Green hair algae control

[Leetch]

I have a 29 gal reef tank with a fair amount of green hair algae growing mainly on 1 rock. There are small tufts on other rocks but nothing that's significant. I've been plucking it on a weekly basis for a while now but it's definately a losing battle.

I've employed the crew of 6 red legged hermits but they seem to be pretty disinterested in the hair algae. I know there's no way of avoiding green algae but I also don't want to let it get out of control.

The tank has a stock of the following:

1 pair or mated false percs (approx 3.5 inches of fish)
1 tailspot blenny (approx 1.5 inches) who seems to only like meaty foods
1 female blue reef chromi (she's the queen of that tank - approx 1.5 inches)
1 Yasha Goby with his little pistol shrimp friend (Goby approx 1.5 inches) - neither of which eat vegetables either
about 15 assorted snails from large turbos to those small buggers that love to hide in the sand
approx 8 crabs (6 red legged and 2 blue legged)

Total approx 8 inches (probably closer to 10 inches) of fish who will eventually grow to around 12 inches or more....hopefully will be moving to a 55 gal tank by then.

Is it possible to add the services of a lawnmower blenny or some other small algae eater or do you think at this point it would create a problem with overstocking and the waste would just create other problems?

Are there other alternatives anyone can think of other than keeping the tank dark for a few days. I don't want to remove the rock with the biggest problem as it serves as the home for the Goby and his buddy the pistol shrimp.

Other tank info:

2 hob filters - 1 has the chemical and sponge media, the other serves as my fuge for my chaeto since I don't have room for a sump.

1 skimmer

T5 4 bulb 96 watt lighting

2 powerheads one Seio prop 320 and a Seio prop 530 on opposite sides of the tank (closer to the surface to create more movement and downdrafting in the tank.

There sand is clear of any algae or cyano. I had a cyano problem a while back the adding the chaeto hob filter-fuge worked wonders. I generally feed 2 small portions a day and the lights start at 9 am for 1 hour of the blue, then from 10-7 with full spectrum then back to 1 hour of blue from 7-8pm then off. The bulbs in the lights are brand new so they aren't the problem.

Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated.

Ph 8.4
Ammonia undetectable
Nitrite undetectable
Nitrate less than 10
Alkalinity 3.5
Gravity 1.026

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

What type of source water do you use ( ro/di, ro, Tap, etc...)? How about water changes? How much and how often? Do you test for phosphates?

[reeferbill]

Hi Leetch; I always have problems with tanks smaller than 75 gallons, now I have a 46 bow and a 38 gallon refugium that is running great. Before I added the refugium I had a bad case of hair algea, I took all the rock out did 10 full water changes , once /week while the rock was in the dark with a powerhead and air stone. When the phosphates were a zero reading I returned the rock to the display. I also added a Two Little Fishes Phosban reactor a skimmer and and the refugium with cheato algea. It sounds like you can get things under controll if you do weekly 20 percent water changes and scub off any hair algea with a scrub brush or tooth brush thoroughly before every water change until it is gone. A Phosban Reactor will control phosphates. Happy Reefing! P.S. I would not add anymore fish it just create a larger bio-load on your system.

[Leetch]

I haven't tested the phosphates in a few weeks, it was undetectable last I checked which was right after I added the chaeto to control my cyano. The cyano is all gone now and no threat of coming back but has been replaced by the green hair.

I use NSW from my LFS which has been filtered and sent through UV sterilization as well. I perform 5 gallon changes every 2 weeks and could step it up if necessary. I guess I'll have to perform more water changes more often and maybe even go dark on the tank for a few days.

I want to avoid removing the rock and creating a larger disturbance in the tank than necessary. I'll scrub away and do water changes and hope it works. Thanks for the feedback.

P.S. - I'll check out the phosphate reactor but I already have enough stuff hanging in and off the tank since I don't have room for a sump.

[Original Fin]

I'm also leaning towards source water. Your water changes seem ok. It couldn't hurt to step it up to 5 gals weekly.

You can't get any better than NSW, assuming it's collected well offshore and away from pollution and dilution of river deltas and storm runoff.
Unfortunately, unless you do the collecting, you don't really know for sure what you're getting. They could collect it close to shore. They could be transferring it/storing it in unclean vessels. Their UV bulbs may be worn out. There's a whole bunch of stuff that's out of your hands. An RODI would be a prudent investment IMO, and it would save you $$ in the long run.

[Original Fin]

San Diego isn't exactly a polution free seacoast. You'd have to get pretty far offshore.

[Leetch]

San Diego isn't exactly a polution free seacoast. You'd have to get pretty far offshore.

Hehe yeah, I know. The water is actually from Los Angeles and it's piped in from a mile offshore, then goes through the filtering and UV process before being shipped down to my LFS.

[Leetch]

I'm also leaning towards source water. Your water changes seem ok. It couldn't hurt to step it up to 5 gals weekly.

You can't get any better than NSW, assuming it's collected well offshore and away from pollution and dilution of river deltas and storm runoff.
Unfortunately, unless you do the collecting, you don't really know for sure what you're getting. They could collect it close to shore. They could be transferring it/storing it in unclean vessels. Their UV bulbs may be worn out. There's a whole bunch of stuff that's out of your hands. An RODI would be a prudent investment IMO, and it would save you $$ in the long run.

Agreed - I think eventually I will get a RO/DI system - just haven't had the $$ to commit to it quite yet.

[jshoota]

Yeah, Yeah, we all know the optimum way to control pollution and hair algae is constant water changes. But, who really wants to do that? Honestly, I had my tank for 5 years now (pretty broken in) and everyone is healthy. Got Green carpet anemone since I put it up the tank. I have 4 clowns, 1 (big) royal gramma, 1 pigmy angel...blah blah blah, pretty much 15 fish, 2 cleaner shrimp, and cleanup crew.
The point is, was starting to get green hair algae problem that I saw coming but didn't get in control quickly enough. YES, I procrastinated.
Okay Okay, I have bio-overload. BUT, things are happy, corals are flourishing, fish are beautiful, corals are flourishing and spreading! JUST THE DAMN GREEN HAIR ALGAE!
I'm talkin' clumps, in which i let grow on purpose, so it was easier to pull off.
Tried phosphate pads and special "beady type" reducers, nitrate reducers, toothbrushed the damn stuff, bought, fox-face(BIG DEAL), tang (SO WHAT), and NOTHING! I have read and tried what others said worked, and got nothing.
Started to do water changes (WHAT?!) and couldn't change often enough to control nitrate and/or phosphate levels. (you don't want to know the levels either).
Sooo, I noticed I was lacking some cleanup crew.
I Bought 10 large turbo snails and 10 small blue legged hermits.
TA-DAH!! PROBLEM SOLVED. TURBO SNAILS SUCKED THAT THICK, CLUMPY, (THAT THE SO CALLED ALGAE EATING FISH WOULDN'T TOUCH). I KID YOU NOT. I WISH HAD BEFORE AND AFTER PIX.
Purple coralline algae flourishing all over rocks like crazy!
I'm not saying to be lazy like me, but I'm a big believer on the saying, "Don't fix what's not broke". If my fish and other inhabitants were showing problems I would have done other drastic measures.
So, in short summary, LARGE TURBO SNAILS are the miracle workers (for me). I would give the small hermits credit, but I specifically put 1 Large snail on a specific, large, jagged, tough looking rock to clean. BOOM! PRESTO! and clean, in a week or two.

[Original Fin]

Agreed there are many ways to skin a cat, but what works for one may not work for others.

The big turbos I have would not go near my GHA once they got a taste for other micro algae present. And they are also the proverbial bulls in the china shop, knocking things over constantly. I also added a bunch of hermits, which did eat the algae, but now that it's gone they've developed a taste for BTA tentacles .
Seems like every upside has a downside of it's own.

[jshoota]

Heh heh, Very interesting...funny how things work. All the better to strengthen that "love/hate" relationship with reef tanks.
Ditto on that "proverbial bull" description, I hear some loud knocks when lights go out(of course the snails are in full force). They sometimes fall on there back and if you don't turn them over in time, they parish pretty quick.
Wow, hmmmm, so funny that they wouldn't go for GHA, for you. I literally put one on some dense stuff and it sucked it up. I just want to clarify that its not "the cone shaped" turbos, but the BIG roundish ones (i think i seen described as mexican turbo grazer).
Anyway, what hermits did you get? Are the red ones more prone to the behavior you mentioned?

[Original Fin]

Yes, Mexican Turbos, and I have blue and red hermits. The red ones are the trouble makers. They grow fast too, not like the blue ones that seem to stay small.

[jshoota]

Aaaah ha, mental note...Avoid red hermits, thanks, and glad you found a solution for your GHA problem...Man, wish I had pix of the amount I had. Anyway, good chattin' with you, and I hope we helped some people out... Ha!, probably not because I, like yourself found out the solution on my own. LOL!

[Leetch]

For me it ended up being more about the type of water and the turbos and red hermits. My blue guys wouldn't deal with the GHA but the reds and Turbos did the trick, plus I use sterilized NSW for my source now.

The hermits never attacked anything else so I guess I was lucky there. The mexican turbos are a pain because they truly are clumsy and I find them upside down in the tank all the time as well as knocking over some coral every now and them.

[ryanwithabeard]

Not gonna fix the root of the problem, but ive Found snails no matter how big won't eat HA if its too long, but IME using a toothbrush to scrub in the rock a 5 gal with old water after water change.toothbrush works great, not abrasive enough to take off coraline or hurt anything but strong enough to get that vile weed out of your little glass house

[jshoota]

I agree about the toothbrush attempt and "root of problem" deal. Believe me I know I have bio-overload, but things are happy and prospering well. Still was a pain in the butt to toothbrush that stuff. I had some thick nasty GHA and I tell u, I "slapped" a big mexican turbo on it, and then "presto!", progressively disappeared.
But as stated by some other's earlier posts, what works for some people, for some odd reason, doesn't work for others.
The toothbrushing will no doubt work but I've brushed some tiny corals,that were spreading, away.

[Matities23]

ahhhhh good ol' green hair algae.. how boring saltwater would be without it well..
Before you start buying things which can become a problem in the future ( hermit eating snails.. Turbo snail knockin everything over) you should find the source of your problem.
GHA will appear for different reason..
Too much TDS in fresh water . I didnt read where you are getting ur water from. If you are using tap water... you should stop. Idk how the water is in the west but here in Miami Dade is not reef friendly. If you are buying gallons at a supermarket (or machine).. stop wasting ur money. The water is clean enough for us to drink.. gladly we dont grow GHA inside.. I hope so . If you are buying from your LFS ask em to show u their RO/DI system ( they shouldnt have a problem if they are not doing anything wrong) check the TDS and PO4 levels. Should read less then 15.. and PO4 should be zero. Algea loveee TDS. Cut down a little bit the lights... the amount of hrs is nottt too bad but is not help much. try 7 hrs actinics and 5 daylight. or 6 and 4. you pick. m... by any chance have u ever been at ur LFS when they get NSW? im asking bcz its sad but true.. some people are not honest Ex.. there was a LFS around my area who claimed they mixed their salt.. they did alright.. but with straight tap water.. tsk tsk.. WHATEVER U DO!! DO NOT BLEACH OUT YOUR ROCKS!!!! you will kill the algae alright.. but also everything good inside the rocks not saying also the pain it will be to clean and cure those rocks again. you said something about a knocking sound at night.. dont you think u got a mantis in there? well good luck in your war.