Hair Algae Issues

[willforr]

Hi all, I’ve been dealing with this hair algae for almost 2 months now and I can’t get rid of it. I have two sea urchins and multiple snails that don’t seem to help. I’ve done many water changes and I’m dosing a redsea algae supplement. I don’t know what the cause is because I already have low nutrients, phophates at around 0 and nitrate at 5. If anyone could help, it’d be much appreciated.

 

[Lavey29]

O phosphate is bad. Nitrates should be 10. How old is the tank?

 

[radfly]

Did you try a forum search for “hair algae”?

 

[czoolander]

This is the same demon hell spawn algea i have in my tank for 7 months now. I pull it out by hand and run filter floss in cups and change frequent. I have made a major dent in this stuff but its still in the tank in spots

Nothing will eat this ... Tangs . Rabbitfish . crabs. snails. urchin..........

I have considered putting in a sea turtle in my tank but they probably wouldnt eat this demon spawn algea either LOL

 

[willforr]

Tank is over a year old. I’ve done some research already but I wanted some advice for my paremeters specifically. Would increasing nitrates and phosphates actually help? I was told already that wasn’t the issue..

 

[Aquarimate]

Those might be also Bryopsis. Look very closely with your camera zoomed in. If you see branches then it is Bryopsis which would grow with Light only. You can lookup Fluconazole as the treatment. Those algae in the picture are too overgrown for CUC to touch them. Manual removal is your first line of defense but if it is Bryopsis then Fluconazole should make them go away.

 

[Jared Bryant]

This is the same demon hell spawn algea i have in my tank for 7 months now. I pull it out by hand and run filter floss in cups and change frequent. I have made a major dent in this stuff but its still in the tank in spots

Nothing will eat this ... Tangs . Rabbitfish . crabs. snails. urchin..........

I have considered putting in a sea turtle in my tank but they probably wouldnt eat this demon spawn algea either LOL

Yeah nothing really seems to eat it enough to matter. Gotta use those fingers and a toothbrush...

 

[czoolander]

Those might be also Bryopsis. Look very closely with your camera zoomed in. If you see branches then it is Bryopsis which would grow with Light only. You can lookup Fluconazole as the treatment. Those algae in the picture are too overgrown for CUC to touch them. Manual removal is your first line of defense but if it is Bryopsis then Fluconazole should make them go away.

If it is not bryopsis and you dose fluconazole is there any negative things that can happen??

 

[old salt reefer]

If it is not bryopsis and you dose fluconazole is there any negative things that can happen??

Yes it grows back as soon as you stop using the fluconazole. First things first, after killing 95 % of it with Fluconazole you have to figure out why the GHA grew in the first place most likely high nutrients. You will need to lower those(not eliminate them)-twice a week 10% water changes for weeks (or months). Also buy lots and lots more snails and a urchin or 2. With the GHA mostly dead the snails and urchin will keep any new growth mowed down. As the tank matures you can run higher nutrients without getting algae growth, that's just the way it is and this takes years.

 

[Lavey29]

Tank is over a year old. I’ve done some research already but I wanted some advice for my paremeters specifically. Would increasing nitrates and phosphates actually help? I was told already that wasn’t the issue..

Yes because the good stuff in your tank needs to eat also to outcompete the bad stuff.

 

[Aquarimate]

If it is not bryopsis and you dose fluconazole is there any negative things that can happen??

Not really. Fluconazole is pretty safe and in most cases also eliminates Hair Algae too but slower and takes longer. Remove as much as you can by hand and start the treatment. There is a thread about it here but it's about 300+ pages. There is a great instructions on the first page. Make sure you follow it exactly and you will be amazed.

 

[czoolander]

Yes it grows back as soon as you stop using the fluconazole. First things first, after killing 95 % of it with Fluconazole you have to figure out why the GHA grew in the first place most likely high nutrients. You will need to lower those(not eliminate them)-twice a week 10% water changes for weeks (or months). Also buy lots and lots more snails and a urchin or 2. With the GHA mostly dead the snails and urchin will keep any new growth mowed down. As the tank matures you can run higher nutrients without getting algae growth, that's just the way it is and this takes years.

Good in depth answer for GHA on prevention and maintenence

However i was asking something different entirely haha

So i am wondering if you dose fluconazole assuming you have bryposis and you are wrong. Is it bad to dose fluconazole into your system?

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Fluconazole fully worked for me. But you do have to stamp out any sources of extra nutrients. When's the last time you checked your RO/DI filters. Make sure the TDS meter is showing 0. Silicates are one of the first things to get through an exhausted DI filter.

 

[Aquarimate]

Yes it grows back as soon as you stop using the fluconazole. First things first, after killing 95 % of it with Fluconazole you have to figure out why the GHA grew in the first place most likely high nutrients. You will need to lower those(not eliminate them)-twice a week 10% water changes for weeks (or months). Also buy lots and lots more snails and a urchin or 2. With the GHA mostly dead the snails and urchin will keep any new growth mowed down. As the tank matures you can run higher nutrients without getting algae growth, that's just the way it is and this takes years.

I agree. You need to make sure you first fix the root cause if it is GHA. Bryopsis can grow in ULNS. Again look with a magnifier and see if it is all sticks or you see branches from the sticks.. It looks kind of like this but only under a magnifier:

 

[Cali Reef Life]

How To Get Rid Of Most types of Algae Journey/Guide ( Green Hair Algae, Turf Algae ,Diatoms and More)

Here is going to be a Journey/Guide on how to get rid of most types of algae in your reef tank in under 4 months. I am tired of reading someone saying I tried everything to get rid of algae and I want to reset my tank there is no cure. Have you really tired everything, or do you just want...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's a form I'm working on but its not an instant fix your welcome to take a look at it. Usually the long way wins in this hobby since every action has a reaction. The nutrients are false reads because the algae is consuming the majority of it prior to you testing. My next post will be about chemicals in a week or so.