Trying to help a Friend w/ Hair Algae problem

Sounds like he has no interest in maintaining it or spend any money on it. Try to convince him to tear it down.

If he refuses and insists he will maintain it then:
1. switch him to RO/DI water with some big water changes. I'm assuming he isn't using it already.
2. Change out the CC for sand.
3. Manually remove as much algae as you can.
4. Get a lawmower blenny.
5. Reduce feetings.
6. Reduce lighting and, if the bulbs are old, change them.

 

i turn my lights off for 3 days a month to keep algae down but during that 3 days i skim hard and feed cyclopeeze every day .kinda like a storm is over top

 

Thanks for all the tips on getting rid of GHA... I'm working on that. Stupid Zeovit.. dosed 1/4 of what it suggested and before I knew it I had the algae. Frequent water changes, turbo snails, chemipure media and rock scrubs where I can manage is bringing it down.

 

yea maybe I should convince him to tear it down & give me his livestock haha but I told him he needs to get rid of that stupid eel goby and get rid of the crushed coral, do a big water change, manually remove all the GHA and clean the crap out of all his equipment and most of all get a Phos-ban reactor. The worst part I forgot to mention was that he got talked into some reef supplements like calcium, strontium, etc. and I know he doesn't know exactly what he is doing and I guarantee it that he over dosed even though I told him he doesn't need any of those for the way his tank is now and I havent seen the tank look this bad since for a few years. I consider it a disaster =(

 

you think this is bad? you shouldve seen my tank, this is just a front lawn compared to my forest!! honestly i tried all that, cutting down lights and clean up crew and emerald crab and stuff and none of it seemed to make difference in my tank. i bought a sea hare and in a week it was clean no joke. if your friend doesnt have the time then he should seriously consider tearing it down. i just hit my one year mark and im happy to say im algae free. sea hare saves lives.....

 

yea i know...maybe i can try to talk him into taking all the right steps and get a sea hare as well