Green hair algae during the uglies: non tang solutions?

[Chromis]

Don’t shake them or they will die.

In case you were thinking of violently shaking your urchins

 

[Turkeysammich]

In case you were thinking of violently shaking your urchins

My buddy that owns a fish store told me that there’s floating guts in the urchin. If you drop them in the aquarium it can kill them. Dunno if that’s true or not. They can die. Also I think they need to be slowly acclimated.

 

[RandyC]

To clarify, regular turbos are ok but specifically the Mexican turbos (different species and way larger) are really good for GHA since they can eat the long strands.

Larger? Like this beast?

 

[PjFish]

PIC? Just keep an eye on the turbos if they flip over they could starve and die most can't flip themselves over!..like above kill the red and green lower the whites a bit crank up the blues/purples/uv etc..What's your light schedule? May consider shortening the light schedule if to long until your crew can catch up possibly..Or if you can take out the rocks and give them a good scrub in a bucket in the garbage water change water using new pot brushes..You can scub hard and clean dont worry about any good bacteria.. that won't be affected by scrubbing. Sometimes physical removal is the best just hard to say without pics. it's a totally normal stage on your new tank with new rock!..Chemipure elite has (gfo )which may help as well adding in your filtration just becareful if u use straight gfo which can strip ur nutrients fast and cause other issues with corals...Don't know your feeding schedule but skipping days helps cut down on gunk as well since you don't have alot of live stock should be okay..
Hey how's your Koi pond doing?

 

[PjFish]

Larger? Like this beast?

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Wow nice turzbo!!

 

[Coral reefer]

As in several of a different species? Or juveniles?

Juveniles

 

[IOnceWasLegend]

Echoing what @JVU has said. When I had bad hair algae in my 20g, turbo snails absolutely demolished it. Tuxedo urchins have done a great job keeping it from getting a foothold in my other tanks, but I'm also ~7 months into my main DT (54g) and am only now starting to get coralline growth because of a single tuxedo urchin.

 

[Chromis]

My buddy that owns a fish store told me that there’s floating guts in the urchin. If you drop them in the aquarium it can kill them. Dunno if that’s true or not. They can die. Also I think they need to be slowly acclimated.

I think it’s more about acclimating them, I’ve dropped urchins into tanks because I didn’t see them on the tile I was removing from the tank. Ive also heard urchins can’t be out of water, but a few of my tuxedo urchins have been left hanging in air above the gyres when I do a fast water change and forget to check where they are, and they do ok. Maybe a marine biologist could explain what is going on inside an urchin to us - I’m curious as well.

 

[H2OPlayar]

Just be happy with green rocks. Lots of places for pods to hide and it is a refugium in your tank! /s

I had bad luck with my last urchin, but maybe I'll try another. Slow/drip acclimate is the consensus?

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Rabbit fish or foxface for the above 2 pics

 

[Srt4eric]

I will look into a nano skimmer that fits in my empty AIO chamber! It has a red and green channel I run at 10% so I can see my fish colors better. I understand I have to go through the ugliest. I’m just trying to fight them. I keep forgetting to order a po4 test so I’ll pick one up.

I've got a great nano skimmer for sale.

 

[rdriggett]

My buddy that owns a fish store told me that there’s floating guts in the urchin. If you drop them in the aquarium it can kill them. Dunno if that’s true or not. They can die. Also I think they need to be slowly acclimated.

I will *slowly* acclimate my urchin.

Larger? Like this beast?

That's insane! I didn't know they got that big.

PIC? Just keep an eye on the turbos if they flip over they could starve and die most can't flip themselves over!..like above kill the red and green lower the whites a bit crank up the blues/purples/uv etc..What's your light schedule? May consider shortening the light schedule if to long until your crew can catch up possibly..Or if you can take out the rocks and give them a good scrub in a bucket in the garbage water change water using new pot brushes..You can scub hard and clean dont worry about any good bacteria.. that won't be affected by scrubbing. Sometimes physical removal is the best just hard to say without pics. it's a totally normal stage on your new tank with new rock!..Chemipure elite has (gfo )which may help as well adding in your filtration just becareful if u use straight gfo which can strip ur nutrients fast and cause other issues with corals...Don't know your feeding schedule but skipping days helps cut down on gunk as well since you don't have alot of live stock should be okay..
Hey how's your Koi pond doing?

I'll post pics in just a second. I haven't bought a filter yet so it's hard to take pics running mostly blues. I have minimal whites and 100% blues so I cant really lower them.
I already have to flip over my snails daily so that's not a big deal.
I'm hoping to avoid taking rocks out to scrub off GHA tuffs but I will if it gets much worse.
My lights start at 9am and slowly ramp up to noon which they stay at full intensity until 8pm and slowly ramp down until 10pm.
I usually feed 1-2 times per day and alternate reef frenzy nano frozen and new life spectrum Thera A+ pellets. I was dosing AB+ and polyp booster daily which could have exploded my algae.
I'll DM you some updates about my pond. Or is there a freshwater section of our forum?

Juveniles

Got it!

Echoing what @JVU has said. When I had bad hair algae in my 20g, turbo snails absolutely demolished it. Tuxedo urchins have done a great job keeping it from getting a foothold in my other tanks, but I'm also ~7 months into my main DT (54g) and am only now starting to get coralline growth because of a single tuxedo urchin.

Thanks for the heads up that they eat coralline. I hope my 2 turbos on order will mow through my sand and rocks.

I think it’s more about acclimating them, I’ve dropped urchins into tanks because I didn’t see them on the tile I was removing from the tank. Ive also heard urchins can’t be out of water, but a few of my tuxedo urchins have been left hanging in air above the gyres when I do a fast water change and forget to check where they are, and they do ok. Maybe a marine biologist could explain what is going on inside an urchin to us - I’m curious as well.

Good to hear they're at least somewhat hardy animals.

Just be happy with green rocks. Lots of places for pods to hide and it is a refugium in your tank! /s

I had bad luck with my last urchin, but maybe I'll try another. Slow/drip acclimate is the consensus?

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I always love your tank and your advice but I think we differ on this one a little bit (lmao emoji goes here).

Rabbit fish or foxface for the above 2 pics

Too big for my 40 breeder but great for @H2OPlayar.

 

[rdriggett]

GHA tuffs in the sand:

Ulva on a monti:

 

[Coral reefer]

That’s a long photoperiod imo

 

[B the Nano Reefer]

“dosing AB+ and polyp booster daily”

Way too often, especially on a relatively new tank (frankly, even for an established tank). Is probably a significant contributing factor

 

[Turkeysammich]

On a new system. Everything. Less is more.

 

[rdriggett]

Ok so cut out dosing coral foods completely and reduce my photoperiod, got it. How long should my sunrise, daytime and sunset be?

 

[Coral reefer]

Ok so cut out dosing coral foods completely and reduce my photoperiod, got it. How long should my sunrise, daytime and sunset be?

I dont think we will all agree, but I usually start with no more than 8 hours total. Can ramp up intensity and length from there

 

[Turkeysammich]

Correct me if I’m wrong. But Corals don’t care about Sunrise and sunset in a aquarium. It’s only a visual effect for you.

 

[rdriggett]

Correct me if I’m wrong. But Corals don’t care about Sunrise and sunset in a aquarium. It’s only a visual effect for you.

Do the fish care? My clowns and 6 line act half asleep for the first 30 minutes of sunrise.