My battle against hair algae . . . . .

[dsp78213]

OK, so I am new to this saltwater stuff and I have a problem with hair algae. After reading post after post after post on RC about the subject I decided to attack this problem on several fronts.

Here are a few pics of the problem taken tonight (11.22) (from left to right in my tank)

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/55871algae.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/55871algae2.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/55871algae3.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/55871algae4.jpg

First, why is it a problem in the first place (listen fellow noobies). Here is my assessment:

1) I used tap water at the beginning. OK, there are several people who have used tap and everything is fine. I used tap and it isn't.

2) I got lazy on the water changes. At first, I was like clock work. I need to get back on that schedule and stay on it for a while. I have actually let three weeks go by with no change. Now, you might be able to get away with that if your other husbandry skills are superb; mine, however, are not, yet.

3) My params got out of whack - likely due to the two aforementioned problems. Anyway, at the outset of this battle, I did some tests. Here were the results:

Amm - 0 ppm
NO2 - 0 ppm
NO3 - .5 ppm uh-huh
PO4 - 1 ppm ouch
Si - 0 ppm
dKH - 6.7 ouch
Ca - 490 hmmmmmmmm.
PH - didn't test :rolleyes:

4) I have some murderous Mantis in the tank. They have offed several snails and hermits. :uzi:

5) Other factors - I use a filter sock and don't change it enough.

6) I might have an undersized skimmer. I have a Euroreef ES5-2 rated for upto 75g), but my total volume is close to if not slightly above 70g so that's kinda close. But I had space issues in my stand sooooooooo . . . . not sure what I can do here.

7) I had my lights on for about 10 hours a day. There are still new but that's too long.

Sooooooooooo, next I'll start to document what I am doing to fix this problem. I hope my success or failure, will help you out.

I am open to suggestions as I go through this ordeal. So post away.

Jim

[bertoni]

If your tank is still fairly new, the problem might subside on its own.

This article (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm) is a good reference. It's about nitrate issues, but the ideas are good to try for hair algae, too.

I beat hair algae by tuning my feeding rate, adding Chaetomorpha, and doing some hand-harvesting.

[dsp78213]

So here are my first steps into battle:

1) I got a phosban reactor:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=68774&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

I put it on the tank Friday and the PO4 is now undetectable using a Salifert test.

2) I also got some carbon and will run it 24/7 starting tomorrow.

3) I used some Kent superbuffer and got the dKH up to 8 this afternoon. I will add more tomorrow. When I get it and the Ca in balance, I have some b-Ionic ready to go.

4) I cut the time my lights are going to be on down to 8 hours.

5) I did some harvesting tonight. Here is the result of my attempt tonight:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/55871harvest11-22.jpg

I plan on doing this daily for a while.

6) I have ordered some cheato for my little fuge. It should be here in a couple of days.

7) I have around 6 gallons of water ready for a change tomorrow.

That's a start. I'll post some updates soon.

Jim

[dsp78213]

My tank is still very new and this outbreak didn't suprise me, especially I since I had let some things slip.

I have read that story several times. Thanks for pointing it out. I have done a lot of reading on here and it has really helped me figure out the sources of the problems.


I beat hair algae by tuning my feeding rate, adding Chaetomorpha, and doing some hand-harvesting. [/B]

This is exactly what I have planned to do.

Thanks

Jim

[GPB]

I liked your pictures. I am curious if anyone knows what kind of caulerpa that is in the picture . I have the same stuff. Mine came on rock from Gulfview.

PS: A Lawnmower blenny is a cool little fish that can reach alge in spots that you can't. Helped me out a lot.

[anthworks]

Do you have TBS Live Rock?

[Adonis Mt]

I wouldn't worry too much about the "Rating" of a skimmer. They're truly dependant on the bio load on the tank, not the size of the tank itself. You could use a skimmer rated for 50g tank on a 150g if it only had one small fish in it.

[nepuck]

I fought hair algae for years, went bare bottom and have not had a problem since.

[Brain Finger]

do you have enough water movement? How bout some RO/DI water

[dsp78213]

Originally posted by anthworks
Do you have TBS Live Rock?

Yep the rock is TBS.

Jim

[dsp78213]

Originally posted by Brain Finger
do you have enough water movement? How bout some RO/DI water

Well, I have asked that question. Here is what I have in the tank.

2 SEIO 620s - rated at 620 gph
1 MJ900 - rated at 230 gph
1 Mag7 return pump with 3ft head = around 500 gph

So that's 1970gph in a 55g tank (35X).

I think that in terms of numbers, its good flow. Now are they set up to avoid dead spots in the tank? I think so.

How does it sound to you??

EDIT: I do use RO/DI water now, but not always. I listed that as one of the problems in my first post.

Jim

[dsp78213]

well, just did another test (i hour after lights out):

dKH - 7.4
Ca - ~500
pH - 8.0

Still no PO4 and very little NO3.

Jim

[hopper]

I don't have hair algae near as bad as you but I have been hand harvesting the little bit that gets big enough to harvest in my tank. I scrub my rocks anywhere I think it looks like hair algae is tryiing to grow every day. This is done on a daily basis because I think this is a problem that has to be met head-on. I didn't change anything else and I am keeping it in check but I just can't get completely rid of it. Keep doing what you are doing with the harvesting and scrub the rocks. It will eventually go away IMO. You just have to be willing to make this an every day project.

[migston]

I had the same problem with hair algae and am finally getting it under control. I tried everything from more frequent water changes to shorter light periods to even starving my fish. None of it worked despite the fact that I had a refugium with chaeto.

When I finally got my RO/DI working, everything improved drastically. It took a little while before I noticed a change but once it started, it was drastic. If you just recently switched to RO/DI, then give it a month and things should improve.

Till then, keep hand harvesting. Heh.

[collectforkids]

I had huge hair algae problem until about 3 days ago when my lawnmower blenny made his entrance. WOW! This dude can eat! His little belly is twice the size it was when he went in and the algae, most of which was over an inch long, some over 2 inches, is now either gone or "mowed" down to a 1/4 inch or so. The little guy is my hero. New regal tang introduced at the same time is also quiet the little algae eater.

[dsp78213]

I love my LMB but he doesn't touch the stuff. He just swims around and "kisses" the rock and the walls. Then swims into a hollow rock and perches himself in the hole and watches the tank.

He's our favorite fish, but I wish he would learn to love the hair algae.

Jim

Originally posted by collectforkids
I had huge hair algae problem until about 3 days ago when my lawnmower blenny made his entrance. WOW! This dude can eat! His little belly is twice the size it was when he went in and the algae, most of which was over an inch long, some over 2 inches, is now either gone or "mowed" down to a 1/4 inch or so. The little guy is my hero. New regal tang introduced at the same time is also quiet the little algae eater.

[salmon alley]

I am curious if anyone knows what kind of caulerpa that is in the picture


Looks like Caulerpa racemosa to me, and my advice to you would be: GET IT OUT OF YOUR DISPLAY TANK ASAP

The stuff will grow like a weed and can become quite invasive. In addition, it contains noxious substances which may inhibit coral growth.

Just my .02

SA

[dsp78213]

Originally posted by salmon alley
Looks like Caulerpa racemosa to me, and my advice to you would be: GET IT OUT OF YOUR DISPLAY TANK ASAP

I am pulling it out also. It does grow VERY fast.

Jim

[dsp78213]

Water Params 11.24.04

pH - > 8.0, but < 8.3
dKH - 11.2
Ca - 465

NO3 - .05 ppm
PO4 - .05 ppm
Si - 0 ppm

So the alk and Ca numbers look better, but I am not sure what to think of the NO3 and PO4. They were very light on the test kit and I am being conservative on my readings. But using PhosBan, I am surprised by my PO4 reading.

Will do water change tomorrow.

Jim

[R33f3r]

Kole tangs will DEVOUR it, but a 55 is pretty small for any tang IMO. Dolabella sea hares will devour it as well.

[dsp78213]

Originally posted by R33f3r
Kole tangs will DEVOUR it, but a 55 is pretty small for any tang IMO. Dolabella sea hares will devour it as well.

What about the "tropical sea hare" Aplysia dactylomela or "sea rabbit?"

I can't seem to find the Dolabella anywhere?

Jim

[Ira NZ]

Wait...Wait...You call that a hair algae problem? Hahahahaha, I'd love to have that "Bad" of a problem. My tank, every square inch of rock except what's covered by corals is covered by an inch or so of hair algae. And this is with undetectable nitrates and phosphates. The back of the tank is also covered with hair algae, the overflow's teeth are getting clogged, my corals are being smothered...

[dsp78213]

Well, its bad enough for me. How do you hope to solve your problem?

Do you run a fuge?

Jim

Originally posted by Ira NZ
Wait...Wait...You call that a hair algae problem? Hahahahaha, I'd love to have that "Bad" of a problem. My tank, every square inch of rock except what's covered by corals is covered by an inch or so of hair algae. And this is with undetectable nitrates and phosphates. The back of the tank is also covered with hair algae, the overflow's teeth are getting clogged, my corals are being smothered...

[baz]

I introduced turbo snails in my tank and those suckers ate everything except the bubble algae!

I would get at least one!

Baz

[Ira NZ]

Yeah, I've got a fuge, but at the moment it's only got scraps of 3-4 different types of macroalgae that's slowly growing, it's all I could get. So, I've got phosphate absorber, a lawnmober blenny, a yellow tang and my skimmer trying to get rid of it, it's not doing any good.

[dsp78213]

Are you talking about the big guys that roam around the tank knocking everything over :-)? I have about 20 astrea "turbo" snails.

I do probably need one.

Jim

Originally posted by baz
I introduced turbo snails in my tank and those suckers ate everything except the bubble algae!

I would get at least one!

Baz

[baz]

yes if not secure the ywill knock over some stuff but its worht the hassle to be algae free IMO.

Baz

[dutchone]

I started my 75 gallon reef tank about 18 months ago. I have a 10 gallon refugium that I started the day the live rock went in. I added my algae attack critters about a week later and NEVER had the slightest algae until about a month ago. Due to the fact that I never had any algae a good portion of my attack pack had died/starved. I use only RO/DI H2O and it was red hair algae I developed. Mind you also I have NEVER done a H2O change, and only added Kalk every once in a while. My corals have grown like weeds, and I only give them Cyclop-ez every once in a while.

So, my first thought was I need more attack crew. So, I ordered a new batch - didn't help, and the red hair algae was getting worse. I ran a couple of days with the lights off - no good. Finally in desperation I ordered Chemi-Clean. Dosed it one time. After two days I didn't notice anything, so I did not do a H2O change. Talked to a guy here on RC and he said my MH bulb might have lost it's white intensity since it was over a year old. Made sense. I was putting off doing anything extra to my 75 because I am in the middle of setting up my new 185 to take it's place.

So, I had a new MH bulb (6500K like the other) next day aired, and after a couple of days the algae started to disappear. Now it is completely gone, tank looks great again, corals all happy, fish too. I still never did a H2O change. Probably never will. My parameters have always been perfect, every time I have ever checked. And when I do I check DKH, PH, salinity, Nitrite, nitrate, calcium, phosphate, amonia, and TDS of my RO and RO/DI H2O.

Maybe my case is strange. I would most certainly do H2O changes if things weren't so great. Never have had ICK, but I did quarantine my flame angel and white cheek tang. My corals have all grown like weeds, all of them. The only thing I test for more that once in a blue moon is calcium, so I can make sure it's not being depleted. The corals mostly get fed from the pods in the fuge, and the cyclop-ez.

Since my Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have always been zero, and everything flourishes, I don't believe in this "must do H2O changes religiously" idea. I'm proof. I do have a crappy HO skimmer that I run every once in a while.

Now I have a calcium reactor and a really good skimmer for my 185. If everything goes as good as it had in this tank I might never do H2O changes then either. Anyway, just thought I would share my one and only algae experience and what I did about it. Now, I am not recommending for people to stop doing H2O changes. I'm still a newbie, but it has worked for me.

Craig

[R33f3r]

Originally posted by dsp78213
What about the "tropical sea hare" Aplysia dactylomela or "sea rabbit?"

I can't seem to find the Dolabella anywhere?

Jim

www.blowfishaquatics.com sells them.

[dsp78213]

Cool. I think I might get one.

I did place some of the big turbos in the tank and they have started to realy clean off the really short stuff.

Jim

Originally posted by R33f3r
www.blowfishaquatics.com sells them.

[baz]

Trust me they will get around to eating it all!!

[dsp78213]

Here are some of the water params for the last week. I am pretty much testing every day to get a good idea of how my tank reacts to additives, so here goes:

11.29
pH 8.3
dKH 9.0
Ca 470

added 1 "level spoonfull" around two teaspoons of Kent Superbuffer

11.30
pH 8.3
dKH 9.3
Ca 460

added 1 spoonfull of superbuffer
added 10 small turbos - I know that's a lot, but I'll scoop em out and give em to friends when they get the algae thing taken care of.

12.1
pH 8.3
dKH 10.2
Ca 430
NO3 .2 ppm
PO4 .03 ppm

added pods/cheato and 1 spoonfull of superbuffer

12.2
pH <8.3 - color hard to judge on the Salifert test
dKH 10.2 - hmmmmmm same
Ca 430 ppm - hmmmmmmm same
NO3 .2 ppm
PO4 .03 ppm

Rocks look a little cleaner, but there is still a lot of hair algae and the hint of red slime (not ready to nuke tank with chemi-clean just yet).

Skimmer has been pretty active the last couple of days - pulling out a full cup load of very wet skimmate. Tonight, not so much????

Will take pictures after the fuge has been up for a little while.

I am a little frustrated with the PO4 reading. The Phosban reactor has brought the level way down, but I am surprised at the constant level.

as always, HTH

Jim

[mickey57]

...Blowfish wants $50 for shipping:lol: Not for me:lol:
................Mickey..................

[dsp78213]

:eek1: :eek1: :eek1: Didn't see that part.:eek1: :eek1: :eek1:

Jim



Originally posted by mickey57
...Blowfish wants $50 for shipping:lol: Not for me:lol:
................Mickey..................

[dsp78213]

Well, its been over a week since my last "update" and I am officially ticked off :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: .

I have started dosing B-ionic to stabalize my Alk and Ca. readings so that part has been fixed.

Now I have a cyno outbreak as well as the hair algae. I am stumped. I have hand picked, cut down feeding, got some cheato and still no real change in the hair.

I have adjusted the PHs in the tank for the slime: no effect.

I have all but gotten rid of the C. rasemosa from the display so that's better but hte hair and now the red slime is coming.

I get only trace readings of NO3 and PO4 and no Si.

I don't get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Jim :furious: :furious: :furious: