Gha

[Little_Aquarist]

I've got a case of GHA. Granted it isn't TOO big, but I fear that it will reach that very soon. What should I do about this? I've tried scrubbing some of the rocks, and it doesn't do anything. My clean up crew isn't taking care of most of it from what I can see. Do the Blue Leg hermits eat this, and do the Nerites eat this? My nitrates and phosphates aren't traceable from what I've tested myself, and from a reliable LFS.


What should I do to rid myself of this?

-brooks

[TimH07]

asteria snails do a very nice job, i have 6 of them, and a total of 16 snails. ceriths do a great job on the sandbed as well. what skimmer are you running?

i'd steer clear of hermits if i were you, i had them and as well as they do the job, once they get a taste of your snails you'll never stop buying new ones. ever since i got rid of my hermits i've not lost a snail.

[Doodaa]

Mexican Turbo snails take care of my little patches quite rapidly.

[Little_Aquarist]

Awesome! Thanks guys. How many Turbos do you suggest? Or Astreas? If I get both, what do you recommend?


Thanks,
Brooks

[TimH07]

if i were you i'd get ceriths and nerites and surely some astreas. you have a 55 right? get like 7 of each maybe even 10. steer clear of crabs imo.

side note, those snails flip over alot and if you have sand they cant right themselves. my 6 year old does a daily flipover check for me

[zhenya]

Awesome! Thanks guys. How many Turbos do you suggest? Or Astreas? If I get both, what do you recommend?


Thanks,
Brooks

There is no guarantee that that these snail will eat all of your green hair algae. You need to locate the source that feeding your algae first, eliminate it, and then get few of the snails to help you stay on top of it.

Anyways, for a 55g tank I would try two of the larger Mexican turbo snails, they grow really big (2-3 inches) and they poop a whole lot, too...
So, you need to make sure that you have something in the system that will take care (read eat) of that added sourse of nutrients.
Hermit crabs don't really eat this algae as far as I know.
To battle hair algae you need to read up on the ways to combat it and prepare for a long battle. If you need some information sources give me a holler.

[Little_Aquarist]

Well I believe it would be from me using Tap. A RO/DI is too pricey for me to get right now... :| And it is a 75g. I've cut the light cycle down by 3 hours, and cut back on feeding.

[zhenya]

Brooks,

Can you get some filtered water from your LFS maybe? I know that some LFS sell some for a reasonable prices.
What's TDS reading on your tap water?

Oh, I think some Wal-Mart super stores sell RO/DI water in some areas. Not sure what the prices are but I've heard it is pretty cheap. Just bring your own jug for it. Worth looking into, I think.

[TimH07]

Brooks, get this Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Filter

its what i use, you have to replace the DI resin every 150ish gallons but it works great, i get 0's on my tests of the DI'd water. easy to use and replacement resin isnt really that much. trust me its waaaay better than plain tap. heck tap isnt safe for humans anymore imo with all the reports of perscription meds found in municipal waters... ugh.

if you get that, keep the water flow really slow, i find it should do 5 gallons every 30 minutes, too fast and you'll push out the resin..... and also start the flow in your sink incase any small resin balls escape... i do this into a few 5 gallon water cooler jugs and save it for top off or water changes.

[Little_Aquarist]

Awesome! I'll see if my dad can order that for me tomorrow! ^_^


And in the mean time, I'll go to Wal-Mart and buy the water for 26 cents/gal

[TimH07]

side note on that if you get it also, the top layer seperates, if you see a gap in the layers its ok, even a few air pockets are ok, just keep it at a tad more than a drip.

i do 10 gallons every week or 2.

set a timer too lol i dont know how many times ive forgotten and flooded my bathroom

[Doodaa]

There is no guarantee that that these snail will eat all of your green hair algae. You need to locate the source that feeding your algae first, eliminate it, and then get few of the snails to help you stay on top of it.

Zhenya's right, deplete the source of nutrients for the algae is most important and my snails don't eat all the algae, they just keep it down. I think they know if they eat it all, it won't grow back and they won't have anything to eat

And in the mean time, I'll go to Wal-Mart and buy the water for 26 cents/gal

That's way better than tap water, but you'll soon get sick of hauling water, so you'll buy some sort of filter

set a timer too lol i dont know how many times ive forgotten and flooded my bathroom

Ain't that the truth...I wonder who HASN'T done this