Help ??

BostonBill678

Well-Known Member
BRS Member
I have a cycled 75 gallon with fish and corals I bought a coral for it and was out of coral dip so I put it in the tank anyway ( very stupid of me) a month later I got green hair algae all over it .I started a treatment of Vibrant cut back the lights and food and it’s killing the algae like it’s supposed to .I was going to just put all my stuff from the 75 to a 90 gal ,water ,coral ,crushed coral sand and everything.My question is should I just start from scratch now with the 90 ?New crushed coral dr Tim’s one and only and new corals or should I just wait till my 75 is green hair free and use all my old stuff. Any advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks Guys
Bill
 
Green hair algae is a natural part of the reef. It can become a nuisance if it gets out of control and smothers other life. But it’s not a plague. Plenty of fish and invertebrates will eat it, and easy enough to keep in check manually. On one frag, can just pull it out, scrub it off and rinse in some saltwater. You can spot treat with hydrogen peroxide if you really want it gone for good, but I would advise against Vibrant. It was recently shown to actually just be an algaecide, and improperly labeled as bacteria or whatever. Far overkill for a little GHA.

Limiting light, especially white/red/green, regular maintenance, good water quality and some grazers and GHA is no big issue. All reefs have some algae, it’s natural and not at all an emergency. What herbivores do you have, fish or inverts?

If your 75 has mature/cycled rock, you can move it over to the 90 and shouldn’t expect much or any ammonia spike from die off. If your sand is dirty it’s is usually a good idea to rinse it separately before moving into the new tank. Rinse with a hose etc and swish until clear, then RO or saltwater rinse and it’s good as new.
 
I don't believe a dip would have killed hair algae anyhow. Hair algae is indicative of higher nutrients and perhaps not enough cleanup crew. If you're moving to a 90 I would start with fresh saltwater and fresh sand or at least well rinsed sand. That should go a long way to getting your nutrients in line. Acclimate your corals and fish to the new water as you would if you had just purchased them. I am by no means an expert but that's my $0.02.
 
No the green algae is everywhere I think when I was trying to grow my corals by feeding them everday and was supposed to be 2 times a week and too much light .Should I just keep my blue lights on until my hair algae is gone?
 
Start by removing as much as you can via siphon during water change, or by hand. GHA can trap a lot of detritus which breaks down and the algae uses the local ammonia, etc to fuel growth. Don’t do excessive feeding (a lot uneaten). I don’t think you can starve the algae of light without starving the corals too. But keep them on no longer than 10-12 hrs a day.

Then get some grazers: snails, hermits, herbivorous fish. What fish and invertebrates do you already have?
 
Start by removing as much as you can via siphon during water change, or by hand. GHA can trap a lot of detritus which breaks down and the algae uses the local ammonia, etc to fuel growth. Don’t do excessive feeding (a lot uneaten). I don’t think you can starve the algae of light without starving the corals too. But keep them on no longer than 10-12 hrs a day.

Then get some grazers: snails, hermits, herbivorous fish. What fish and invertebrates do you already have?
Snails,hermits, algae eating goby, gold and white sand sifter but I am gonna buy more snails and hermits
 
Green hair algae is a natural part of the reef. It can become a nuisance if it gets out of control and smothers other life. But it’s not a plague. Plenty of fish and invertebrates will eat it, and easy enough to keep in check manually. On one frag, can just pull it out, scrub it off and rinse in some saltwater. You can spot treat with hydrogen peroxide if you really want it gone for good, but I would advise against Vibrant. It was recently shown to actually just be an algaecide, and improperly labeled as bacteria or whatever. Far overkill for a little GHA.

Limiting light, especially white/red/green, regular maintenance, good water quality and some grazers and GHA is no big issue. All reefs have some algae, it’s natural and not at all an emergency. What herbivores do you have, fish or inverts?

If your 75 has mature/cycled rock, you can move it over to the 90 and shouldn’t expect much or any ammonia spike from die off. If your sand is dirty it’s is usually a good idea to rinse it separately before moving into the new tank. Rinse with a hose etc and swish until clear, then RO or saltwater rinse and it’s good as new.
I must of had it in the tank then when I started putting in the extra food for the corals it exploded everywhere.I’m gonna ditch the sand and keep the live rock.
thank you for the advice
Bill
 
Start by removing as much as you can via siphon during water change, or by hand. GHA can trap a lot of detritus which breaks down and the algae uses the local ammonia, etc to fuel growth. Don’t do excessive feeding (a lot uneaten). I don’t think you can starve the algae of light without starving the corals too. But keep them on no longer than 10-12 hrs a day.

Then get some grazers: snails, hermits, herbivorous fish. What fish and invertebrates do you already have?
Snails hermits ,algae eating goby gold and white sand sifter. I think I’ll buy some more hermits and maybe some emeralds
 
Upcoming Events

April 21, 2024
Paul B
Club Meeting

Back
Top