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Hair Algae Growing

So lately i have been seeing hair algae growing in my tank on the overflow and rocks too. I would like to know if hair algea is a good or bad thing that is growing on my tank. If its a bad thing what can i use to remove it from my tank. Aslo i would like to know if my tank is processing the correct way too with the hair algea growing in my tank.

Thanks
 
well, hair algae is not a good thing. u should test for phosphates and nitrates. also how much are u feeding the tank, this can cause a spike in nitrates, which can lead to the algae. reducing the amount of light can help also.
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I just went through this in the beginning of August. One thing is if the HA is long then nothing will eat it. I had to pull rocks and scrub them; I scraped the overflow and used a net to get the big pieces and siphoned the rest. After that you can add turbo snails to control it. But as the otehr post stated your nutrients are high causing the HA bloom. Good luck.
 

Sunny

NJRC Member
Article Contributor
What is your tank size? What are the water parameters? What type of ligthing? What is your feeding schedule? What type of clean-up crew?

:D. There are so many thing that could be wrong from the above. In short, turbo snails will eat it. Some tangs also eat it.

If you can answer the above questions, the answers could be more precise. And yes, as Mat said, HA is NOT a good thing..

Good luck.

Sunny
 
What is your tank size? What are the water parameters? What type of ligthing? What is your feeding schedule? What type of clean-up crew?

:D. There are so many thing that could be wrong from the above. In short, turbo snails will eat it. Some tangs also eat it.

If you can answer the above questions, the answers could be more precise. And yes, as Mat said, HA is NOT a good thing..

Good luck.

Sunny
Its a 55G but i feed 2 times a day morning before i leave to work and when i come back home. Im using the 216 watts T5 the odessy one. As for cleaning or some what i cleaning crew i have is 20 nassurel snails 1 turbo snail 5-7 hermit crabs. Btw what kind of tangs will eat the hair algea. For water levels i havent checked since the first week on September.
 
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Sunny

NJRC Member
Article Contributor
My yellow and purple both eat hair algae. However not enough to control an outbreak.

Please post you water parameters. You should check them weekly if not more often.
 
Hair algae.... Welcome to the hobby ! Manually remove as much as u can, big water changes, get more turbos, and maybe a seahare.
 
Hair algae is fairly common unfortunately. I once purchased a clean up crew and no joke there was hair algae growing on my astrea snail. :p

In my opinion hair algae can get gross when super long, but at least there are SOME things that will eat it (mexican turbos). But eating the stuff only controls the symptoms and does not address the root cause. If the tank is 5 months old - it's still relatively new and probably leaching nutrients from the LR/LS. Or is your tank bare bottom?

You mentioned a 55 gallon RR tank. Do you have a skimmer, if so what type/size? How often are you performing water changes? what are the contents/bio load of the tank currently?

Either the environment (live rock/ls) is providing the fuel, or the fish are, or you simply do not have enough macro algae that is outcompeting the HA. Or your skimmer/water changes are insufficient to keep up. At 5 months though the tank is still maturing so it could be anyone's guess.
 
Hair algae is fairly common unfortunately. I once purchased a clean up crew and no joke there was hair algae growing on my astrea snail. :p

In my opinion hair algae can get gross when super long, but at least there are SOME things that will eat it (mexican turbos). But eating the stuff only controls the symptoms and does not address the root cause. If the tank is 5 months old - it's still relatively new and probably leaching nutrients from the LR/LS. Or is your tank bare bottom?

You mentioned a 55 gallon RR tank. Do you have a skimmer, if so what type/size? How often are you performing water changes? what are the contents/bio load of the tank currently?

Either the environment (live rock/ls) is providing the fuel, or the fish are, or you simply do not have enough macro algae that is outcompeting the HA. Or your skimmer/water changes are insufficient to keep up. At 5 months though the tank is still maturing so it could be anyone's guess.

I am running a Sea Clone skimmer rated up to 100G but i will upgrade to a coralife skimmer soon. As for water changes i do them every 3 weeks and take out 5G of water. But will 5-7 mexican turbo snails work for my tank? The rocks i got them from reef cleaners and i have one big rock that my friend gave me before it startef to purple up already. Btw happy birthday 
 
There's your problem - the sea clone is probably under powered. It's one of the original manufacturers to get folks into the hobby on skimming. Some people (after heavy modification) can get them to work - maybe you could find something on youtube to guide you there. But other people swear the thing is a piece of junk.

My advice would be to get the improved skimmer, add a few snails ( your crew is just the nass snails, hermits and single turbo = astrea snail?) like the mexican turbo. I wish i knew you needed one - i would have given you mine because mine ran out of food to eat....it went to snail heaven.
 
There's your problem - the sea clone is probably under powered. It's one of the original manufacturers to get folks into the hobby on skimming. Some people (after heavy modification) can get them to work - maybe you could find something on youtube to guide you there. But other people swear the thing is a piece of junk.

My advice would be to get the improved skimmer, add a few snails ( your crew is just the nass snails, hermits and single turbo = astrea snail?) like the mexican turbo. I wish i knew you needed one - i would have given you mine because mine ran out of food to eat....it went to snail heaven.

Correct thats what i have. But lately my turbo snail as been hanging on the bottom right corner. He use to be all around my tank cleaning. But is that normal for turbo snail to do? Its been on the same spot for 1 month already.
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I bought several turbos and a sea hare. They ate some but stopped most likely because the HA was to long. IMO if it's long no one will want to eat it.
Also, I believe Reef central has some info on how to mod that skimmer.
 

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
You really should be doing weekly water changes, that is also adding to your problems. You have an under powered skimmer that is not pulling enough out of the water and too few water changes which is leading to high nitrates and phosphates which is leading to your hair algae problem. Hair algae is more the symptom then the actual problem. Hair algae feeds on three things: light phosphates and nitrates. You have to have the lights on so you need to cut down the other 2. BTW, how long do you run the lights for and do you have any coral in the tank so far? If you have no corals you can just black your tank out for a few days and see how that works.

Another thing to consider is flow, if you do not have enough flow then detritus is going to settle on your rocks and become areas for the hair algae to flow. A lot of people will use a turkey baster to blast their rock work before they do water changes to get the detritus out of their tanks.

Clean up crew is necessary in every tank but you have to take notice to what the little critters eat. I love nassarius snails but their sole function is to eat detritus that settles and by burrowing in your sand bed help your sand bed out. However, they will not eat algae like other snails do. Having one turbo/astrea snail is not going to do anything for your algae problem. The mexican turbos will work (so will a sea hare) on short hair algae but again you are just curing a symptom not correcting the actual problem.
 
I bought several turbos and a sea hare. They ate some but stopped most likely because the HA was to long. IMO if it's long no one will want to eat it.
Also, I believe Reef central has some info on how to mod that skimmer.

the H/A isn't that big its just a small cotton ball not even one inch.
 
You really should be doing weekly water changes, that is also adding to your problems. You have an under powered skimmer that is not pulling enough out of the water and too few water changes which is leading to high nitrates and phosphates which is leading to your hair algae problem. Hair algae is more the symptom then the actual problem. Hair algae feeds on three things: light phosphates and nitrates. You have to have the lights on so you need to cut down the other 2. BTW, how long do you run the lights for and do you have any coral in the tank so far? If you have no corals you can just black your tank out for a few days and see how that works.

Another thing to consider is flow, if you do not have enough flow then detritus is going to settle on your rocks and become areas for the hair algae to flow. A lot of people will use a turkey baster to blast their rock work before they do water changes to get the detritus out of their tanks.

Clean up crew is necessary in every tank but you have to take notice to what the little critters eat. I love nassarius snails but their sole function is to eat detritus that settles and by burrowing in your sand bed help your sand bed out. However, they will not eat algae like other snails do. Having one turbo/astrea snail is not going to do anything for your algae problem. The mexican turbos will work (so will a sea hare) on short hair algae but again you are just curing a symptom not correcting the actual problem.

right now my tank is only a fish only no corals at the moment. cut down which other 2 lights?
 

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
I meant cut down on phosphates and nitrates not the other two lights. You could turn off your lights for 2 days which would also help. Again, though this does not cut down on your phosphates or nitrates. Have you tested for either recently?
 
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR WATER? do you make it yourself or get it from a lfs ? for me I like to know what tds reading I get before even mixing salt. With LRFO tank the type of salt is not an issue. i AGREE with matt your skimmer sucks so does the one you want to upgrade to thats fine if you do weekly water changes. make it easier and at least get a smaller reef octopus. But think long term about what your ultimate goals are with your purchases.
Most of us have a section in our garages of equipment we bought and never use again. no I dont have an extra skimmer.
 
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