HELP!!!! Hair algae invasion!!!

[NameThatTuna]

My algae looks quite similar to yours. Something that helps keep it manageable for me, is to use a siphon vacuum. My tank is 7+ years old and my rocks was gifted from different tanks so even older yet. I can’t scrub much more off lol but i picked up hair & green bubble algae from a LFS, so I take the big end of the vac off and suck the hair algae up w the little end, and the entire unpopped bubbles. I’m careful around corals, and avoid serpent stars n critters... I don’t know if that’s good advice, but it works for me. My tanks in a wall w windows in rooms on both sides...not my most brilliant idea ‍Darker blinds/curtains help A LOT!! But my algae is wicked this time

 

[ileas12:]

Increase your cleanup crew and add lawnmower blenny for assistance
Now to find cause:
What is Phosphate level?
Are you using tap or well water ?
IS THE TANK AT OR NEAR A WINDOW?
What is your light schedule and intensity?

i included the phos and nitrate in the first post its between windows and isnt constantly covered by natural light just barely lit occasionally.

 

[vetteguy53081]

i included the phos and nitrate in the first post its between windows and isnt constantly covered by natural light just barely lit occasionally.

The indirect light alone will do this. Sometimes we have no good choice for placement of a tank. Windows are the worse at times with light , UV's, thermal cold and passive heat via window panes. Even on a cloudy day, windows act as a magnifier and will do wonders to create algae. As a test, try black constructions paper from walmart at .97 per sheet on each end of tank and see if it diminishes as it should

 

[ileas12:]

The indirect light alone will do this. Sometimes we have no good choice for placement of a tank. Windows are the worse at times with light , UV's, thermal cold and passive heat via window panes. Even on a cloudy day, windows act as a magnifier and will do wonders to create algae. As a test, try black constructions paper from walmart at .97 per sheet on each end of tank and see if it diminishes as it should[/QUOTE
Most of the tank is darkened, Im doing a 3 day blackout and I can tell u 90% of the tank is barely seeing any light whatsoever.

 

[PhreeByrd]

Thank you by far my favorite response. Im trying a 3 day blackout only because I noticed something. So recently my fuge light died and there was obviously plenty of GHA down there too but I went to go see how the chaeto has been doing for a week without light and all the GHA vanished!

Some competing, easily-contained and controlled algaes like chaetomorpha can indeed help you gain some control. But keep in mind that while they probably require the same nutrients as the pest algae, they probably cannot actually outcompete it for those nutrients... so you end up limiting the total available nutrients to everything (not necessarily a bad thing, depending upon what you want to keep in your reef).

But I'd definitely get a light back onto your chaeto ASAP, since it's pretty much in reverse mode without light, and after a week in the dark it's probably faltering.