whats the best way to stop hairy algae growth?

If It is Hair algae, the best way to get rid of it is with manuel labor. You will need to just get in there and pull it out. pull as much as you can out of the tank at a time. Once you get it all, do a water change.

Are you sure it is hair algae. I have not seen it grow on the glass before? What color is it? If it is red it might actually be cyano. In which case turn off your lights for a day or 2 and increase water flow if you can. That should help get rid of it.
 
Algae problems can be attributed to nutrients in the water that needs to be exported and/or light bulbs that are past their prime.

Manual removal, followed by large water changes will help, and consistent water changes thereafter. An appropriate sized skimmer - one that is efficient enough to remove said nutrients.

There are many causes for nutrients such as stocking level and excessive feeding.
 
I'm also fighting a massive infusion of green hair algae. In fact, there is almost no place for my aiptasia to grow now!

I chatted with some LFS guys (also hobbiests) these are some of the ideas

0) The problem is excess nutrients caused by feeding, I know this.

1) Get a sea hare. Aquatic Gallery said they'd sell me one that I could return for credit after it has cleaned up my tank (about $15)
(But that is fighting a symptom, not the cause!)

2) Try dosing vodka (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php) don't overdose! It should help the skimmer work better to pull out excess nutrients

3) Try running without lights for 3 day, the corals should survive easily and nocturnal herbivores like hermit crabs mights "stay up longer" to eat alage. I dunno about the nocturnal herbivore part, but this might be a good tactic. I might try it for 2 days. My bulbs are NEW, and I've switched a few times, so the problem is not old bulbs. My photoperiod is 8 hours, I've dialed it back an hour.

4) I'm feeding flake food every day. Some suggestions are
4a) Switch to live of frozen food such as mysis shrimp. Flake food is already mostly decompossed so if it goes uneaten, it'll almost instantly dissolve and feed the water column! Mysis shrimp and such will at least hang around longer in a non-decayed form...maybe long enough for the hermits or other scavengers to eat it.
4b) I feed everyday...fish don't really need to eat everyday (I dunno...) so try feeding every other day, or drastically, once every 3 days or longer!!

5) Grow more macro algae. I admit I had fewer problems when my sump was a huge clump of chaeto. Instead there are rocks in there with mushrooms and such...so I've lost my macro-algae nutrient export. I should again get chaeto growing. I do have 5 mangroves in there, but they are basically useless...despite what some people may think.

6) ongoing manual removal. Well the nutrients needed to grow GHA is obviously locked up IN GHA, so if I keep removing the GHA that I can, I'm obviously removing the locked up nutrients as well. But obviously, it's already GHA so it won't add to the problem of nutrients. Still this is good nutrient export and of course, just pulling it out means less of it to multiply, though I've yet to pull out a clump without small strands floating loose!

7) Add more herbivores. I already have a yellow tang that does nothing. I added 5 more red leg hermits who probably also won't do anything, but at least they are fun to look at!

8) Greater frequency of water changes. I admit, I am very lazy about this. The solution is to be less lazy about it. So I'll start a once a week water change regimen. I only change one 5 gallon bucket of water, out of about 60 real gallons of water (58g + 25g sump, minus rocks and stuff) so I won't over-change the water, but at least I'll be changing the water!


That's my strategy! Sadly, GHA is only ONE of the pests in my tank. If I can get it down to nothing, I'll start working on the aiptasia, since the very expensive berghias I bought seem to either not be able to keep up...or are dead.

Note that my strategy is a mixture of prevention and after-the-fact cure. I need to get rid of the stuff, but I also need to correct whatever is allowing it to bloom! (excess nutrients from feeding probably!)

V
 
Sea hares does eats hair algae.. I think that's the only thing it eats so when your tank run out of hair algae, you will need to find a home for it fast..
 
yep, I've been pulling it by hand. One problem is that it grows on my one clam and it's not firmly attached. A lot of rocks move when I pull the stuff.

As for the sea hare, Doc Li at Aquatic Gallery said they'd take it back for store credit when it was done cleaning my tank (if I get it).

I'm currently on day one of "lights out" And I've reduced feeding the fish for a few days too.

V
 
planted tank experience: For most photosynthetic algae (some things we call algae are really bacteria), blackouts work. However, blackouts need to be that. BLACK. At least in the FW world, if you just have your lights off for a week, the algae lives. Use black trashbags over the whole tank and use an airstone to help with gas exchange, and algae goes away in 3 days (usually a "green water" tactic). A lot of algae can sustain themself for a really long time with very low light.

Also, I would have periods were I didn't feed the fish at all for a day or two. In the wild, fish don't get big meals every day. We spoil our fish.
 
Really? Total blackout? OK, I'm all for it. I was leaving the refugium light on, but I'll turn it off too.

I have a pretty decent skimmer, do I really need an airstone? I think that skimmer (Aqua C EV-120) makes way more bubbles than any airstone, I think.

How long can coral survive in blackout conditions?

V
 
Anything you do is at your own risk :p I'm just relaying experience in the freshwater world.

I'd speculate that 3 days is fine with coral as long as flow is good. They may be unhappy but they should be fine. Just careful when you re-shock them with bright light. Again, at your own risk :p
 
OK, so Gomer TOLD ME TO keep my lights off for a week, and accepts all responsibility for my fish. OK, here I got!

Just kidding. Yeah, I'll keep an eye on things of course. I wouldn't go for more than 3 days.

V
 
Some people recommend bringing your magnesium levels up, I guess there is a threshold that hair algae dies at. Not exactly sure the protocol on this method, maybe someone will chime in.

Cheers,

Josh
 
[quote author=Gomer link=topic=5013.msg61762#msg61762 date=1225490481]
I thought that was for bryopsis (sp?).
[/quote]

I think (someone please step in if I'm wrong) bryopsis is the genus name of 40+ different hair algae, latin for "moss like" or something.
 
yeah someone else (Mr Ugly?) suggested bringing alkalinity up (dripping kalkwasser?)

There is so much advice, but the bottom line is ... too much nutrients!

V
 
i thought i start with the manuel removal and water change. i pulled out as much of it as possible and did a 20 percent water change. now lets see if the damn things come back.
 
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