Hair algae help!!

[lilrodyreefer]

So ever sence the hurricane I've been battling hair algae. I lost most of the fish due to my tank being down for almost two weeks with no power. As of right now all my levels are good. I am debating on setting up a 40 breeder to house the corals and fish and due a full tank break down. I would change all the rocks and substright. Any advise on ether doing the break down or not breaking the down and figuring out another solution.

 

[worcestereefer]

If its a possibility a tang will mow that stuff down. Worked great for me.

 

[dz6t]

second that, a yellow tang will do wonder.
If you don't have a algae control solution like cleanup crew and a tang, you will still run into algae problem even you scrub everything down.

 

[lilrodyreefer]

I had gotten a yellow tang a few emerald crabs and a long spiny urchin to add to my existing cleanup crew. The tang died about a day ago. I don't know if he didn't eat the algae or if he was doomed from my lfs. He was small. I have some chromies and a manderin in the tank now and they all seem to be doing fine and eating healthy.

 

[kingfish62]

What size tank is this?

 

[dz6t]

Both my yellow tangs are from BRS members, well, all my current fish are from BRS members through many years anyway. I don't have much luck from Petco for fish.

 

[lilrodyreefer]

It's a 75g display and a 40g sump.

 

[lilrodyreefer]

That's was the tank before the hurricane. Now it looks like that but with grass all over it!!!

 

[lilrodyreefer]

I didn't get the tang from petco. Just didn't want to through my lfs under the buss. I don't buy fish from them ether. Although when I see them all looking crappy it makes me want to save them all...

 

[willray]

I would try another tang.Were you feeding him?Did you see it eat?
Have you been doing water changes? Cheato or something in your sump/fuge? Sorrow for the boatload of questions.
This hobby is definitely a labor of love.Having said that....might be a good idea to pull the rocks out and scrub in a bucket of tank water.After that IMO think it would be prudent to put the pumps on the ends and point them at the rocks....then move them back after it clears up.

 

[kingfish62]

I have always found Foxfaces do a better job with algae. Sea hares do a great job also. Kick up the water changes and pick and syphon out as much as you can manually. Cut back on photo period and feedings . I have experimented a little with Hydrogen peroxide dips with some success. These are just some things that have helped me dring outbreaks.
What type of macro algaes do you have growing in your sump?

 

[lilrodyreefer]

I have alot of cheato and a big clump of some purple algae. Are the sea hairs dangerous if they die in the tank and could I feed one nori if it eats all the algae?

 

[stingythingy45]

I wouldn't even goof with any critters to try and knock back HA.
Just pick up a phos reactor and media and starve it to death.

But FWIW,Krystal Clear Aquatic in Auburn Ma. had several sea hares in there tanks last week.
I have no experience with them,but,have heard good things.

 

[rnyce]

im also having a HA problem Due to bad flow and high phosphates. I got a phos reactor but im not sure which media you guys use?
any suggestions? also how often do you change it.

 

[kingfish62]

I had used seahares 3 times over the years and passed them on to people after they helped with the job. They can be pretty big and would cause a prob if they unknowingly died. It would be a lot of rotting meat in your tank.

 

[Kungfukid]

I would suggest doing a small water change (twice a week) for the next 2-3 weeks and siphon out as much as HA as you can on each water change. do just a couple of gallons each time

 

[cstmpprl]

Not sure if it was 15-20 g weekly water changes, black hard plastic blocking the light over the overflow, or the phosphate reactor,
or all of the above. But I'm happy to say For now I have Concorded it. And like kungfukid said, when doing water changes I'd pick out as much as I could
Good luck

 

[jamesdong009]

Running GFO, performing regular water changes, and reduced feedings are all great ways of reducing nutrients in the tank. Constant manual removal was what worked for me years ago when I had a hair algae battle.

Fish and invertebrates are just bandaids until you can get control of the problem.

 

[SteveDola]

IME this is how you beat HA
*Start with a good 25% water change and then follow up with increased water changes (10%) every 2 -3 days for 2 weeks. then dial it back to twice a week and then once a week. vaccum the sand, pick the rocks, blow em off too.
*get a GOOD cleanup crew. plenty of Trochus snails, scarlet hermits, margarita turbos, nerite snails, nassarius snails.
*reduce feedings and strain the food well through a mesh net.

This method will slowly reduce your nutrients and not shock the corals *(which have probably become accustom to higher nutrients) and the CUC will eat the rest. You will lose a few snail and hermits along the way but in teh end you'll have a clean tank.

Be diligent and patient and you will beat it. Especially with a medium size tank like the 75, the water changes and CUC will take this down within a month. Adding GFO can create its own problems by stripping the water too quickly of the nutrients and thus stressing corals.

 

[SteveDola]

Also, use good quality RODI water. Make sure you have good quality and unexhausted filters.