Hair Algae and Cyano?!

Noob_reefer · Aug 24, 2019

So I have a 40 gal breeder it's been set up for 7 months now. I have only had a bit of cyano and over night I have hair algae now. I'm looking for a way to control these and avoiding chemicals if possible.
My tank parameters as of today
Salinity:1.026
Nitrates:10
Phosphates:>.1
Calcium:450
Alk:9
PH: 8.1
Fish stock is: a hippo tang,2 clownfish a green coris wrasse, and a lawnmower blenny.
Clean up crew is: 5 trocus, 2 Mexican turbos, 2 emerald crabs and 10 hermits (number varies because they murder each other ;() excuse the poor picture quality

Noob_reefer · Aug 24, 2019

Here's my hippo

Neil Fox · Aug 24, 2019

You need a lot more snails, maybe about 40 of the small Astrea Snails. Generally about $1 apiece.

azzubr · Aug 24, 2019

one way I've tried to combat hair algae is to manually remove it. Like pull it out, if you choose to do this, make sure you take it off and not scrub because it will spread. might not be the most efficient, but it works for me

Jacobscorals · Aug 24, 2019

Use reedflux hd. Your nitrates and phosphates are probably a lot higher than reading. Nitrates and phosphates are being held and used by the hair algae and not reading in the water column.

Noob_reefer · Aug 24, 2019

azzubr said:
one way I've tried to combat hair algae is to manually remove it. Like pull it out, if you choose to do this, make sure you take it off and not scrub because it will spread. might not be the most efficient, but it works for me

I have been doing this, I try this when I do weekly water changes and it feels like it has gotten worse

Noob_reefer · Aug 24, 2019

Jacobscorals said:
Use reedflux hd. Your nitrates and phosphates are probably a lot higher than reading. Nitrates and phosphates are being held and used by the hair algae and not reading in the water column.

What is reef flux?

bubbasguppies · Aug 24, 2019

Reef Flux Fluconazole Treatment

Reef Flux is a fluconazole treatment that is effective against certain fungal fish infections. It contains no fillers or additives and is lab tested for purity. A notable side-effect of fluconazole is that it is extremely detrimental to bryopsis algae. Previously known as Algae Buster, Reef Flux...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

azzubr · Aug 24, 2019

Noob_reefer said:
What is reef flux?

Its a tablet that you dissolve and put in the tank, its used for fish fungal infections. However, some sites say it does/doesn't help against hair algae
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-flux-fluconazole-treatment-reefhd.html (says no)
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/r...fluconazole-bryopsis-green-hair-algae-reefhd/ (says yes)

Noob_reefer · Aug 24, 2019

azzubr said:
Its a tablet that you dissolve and put in the tank, its used for fish fungal infections. However, some sites say it does/doesn't help against hair algae
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-flux-fluconazole-treatment-reefhd.html (says no)
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/r...fluconazole-bryopsis-green-hair-algae-reefhd/ (says yes)

Ah thanx I have read in other threads that worse things follow after fluconazole sometimes

azzubr · Aug 24, 2019

Noob_reefer said:
Ah thanx I have read in other threads that worse things follow after fluconazole sometimes

I have used it, it helped me for a bit. But the algae just came back like a month later

FragileReefer · Aug 24, 2019

I had some bad luck with some cyano meds and in the end it came back. I beat it the second time with a little hard work and cleaning up feeding.

The coral food was getting me in trouble. It never feels like your feeding too much but the cyano and GHA love those heavy handed pours. Amino acids got me too, it comes in a dropper for a reason. That extra drop each feeding gave cyano the foothold it needed. I stopped everything and after getting it under control I've been adding some back. But in sparing levels.

I was afraid to touch my sandbed. If I did go at it with a turkey baster it would be soft perfume puffs that would bearly dust off the top. I never wanted to disturb my corals either. I was ever so gently puffing around the edges. Now I really get in there, I get under the sand and suck up sand into baster. Some of the nastiest stuff I squirt into the filtersock to be cleaned later. After my sandstorm I clear my corals of debris. Keeping this area clean is the most important I've seen what gunk will do to a frag.

All this is to get the junk suspended, into our filters, or waterchanged out. I started doing this major overhaul twice a week during waterchanges. And in some small degree each day. Turkey baster and an aquascaping trowel helped clear out the worst of the sandbed. Some good tweezers help with the algae. I also ran a carbon, resin, gfo media like chemipure blue, but I kept it fresh replacing every week or so.

I'm not algae free. But for once the spots I'm picking from aren't growing back. The cyano is gone but I did have a dusting 2 weeks ago. Things are improving and I haven't nuked the tank, so I'm happy. It's not an easy method or really that cheap. But I'll stick with it a bit longer and learn that balance!

Sad to say but I was maintenance for me. But I learned how.

Tl;Dr
Change water, change chemipure, create sand tornadoes, suck them out, and stop feeding!

Bret Brinkmann · Aug 25, 2019

Cyanobacteria usually comes in spots with lower flow after food goes uneaten. Cerith snails will eat some and also like to dig in the sand bed which helps prevent its growth. They are small, especially the dwarf varieties, so get a lot. They also help with the hair algae and like to go all over, not just the sand. So they will help with everything.

I thought tangs love nearly all green algae but I guess your hippo doesn't like hair algae? Ceriths also eat green hair algae a little. I hear turbos are the best snail for hair algae. Rabbit fish also seem to eat nearly any algae.

motortrendz · Aug 25, 2019

You said your po4 is greater than .1 ? That can be part of what's feeding the hair algae. As for the cyano try increasing the flow, syphon out what's there. Maybe adjust tour lights for less red and green spectrum. Definitly get some snails (nassarius for the sand, turbos for the rocks) that should Assist in keeping ot under control. But getting rid of it manually will definilty increase your chances of success.

Chrysantha · Aug 25, 2019

I didn't get hair algae but man, I've been fighting cyano for awhile. id get rid of it and then a week or so later it was back. I just finished another round of chemiclean but this time I followed it with some aggressive cleaning right before and after treating, ensuring I got every piece I could see out, a much bigger water change than normal, and after I have added bacteria back in to the system with AquaVitro and a dose of pods.

My issue was definitely husbandry, but I think in my battle, I lost some of the good bacteria as well as my pod population being low. I wanted to ensure I attack the problem from a biodiversity angle as well. Last time I had this weird brown stuff on my sand right after the treatment which no matter how much I stirred would turn back into cyano within a couple days. So far, tank looks good but that's on me to keep it up!

Edit to add - I also added 5 more cerith snails on top of the 1 I still had , and the turbo, 2 trocus, nassarius and conch I have. Need to add a couple more nassarius because the chemiclean treatment didn't agree a couple of them and they died

Noob_reefer · Aug 25, 2019

Bret Brinkmann said:
Cyanobacteria usually comes in spots with lower flow after food goes uneaten. Cerith snails will eat some and also like to dig in the sand bed which helps prevent its growth. They are small, especially the dwarf varieties, so get a lot. They also help with the hair algae and like to go all over, not just the sand. So they will help with everything.

I thought tangs love nearly all green algae but I guess your hippo doesn't like hair algae? Ceriths also eat green hair algae a little. I hear turbos are the best snail for hair algae. Rabbit fish also seem to eat nearly any algae.

Yea my hippo is weird, I have 2 turbos and I like how they go after everything. I plan on adding a couple more turbos and more nassarius snails as well

Noob_reefer · Aug 25, 2019

motortrendz said:
You said your po4 is greater than .1 ? That can be part of what's feeding the hair algae. As for the cyano try increasing the flow, syphon out what's there. Maybe adjust tour lights for less red and green spectrum. Definitly get some snails (nassarius for the sand, turbos for the rocks) that should Assist in keeping ot under control. But getting rid of it manually will definilty increase your chances of success.

My PO4 is less than .1 I use a nyos test kit. Also I have been siphoning the cyano mats but they come back

. My LEDs also aren't adjustable so I'm stuck with red and green during the hour that my whites are on.

motortrendz · Aug 25, 2019

Ah ok the < was facing the wrong way. Lol. But maybe turn the whites down to minimal and cut their time down as well. Atleast until you get a hold of it.