Neptune Aquatics

Hair Algae! How do I get rid of it?

Enderturtle

Enderturtle

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Hi folks,

I'm having a minor hair algae break in my 40 gallon breeder. In my 20 gal sump, I run a octopus NWB 110 protein skimmer 24/7. I have a ball of chaeto and a small mangrove which gets 6 hours of softwhite light from a CFL bulb.

This is my first hair algae outbreak.

The algae has not taken over my tank but I am seeing expansion. The hair algae is short at the moment, probably no more than 1/4 inch tall. The hair algae is not covering all of my live rock but it expanding here and there.

I am not sure what the cause of the hair algae because I changed multiple things at the same time.

1) I upgraded my kessil 350s to 360s and increased the light intensity.
-After replacing my lights, I noticed that all 5 of my Acans do not expand as much as they normally do. Other corals okay.
2) I started using Kalkwasser with my ATO (not sure maybe the plastic container is leaching phosphates?)
3) I replaced my chaeto to a small size.


Livestock
Yellow Tang 2.5 inches long (Will not eat hair algae, prefers brine shrimp and mysis over seaweed)
2 Oscellaris Clowns 1.5 inch long
1 Green Clown Goby 1 inch long
4 Trochus Snails
1 Turbo Snail (has not eaten hair algae)
1 Fighting Conch
3 Nassarius Snails
1 Sea hair (Purchased approx 2 weeks ago. Has not eaten my hair algae)
1 Sexy Shrimp
A bunch of coral

Water Parameters Tested via Salifert
Nitrates Less than 0.2
Phosphates 0.0 (Hanna Checker)
Alk 8.5
Calc 420
pH 8.4
 
Are you sure it's hair algae and not bryopsis?

In either case, you need to get your phosphates down. Beefing up your clean-up crew should help if it really is hair algae.
 
Yeah I'm 100% positive it's hair algae. The algae is single filament with no branching. Bryopsis is a lighter green color and kinda looks like a fern because of its branching.

None of the three things I have for hair algae control are working o_O. I have a carnivorous yellow tang, a shy seahair, and my turbo snail doesn't touch it. The seahare has been in the tank for about 2 weeks now, maybe he will start eating it once he feels more comfortable idk.

My question for y'all is, when we control hair algae, are we trying to make it extinct in our systems or are we trying to maintain conditions that prevent it from growing well?
 
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Your nitrate and phosphate readings are strange to me. .2 nitrate? Is that like 20? Not sure how you get such a low reading. Also, 0.0 phosphate? .03 is good so either it's getting used right away and not reading or that's not a correct reading IMO. Probably the former. I suggest run a phosphate reactor. Maybe even some carbon wouldn't hurt. Worry less about eradication and more about starvation to get rid of it. Ime hair algae will turn brownish and be easy to scrape if if you starve it.
 
Your phosphate is being eaten up by the hair algae so your readings are off. Like everyone else said lower you phosphates and nitrates by mechanical filtration(reactor, skimmer, water changes, algae scrubber). You also need to find the source of the problem, for example you could be over feeding or your RO/DI water might contain phosphates. If you want to remove it while you work on getting your params in check, rent a sea hare from your local LFS :D
 
maybe post a picture. I had good experience when dosing Kent "Tech M" it killed off by Bryopsis/hair algae problem. Other people have reported the same before.
 
What exactly do you feed and how much?
Tangs will certainly eat brine/mysis/etc as you feed.
But you should see normal "picking" behavior on the rocks.
If you do not, you could be way over-feeding.
Tricky balance of keeping them happy versus over-fed.

I thought high magnesium / Tech M only helped on Bryopsis, not hair algae. Not sure though.

Kalkwasser should actually be helping to reduce phosphates a little bit.
 
Water changes an incredible patience. I had it bad then ... it went away. What did I change? Well, some extra water changes, but nothing really. It just crashed.
 
You recently reduced your chaeto. That was taking up phosphates. Now the HA is since there's less competition. I find that phosphates are one of the harder parameters to test for because of the varied forms (organic & inorganic) and because you'll read low with the presence of anything that is using the phosphates in the water column. I also find that algae is usually linked directly to phosphates. I've stopped testing and just gauge my phosphates based on how the macro is doing in my fuge and/or and presence of algae in my DT. I'd look at a phosphate reactor or consider adding Phosguard to your sump.

Justin (San Francisco),
sent from tapatalk
 
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