MadGriff Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Hey I need advice on how to get rid of my green hair algae. Here is what Ive done so far: 1)Added clean up crew (I have 6 Banded Trochus, 2 Margaritas, 1 Emerald Crab, 1 Peppermint Shrimp) I had 3 turbos but they werent getting to the algae in the nooks and crannies in the rock 2)Removed Bioballs and all Media in center filter tank, added phosguard 3)Increased my water changes (2x 2g a week) with a recent 40% WC 4)Reduced feeding to once every three days (I only have one fish in the tank so I do not feed too much) 5)Added more live rock bringing my tank to about 15 lbs total I cant get this stuff to go away, I keep pulling the rocks out and scrubbing them and it re grows. Not sure what to do at this point. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 When I had a little of it in my 75g a long time ago, I added a Lawnmower Blenny. Not only did he do is job well, he was so cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Is it hair algae or bryopsis? +1 on the lawnmower blenny for sure, raise the Mg to at least 1500, and I think that others have suggested 3 days of darkness before but I have never tried that. The lawnmower blenny needs to be really small, maybe a coupld of inches at most, and you may have to give it away later if the tank runs out of algae. Raising the Mg might only work on bryosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Reefer Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 (edited) Sea Hare. Hey man, let me tell you what worked for me. I bought a sea hare. he ate it all in about a week . i kept him one additional week to get all the stuff i couldnt see. then i sold him because if they run out of food and die in your tank it makes a mess. here are some before and after pics. http://www.austinree...h__1#entry95792 that was three months ago and the algae never came back. He was a total machine. The only other advice i got was to get the tank parameters such that hair algae couldn't grow. I NEVER DID THAT. but it seemed like good advice. I guess if i added a new coral that had some hair algae on it , i would be susceptible to another outbreak. but is was cheep enough to buy another sea hare to clean it up BTW: he did knock over a couple of things in the tank but not much more than a large turbo snail would -Madness Edited November 20, 2010 by Mad Reefer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Sea hares are not permanant. once they eat it all you have to find them a new home. I have among other fish a Molly Miller Blenny which I got from Corpus Christi, and a Kole Tang. Between the 2 of them I never worry about any algae growth. I also have urchins. Thursday I put a hair algae covered rock in my main tank and by friday morning it was picked clean. Those guys combined with my cleaner wrasse army and a copperband hit all the bad ones and I relieve my stress level. If I ever start a tank again I will def get the useful fish before I get the pretty ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Starve it of nutrients, 3 days of darkness may kill it but it will grow back. a lawnmower may be too big for your tank, you could try a lettuce nudi though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+lewk Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Marine SAT....that stuff is magic in a bottle. Knocked out some in my tank and it's now spotless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadGriff Posted November 21, 2010 Author Share Posted November 21, 2010 Not really sure of any other ways to starve it of nutrients. I feel like that is best way to go for total elimination. I have some de nitrate that im going to try and add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OgreMkV Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 In my smaller tank, a tail spot blenny and phosphate pads does the trick for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Its a little biit of a drive for you but the Bastrop petco has a 1" long lawnmower blenny right now that is probably the perfect size for your tank, at least for a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissT Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 turbo snails, turbo snails, turbo snails. If you pull out what you can grab on to, and keep up with your water changes, they WILL do the job. I have a customer who had a forest of hair algae in her 120 gallon, and the "people" who were maintaining it before me told her it was just part of saltwater tanks.. I pulled out soccerball size amounts of it for 2 months, added 20 mexican turbos, and did frequent water changes, and there is absolutely no hair algae in her tank now. If only I could find something to eat her anthelia now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx322 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 i used a phosban reactor and added more snails after to clean up the rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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