Huuuuuuurrrrg...hair algae

[SallyWho]

My 120g with 40b sump has been up and running for approximately 8 months. For the past 3 months, I've been dealing with hair algae. (On a quick side note: it seems the chrysophytes I was dealing with earlier are making a retreat- probably being out-competed by the hair algae and some probable cyano.) It was only a little bit at first, so I manually scrubbed it off with a toothbrush during water changes and didn't sweat it. But now I've got the friggin' Serengeti growing in there. Rocks are furred in hair algae, even the sand bed is growing it. I do weekly 30g water changes, using RODI, and my nitrates and phosphates are naturally testing at zero because all the algae is consuming it. Ammonia and nitrites are zero as well. I bumped up my Gyre for more water movement, added a powerhead to increase flow across the bottom back of the tank, I stir the sand bed with every water change, shortened my photoperiod (even turning off my T5s completely leaving just the Radions), am skimming wet, my chaeto in the refugium is growing like crazy, I'm feeding less.....no change. My tank is still doing its best impression of Oscar the Grouch. Inhabitants are three fish, a few zoas, a trumpet coral, and CUC consisting of three hermits, and a variety of snails (trochus, astraea, cerinths, nerite, nassarius).

So I've decided to try GFO. I've used primary pukani rock, and even though I cured it outside for a few months, it might be contributing with some phophate leaching. The question is where do I put it? Because I had so many trials and tribulations with plumbing the tank, the thought of adding a reactor makes me want to weep. I have media bags, though. Should I stick them in a high flow area so more water makes contact with the media (cram it in the overflow box somehow, or tuck it under the filter socks?), or a medium-low flow area so there's more contact time (in the refugium?)? And since I have no idea what my phosphates actually are, how much Rowaphos should I start with and how often should I change it? I'd appreciate any input you have. Thanks!

 

[lilchris_357]

Use the GFO reactor from 2 little fishes or the BRS reactor and just add a small pump (maxijet, or a small sicce .5). You can run the Rowaphos passively in the mess bag that's provided as well. Also, you can use Brightwell Aquatics Phosphat-E to help with the reduction of Phosphates and starve out the hair algae. What ever method you choose, be prepared to continue to manually remove it.

 

[Purplelobst92]

try fluconazole

 

[SallyWho]

Use the GFO reactor from 2 little fishes or the BRS reactor and just add a small pump (maxijet, or a small sicce .5). You can run the Rowaphos passively in the mess bag that's provided as well. Also, you can use Brightwell Aquatics Phosphat-E to help with the reduction of Phosphates and starve out the hair algae. What ever method you choose, be prepared to continue to manually remove it.

Oh absolutely. I'm going to be scrubbing the rocks vigorously with my next water change. Where do you think the best place is to put the media bag? The sump would be most convenient, but efficiency > convenience.

The thought just occurred to me- what are your thoughts on a 3 day blackout? I know the hair algae is feeding on excess nutrients, but it's also photosynthetic. Do you think a blackout would weaken it enough to slow it down and make it easier to remove?

 

[Purplelobst92]

Oh absolutely. I'm going to be scrubbing the rocks vigorously with my next water change. Where do you think the best place is to put the media bag? The sump would be most convenient, but efficiency > convenience.

The thought just occurred to me- what are your thoughts on a 3 day blackout? I know the hair algae is feeding on excess nutrients, but it's also photosynthetic. Do you think a blackout would weaken it enough to slow it down and make it easier to remove?

the blackout may weaken it but if it dies all that dead algae will release a ton of phosphate making the issue even worse not to mention the harm to the corals... id say fluconazole is your best bet, its a bit pricey but it will obliterate the algae. did anything die recently like snails? does the tank get exposure to sunlight during the day ? is the sanded deep? do you skim? have you tds tested the rodi you are using? what is the fish load like ?

 

[SallyWho]

the blackout may weaken it but if it dies all that dead algae will release a ton of phosphate making the issue even worse not to mention the harm to the corals... id say fluconazole is your best bet, its a bit pricey but it will obliterate the algae. did anything die recently like snails? does the tank get exposure to sunlight during the day ? is the sanded deep? do you skim? have you tds tested the rodi you are using? what is the fish load like ?

I have seen some empty snail shells, so I think a few snails have died. Figured the hermits would take care of them. No direct sunlight during the day, sand bed is only a couple of inches. I do skim, and have been skimming a bit wet lately. My RODI water tests zero for both TDS and phos. The three fish are a one spot foxface, a firefish, and a yellow coris wrasse. Pretty sparsely populated for a 120, but I'm leaving town for a week in July and didn't want an extra quarantine tank up and running while I'm gone. If I can get the hair algae under control, I'll pick up a new fish or two for QT when I get back. Actually, I was hoping to get a bubble tip anemone, but I don't know how it would do in a tank struggling with algae. In terms of the list of fish I want and the order I'll need to add them, a pair of clowns are next, but I wanted to get a BTA first to let it scope out the tank and find a spot it likes before introducing the clowns. I hope that by dropping the clowns directly into the BTA, they'll decide to stay there instead of choosing a powerhead or a different coral.

 

[ScottR]

the blackout may weaken it but if it dies all that dead algae will release a ton of phosphate making the issue even worse not to mention the harm to the corals... id say fluconazole is your best bet, its a bit pricey but it will obliterate the algae. did anything die recently like snails? does the tank get exposure to sunlight during the day ? is the sanded deep? do you skim? have you tds tested the rodi you are using? what is the fish load like ?

+1 - blackout is sweeping the problem under the rug. It’ll come back and probably stronger. You can reduce lighting to keep future growth under control until you can beat it with whichever method you choose.

 

[Purplelobst92]

dead snails are phosphate bombs trust me, even if the hermits eat the bodies the nutrients are still in the tank. try to dial in the skimmer to make it more efficient, a few inches of sand is also a phosphate factory thats probably your issue, if i was you i would remove the entire sand bed by siphoning it out with a big water change, stick filter pads into the intakes and manually blast detritus into the water column then wash the filter pads and repeat as much as possible, do not add a bunch of snails because they probably won't eat the hair algae and will just die making it worse, instead you could throw in a redlip or lawnmower or starry blenny as they usually drool at the sight of immense amounts of hair algae as long as you don't feed him much, take the removed sand and bleach it and let the tank run without a sandbed for a while then you can add it back but only put in a small layer just for aesthetic, i would also use chemi pure and activated carbon, also if you don't have your light on a timer i would put it on one and only let the light cycle be somewhere between 5 - 7 hours until the problem is under control if you have a long light cycle that is also making it even worse.

 

[SallyWho]

dead snails are phosphate bombs trust me, even if the hermits eat the bodies the nutrients are still in the tank. try to dial in the skimmer to make it more efficient, a few inches of sand is also a phosphate factory thats probably your issue, if i was you i would remove the entire sand bed by siphoning it out with a big water change, stick filter pads into the intakes and manually blast detritus into the water column then wash the filter pads and repeat as much as possible, do not add a bunch of snails because they probably won't eat the hair algae and will just die making it worse, instead you could throw in a redlip or lawnmower or starry blenny as they usually drool at the sight of immense amounts of hair algae as long as you don't feed him much, take the removed sand and bleach it and let the tank run without a sandbed for a while then you can add it back but only put in a small layer just for aesthetic, i would also use chemi pure and activated carbon, also if you don't have your light on a timer i would put it on one and only let the light cycle be somewhere between 5 - 7 hours until the problem is under control if you have a long light cycle that is also making it even worse.

Hm. I'll take your advice on the snails, but I think for now I'll leave the sand bed where it is- maybe I'll sift it to get rid of the hairy stuff and stir it daily instead of weekly. And luckily, my main lights are Radion LEDs, so they're programmed. The T5 retrofits were on a timer via the Apex, but I've turned them off for now. I'll shorten the photoperiod on the Radions a little further. I think I'll try a few weeks with just GFO for now- I had to unexpectedly and emergently do some house repair stuff last week that cost several hundred dollars, so I have to put off any unnecessary purchases for a bit. If the GFO alone doesn't do the trick in a month or so, then I'll try some chemipure/carbon assuming my finances have stabilized. Thanks!

 

[Purplelobst92]

Hm. I'll take your advice on the snails, but I think for now I'll leave the sand bed where it is- maybe I'll sift it to get rid of the hairy stuff and stir it daily instead of weekly. And luckily, my main lights are Radion LEDs, so they're programmed. The T5 retrofits were on a timer via the Apex, but I've turned them off for now. I'll shorten the photoperiod on the Radions a little further. I think I'll try a few weeks with just GFO for now- I had to unexpectedly and emergently do some house repair stuff last week that cost several hundred dollars, so I have to put off any unnecessary purchases for a bit. If the GFO alone doesn't do the trick in a month or so, then I'll try some chemipure/carbon assuming my finances have stabilized. Thanks!

yup, just keep in mind stirring the sanded just releases all the goodies that are in it into the tank likely killing them from exposure to light which increases phosphates, most people that do a deep sandbed keep it undisturbed so the biological processes take place that are necessary to mitigate nutrients and provide de nitrification.

 

[SallyWho]

yup, just keep in mind stirring the sanded just releases all the goodies that are in it into the tank likely killing them from exposure to light which increases phosphates, most people that do a deep sandbed keep it undisturbed so the biological processes take place that are necessary to mitigate nutrients and provide de nitrification.

Catch-22! If I stir it to help dislodge/discourage GHA growth, I kill the beneficial bacteria! LOL, I can't win!

 

[Purplelobst92]

Catch-22! If I stir it to help dislodge/discourage GHA growth, I kill the beneficial bacteria! LOL, I can't win!

yup sandbeds are a can of worms... literally lol

 

[ScottR]

Catch-22! If I stir it to help dislodge/discourage GHA growth, I kill the beneficial bacteria! LOL, I can't win!

I wouldn’t worry about the bacteria. Your rocks, media, and spaces in the tank should have good colonies as it is. Many people have bare bottom tanks as it is.

 

[road_runner]

try fluconazole

Why treating green hair algae require flucinazol???
Its GHA... reducing nutrient and po4 should take care if that...hence the recommendation of using GFO or I would recommend rowphos as ad well.