Hair Algae

[austin_socal]

Hi everyone!
I have a 25gal lagoon and have been having issues with hair algae. I am looking for a fish or something that will help eat it because my cleanup crew and my tuxedo urchin seem very uninterested and haven’t helped clean it up.
It is a mixed reef so I need a fish that is also reef safe.

I currently have:
A very small black storm clown
A BSJ
A very calm six line wrasse

I plan to purchase:
An orange storm clown
A yasha goby
A blue stripe pipefish

Thank you everyone and have a good night!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi everyone!
I have a 25gal lagoon and have been having issues with hair algae. I am looking for a fish or something that will help eat it because my cleanup crew and my tuxedo urchin seem very uninterested and haven’t helped clean it up.
It is a mixed reef so I need a fish that is also reef safe.

I currently have:
A very small black storm clown
A BSJ
A very calm six line wrasse

I plan to purchase:
An orange storm clown
A yasha goby
A blue stripe pipefish

Thank you everyone and have a good night!

Best is to stop the issue manually then finish identifying the cause. If its all over the rocks, I would place rocks in a container of tank water and pull off as much as you can by hand and scrub the rest with a firm toothbrush and some 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Return to tank, reduce white light intensity and number of hours of white lighting and add some snails such as :
Astrea
cerith
turbo grazer
trochus

A Pencil urchin

8-10 Caribbean blue leg hermits

Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What is your phosphate level?
Is tank at or near a window?


Please post pics of the tank

 

[austin_socal]

Best is to stop the issue manually then finish identifying the cause. If its all over the rocks, I would place rocks in a container of tank water and pull off as much as you can by hand and scrub the rest with a firm toothbrush and some 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Return to tank, reduce white light intensity and number of hours of white lighting and add some snails such as :
Astrea
cerith
turbo grazer
trochus

A Pencil urchin

8-10 Caribbean blue leg hermits

Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What is your phosphate level?
Is tank at or near a window?


Please post pics of the tank

I have gotten this response from you before..
The cleanup crew isn’t clearing it up and I am scrubbing it off each day.
I will add photos.
Do you think it’s hair algae or turf algae?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have gotten this response from you before..
The cleanup crew isn’t clearing it up and I am scrubbing it off each day.
I will add photos.
Do you think it’s hair algae or turf algae?

Turf and changes everything. You want to pull rock and scrub with firm brush and hydrogen peroxide such as an automotive detail brush. At times, you can apply pressure with your thumb and peel it back.
Afterwards, some snails such as chitons, ninja star and fighting conch will help. Akso urchins such as tuxedo and pencil.
This is either gtetting sunlight or high bright intensity along with elevated phosphates to be thriving like this

 

[Lavey29]

You do understand that this is common in new tanks right? That it will last many months right? It's part of the ugly phases that every tank goes through. No fish will eat it in a 25g (17g with rocks) tank. Manual removal daily is the option to get ahead of it.

 

[austin_socal]

You do understand that this is common in new tanks right? That it will last many months right? It's part of the ugly phases that every tank goes through. No fish will eat it in a 25g (17g with rocks) tank. Manual removal daily is the option to get ahead of it.

Yes, but I’ve had this tank for over a year

 

[Lavey29]

Yes, but I’ve had this tank for over a year

Is it a fowler? If so turn the lights off. If your parameters are not good and stable after a year then the ugly phases will continue. After a year if things are in proper specs you should have abundant coralline growing which out competes the algae on your rocks.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Just wanted to add that any fish added after the 6 line will probably be bullied to death.

 

[G&B Reefing]

Looking at your pictures I don’t see much of a clean up crew. Can you list out types and count? A fully stocked cuc should take care of this amount of algae…

 

[austin_socal]

Just wanted to add that any fish added after the 6 line will probably be bullied to death.

Eh, not this one lol

 

[austin_socal]

Looking at your pictures I don’t see much of a clean up crew. Can you list out types and count? A fully stocked cuc should take care of this amount of algae…

For sure, I have about 10 astrea, 5 nassarius, 7 cerith, 2 conchs, a tuxedo urchin, 7 red legged hermits, 5 electric blue hermits.

 

[austin_socal]

Is it a fowler? If so turn the lights off. If your parameters are not good and stable after a year then the ugly phases will continue. After a year if things are in proper specs you should have abundant coralline growing which out competes the algae on your rocks.

I have some coralline on the rocks, but not tons. What do you mean by “Fowler”?

 

[NonstopSoda]

I have some coralline on the rocks, but not tons. What do you mean by “Fowler”?

FOWLR means Fish-only-with-live-rock

 

[PotatoPig]

I have some coralline on the rocks, but not tons. What do you mean by “Fowler”?

From the pictures it looks like you don’t have any corals, if so then you have the option to just turn the lights off and rely on room lighting for a while. This should wipe out the algae unless it’s getting sunlight.

One comment on hair and turf algae - these aren’t single species but categories of algae. There’s dozens, if not hundreds, of potential species in each group that present similarly. What this means though is that something that eats “turf algae” in one tank might not do touch it in another because it’s a different species of “turf algae”. CUC solutions to it can be very unreliable.

 

[austin_socal]

I have a mushroom coral and a small colony of acans. Do you think that they would be affected?

 

[VintageReefer]

try and find 5 -10 Mexican turbo snails I bet that would help

Clean manually
Put them in before it’s long again
Watch as they mulch down new short growth

 

[Lavey29]

What are the complete parameters for your year old tank?

 

[G&B Reefing]

For sure, I have about 10 astrea, 5 nassarius, 7 cerith, 2 conchs, a tuxedo urchin, 7 red legged hermits, 5 electric blue hermits.

I am new to the hobby also so take my suggestion/comment with a grain of salt. The nassaurius and ceriths dont go after the algae. So your algae crew is 10 astreas and a single urchin, hermits are mixed bag on algae in my experience. I would suggest getting a broader diversity on the snail front. Add 5x turbo snails and 10x trochus snails and see what happens.

For reference in my 26 gal tank i have the following:

2x turbo
8x astrea
12x trochus
15ish hermits
4x nassaurius (with dozens of tiny baby ones roaming around)

 

[austin_socal]

I am new to the hobby also so take my suggestion/comment with a grain of salt. The nassaurius and ceriths dont go after the algae. So your algae crew is 10 astreas and a single urchin, hermits are mixed bag on algae in my experience. I would suggest getting a broader diversity on the snail front. Add 5x turbo snails and 10x trochus snails and see what happens.

For reference in my 26 gal tank i have the following:

2x turbo
8x astrea
12x trochus
15ish hermits
4x nassaurius (with dozens of tiny baby ones roaming around)

Will do- thanks man