Green Hair Algae question

[beast99]

I have recently setup a 240g tank and two of my LR has some hair algae on it. Half of the water was from my old 150g tank. I did not have hair algae on that tank. How would I get rid of the hair algae on both of my LR besides throwing the rock out. Also, can this hair algae spread to my other LR?

Thank You,
Michael

 

[BigJay]

I have a bit of hair algae myself, but it's receding. It's literally a war, and you have to hit the stuff on multiple fronts.

1. The hair algae will spread to other rocks if it has enough light and nutrients.

2. I did the most damage to my hair algae with a two-day "lights out". I shut the lights off and covered the tank with a blanket for two days. I cut my photoperiod down to 8 hours per day, and only 6 hours of full halides total with a long dawn/dusk effect. (Light)

3. I also run a phosban reactor with GFO media to remove phosphates from the water, algae needs it to grow. (Nutrients)

4. I cut back on the overfeeding, and stepped up the water changes to every week to reduce nitrates. (Nutrients)

5. I've hit the worst patches of hair algae with a toothbrush. A little kalk powder in the hard-to-reach places works wonders. (Manual removal/Export).

6. Adding another light over my refugium allowed the caulerpa down there to grow bigger and remove even more nutrients from the water. Caulerpa also releases a toxin (caulerpenyne) that stunts the growth of other algae. (Competition)

 

[coralreefer]

Ive done all the same as above and I bought a sea urchin. The algae has stopped spreading. The stuff i cant get out manually, the urchin mows it up. I just keep moving him to the areas that have the algae still on them.

 

[beast99]

Thank you. I will try those methods. Thanks again.


Michael

 

[Lance]

I wish I could borrow your rock. I could have it back to you in a day clean as a whistle. I had that problem also then I won a rabbit fish back at the Feb/Mar meeting and he cleaned my problem up in a day. I cannot keep any type of growing algae in the tank other than the kind that is the film type. He eats it all and quickly. Just another option if you are ready for fish.

 

[beast99]

THANKS. I will get me a rabbit fish. Thank you.


Michael

 

[beast99]

Lance, is it the foxface rabbitfish? Please let me know what kind so I can get one.


Thanks,
Michael

 

[BigJay]

Do rabbit fish eat nori off of a clip?

I know that I don't have enough algae to keep one from starving to death long term.

 

[coralreefer]

@BigJay wrote:

I think they will eat vegetables if you give it to them?!? If they dont have enough algae, they could start eating softies and LPS. (I read that off the liveaquaria site) - let me know if it is wrong!

 

[Lance]

It was a scribble rabbit fish and he will eat off the clip faster than my Blue hippo will. I had a turbo snail in my 24g nano that had about 2" of hair algae on it and I put him in the 55g with the rabbit and he went to town on him. Cleaned him right up in no time. Gave him a crew cut. :lol: I do give them a cut sheet of Nori each day for him to chow down on. All but the clowns eat off the clip.

 

[Lance]

@BigJay wrote:

Mine will eat anything that goes into the tank. He eats pellets, mysis, brine shrimp, krill, nori, green hair..........but he does not touch the corals.