawnmower blenny. But things changed when the lawnmower blenny started eating prepared food (I suppose it ran out of algae to eat). now it does not touch algae of any kind anymore. :(

[chathomas]

I can only hope Larry the lawnmower will eat prepared foods now that he has eaten tons of hair algae and now there is no more

[leetch]

Based on my current stock, wouldn't adding a lawnmower blenny cause it to be overstocked and creat other problems?

[lewk]

Marine SAT worked for me to get hair algae out of my tank. Took about 3 weeks or so, but it just sorta melted away and hasn't shown up since.