hair algae mega problem

[120gallons]

Remove what you can by scrubbing the rocks. Do water changes. Be patient. Phosban reactor will help if you have a phosphate problem.

[G-Boy]

well, i have been fighting that stuff for about a year now, have done everything to try and stop it. NO light for about 2 weeks, new bulbs, sea hair x 2 (both died), scrubbing and rinsing rock, no feeding AT ALL for about 3 weeks, yellow tang, kole tang (died), foxface rabbit fish x2 (died), new filter (wet dry), changed out a remora aqua c to a remora pro. have been doing weekly water changes for about 7 months. Is getting better now, but only running white lights about 2 hours a day. I have found that it is very important to get your alk to the upper limits to help battle it and keep it from comming back. Another thing that I have never heard before is that pods are very important to keeping the hair algae in check, which just so happens to be what i have been missing in my tank for over a year now. As soon as I find a source I will let you know if that helps me in my battle. The best of luck to you and your fight. It will soon become a quest.

[reef_guru]

are you using ro/di water? if not, it would help
suggestion, remove all that you can by hand, introduce a phosphate/charocoal reactor, and possibly a water change. the nutrients are coming from somewhere, how much do you feed the tank and with what?
how is your system set up?

[phoenixhieghts]

I dont have a phosphate reactor - so i put rowaphos in my filters, removes all the phospahtes out which is a main food for algae. I think you should check the nitrates too as these can also cause algae blooms

[argan]

Seahares rule!!! got mine for $26 bucks and cleaned every inch of hair algea in 2 weeks in my 55g.

[omard]

Originally Posted by argan

Seahares rule!!! got mine for $26 bucks and cleaned every inch of hair algea in 2 weeks in my 55g.

How did hare do after eating up all algea?

[Tangster]

I think the single most common thread I have ever seen with a F/O or predator tank is this hair algae problem.. I have seen them a million times all covered with the waving green waves of hair .

First place is to look at water parameters .. Most let the carbonates and ca slip in this type of system as they feel fish from a reef do not require the same water they where taken from in the wild.. The acids and DOC's build up and Nitrates get high and there is never enough carbonates to reduce the acids.

1. Get the carbonates up to 14 dkh and calcium to at least 300 to 350 minimum then you will see some recession of the algae as you remove some if the food it needs to live.

2. Check the nitrates get a coil denitrater and get them down I bet they are off the charts
3. Phosphates also is a food source as already mentioned get a reactor or media bag full and lower them..
4. Carbon and a damn good skimmer are a must and a simple cannister filter won't do much for theses problems .
5. Temps are a great source to spur algae growth may want to keep an eye on the temps of the water.

But put one or more of these elements together in a fish tank and you will have the perfect algae storm.. Just because reef animals can adapt to a lesser quality of water the algaes will adapt to the water faster.. You have to berak the algaes food chain..

[gazog]

Originally Posted by G-Boy

well, i have been fighting that stuff for about a year now, have done everything to try and stop it. NO light for about 2 weeks, new bulbs, sea hair x 2 (both died), scrubbing and rinsing rock, no feeding AT ALL for about 3 weeks, yellow tang, kole tang (died), foxface rabbit fish x2 (died), new filter (wet dry), changed out a remora aqua c to a remora pro. have been doing weekly water changes for about 7 months. Is getting better now, but only running white lights about 2 hours a day. I have found that it is very important to get your alk to the upper limits to help battle it and keep it from comming back. Another thing that I have never heard before is that pods are very important to keeping the hair algae in check, which just so happens to be what i have been missing in my tank for over a year now. As soon as I find a source I will let you know if that helps me in my battle. The best of luck to you and your fight. It will soon become a quest.

I have actually bought POD's from this seller, they sell 2 types - Live Copepod Culture or Tank Raised Copepods and Amphipods I bought 2 bottles and haven't had to anymore since and my tanks are loaded with them.

[mandarin11]

Wow, I can't believe it's been 3 months since I posted this thread and it's still getting replies! Well, I figured that I would give a little update on the tank. We discovered that it's actually a 135 not a 180. I declared war on it while I was staying with my parents and bro over Christmas break.

I did a 50% water change and scrubbed half the rocks off since I didn't want to destroy all the bacteria in the tank. (Playing "where's the eel's mouth?" with your parents is so much fun when you reach into a predator tank and can't see inside. Seriously we named the eel Voldemort for a reason ) We had the water tested and while the nitrates were better they were still horrible. I don't believe I've ever seen that particular shade of magenta on a test strip before.

We waited 2 days and then I decided it was time to break out the big guns. Yes, the brand new RODI I got for Christmas for my 55 reef tank made its appearance, and 50 gallons of RODI and a few of treated tap water later we were doing another 50% water change. I officially hate seeing bags of salt now. This time the rest of the rocks got cleaned. The prefilter sponge in the overflow was rinsed , the filter pad in the wet/dry changed, carbon added, and since it had to be done (you'll want to sit for this cuz half of you will faint) the bio balls were removed, sprayed with a hose, and tossed back in. I know, the bacteria. I'm hoping some survived since the balls weren't out of the sump to long. We did add enough biozyme to treat a 500 gallon tank to give it a boost. Frankly, it was a necessary evil because the balls were caked in fish gunk so they were only helping the "nitrate factory" at this point.

Now the tank is sparkling clear with hardly any hair algae. The water params are being watched closely and it's only that eel and the grouper in there still. We won't add anything until the bacteria can build up again. I have a hunch that my mother is going to inform my bro that the tank is hers now, since he doesn't take care of it anyways, and just let me set it up for her with new lighting, lots of live rock, and an appropriate bioload of pretty fish and tiny inverts that Voldemort (the zebra moray) won't notice and try to eat. The grouper will go back to the store since he would be aggressive to other fish, but dear old Voldy can stay since he ignores fish. (And he's like a family member now anyways. Whenever me or my mom come home we always great him. [Come on, like none of you great your fish!])

[baugherb]

Sounds like you got it figured out.. Congrats....