Severe hair algae problem

Help!!!
I am completely overrun with hair algae. I have tried adding snails and crabs, doing frequent water changes. My water chemistry is good. This tank has been set up since March 2003, however, in October 2004 we moved and had to tear the tank down and set it back up. Since then the hair algae has been a terrible problem. I am at my wits end. As we speak my husband is ordering new membranes for our RO filter and also is getting a DI filter to add to our RO system. Other than tossing the entire tanik (which I am tempted to do because I can't enjoy it anyway), what can I do???
I maintain my tank now just like I did before I moved. We are on a different water system, in the same city, maybe this is having an effect???? Any suggestions would be welcome because I really love my tank when I can see it.
Thanks,
Leesa

 

um well...using a phosphate buffer should help... maybe keeping the lights on less...some hermits will nibble on the hairy stuff but...ive had some trouble...somtimes the mexican turbo will do the trick but...in my case...they ate the algae in my reef but not in my clown breeder so...hope this helps

 

Hi Leesa!

I don't know about phosphate buffer, perhaps Bruce meant phosphate remover...??

It seems like with the move, your tank is going through a new cycle. In time, the hair algae should subside with good water quality. Also, I had the same problem but it was worse (and actually started) in an area of my tank that got direct sunlight in the AM...so you could check that.

If it really bothers you, and you have room for a small bristletooth tang, if you like them and they are compatible with what else you have, they do an excellent job.

I have a Cheveron tang and no algae is safe in my tank! Kole tangs are nice as well and run about $30.

Hope this helps! Hang in there!!!

 

Hi Leesa:

I am going through the same thing that you are with my 55 gallon. I even went as far as removing all 90 pounds of liverock and scrubbed all the algea off with a wire brush. I alsoordered more DI rezin for the RO unit. All this and I took out my halides and installed VHO lighting for the near future. It looks like a reef again. Like Birdlady said the algea should subside with time giving good water quality but if you cant wait it out pull the rock and remove the stuff manually. Be sure to remove any that has broken away from the rocks because this can just grow wherever it lands, and if it does die in the tank it will leach out whatever nutriants it used to grow and this will just feed what is still on the rocks. I would get some good activated carbon or some chemi-pure to run in your filter as well as some poly-pad media to suck out the phosphate. If you can, install a refugium to house some macro algea. It will use all the fuel feeding your hair algea.

Here is a link to some more good info on the matter

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algeatrcontfaqs.htm

Good luck....and dont throw out the tank...just work on it and it will come back into shape.

Jay

 

ya i mean phosphate remover

 

yes I had the same problem too,I put in some scarlet hermit crabs and phosphate remover and in 2 weeks all gone. and the hermits keep it that way.

 

Leesa why dont you tell us a little about your tank. Do you have a DSB, if so did you move it and how, have you done Phosphate tests. Let us know so we can dig to the root of the problem.


MIke