Green hair algae

[Derdy88]

hey just noticed that i have a small amount of green hair algae starting on 1 of my rocks and i want to put a stop to it as soon as possible i have a 36 gal with 96w pc 50 50 light and for a clean up crew i have 10 hermits 4 snails and a skunk shrimp do you think its a lack of cleaners or what els could be the problem. and how can i get rid of it

 

[ccCapt]

Hair algae is caused by high nutrients, nitrates and/or phosphates. Have you tested your nitrate?
How long has the tank been running?
What kind of water do you use and how often do you do water changes?
Any fish? What do you feed them and how much/how often?
Do you use a protein skimmer?

 

[Derdy88]

hey thx for the help .... nitrate is between 5 and 10
tank up and running for 2 months now
i was told not to do a water change untill 3 months
but i top it off using tap water with prime in it and let it sit a week before putting it in. the last time i topped it off i used reverse osmosis water.
i have 2 clowns and a skunk cleaner and several corals mushroom kenyi tree waving hands ect... i feed once a day and feeding them frozen brineshrimp and i feed them a quarter cube
there were a couple days last week where they got fed twice a day because my mom though she was suppose to feed them and didnt know i was feeding them.
yes i have a skimmer

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Pretty normal to do 10-20% water changes every 1-2 weeks. Not sure why you were told not to do one for 3 months! Yowsa!

 

[melosu58]

Read this

FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "10 Step Plan for Nuisance Algae Control"

 

[Derdy88]

alrighty thanks... will do just cant cut the lighting out i have some corals that need light but i can deff cut back on all the other stuff ... thanks again guys.

will keep you updated and ill try and get some pics i know you all like seeing pics

 

[Derdy88]

just made a discovery lol! my buddy gave me a hunk of rock the other day that is covered in coral line algae so i put it ontop of the algae and left it thr all day. i just moved the rock and where the algae on the rock was is no longer there but now its on the coral line algae ( which can be removed and scrubbed. im going to try moving this rock all over to see if i can get most of it off

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Migrating algae? Any possibility of a picture of this stuff?

 

[ccCapt]

Something doesn't seem right here.
2 month old tank
never did a water change
2 clowns and a skunk cleaner and several corals mushroom kenyi tree waving hands

And nitrate is only 5-10?

 

[Derdy88]

yup i dont get it either its weird because its like it just jumped off onto the coral line algae rock. that rock is not half green half purple and berre it was just purple

 

[Chisel]

What type of substrate are you using? Is the tank actually "new" or was a lot of the stuff borrowed or given from a previous tank?

 

[Derdy88]

the tank and filter were used i scrubbed it all down and then i bought everything els brand new

 

[Derdy88]

now will my fish be fine not feedong them for 2 doys or so ? i read that they can go like a week with no food im trying to eliminate this phosphate.

and i heard rule of thumb 1 cleaner for each gallo i have 36 gals but only 14 cleanners should i get more?

 

[roka64]

Cleaner shrimp won't eat HA.
Tell us about your filter. Does it have foam sponges in it? Carbon? Other media?

 

[Derdy88]

its has carbon in it ..... caught a lil red hermit crab eating at the base of the coral. ill kill it lol ... its 3 nights in a row he chews it off

 

[roka64]

Carbon only lasts 1-2 weeks before it starts leaching stuff back into your tank (depending on bioload and feeding habits).
I haven't run carbon for 1.5 years. I prefer pruigen.

 

[Derdy88]

alright because right when i started to notice the algae i changed the carbon bag .... bad news this morning i woke up to my clown on the floor....jumped out.... so sad. now do you think me getting a new one is a good idea or a bad idea had him only 2 weeks

 

[melosu58]

Sorry to hear that. I would suggest some egg crate on top.

 

[cmor1701d]

Sorry to hear about your clown jumping. eggcrate over the top is best for this in the future. You can get it Home Depot, etc.

Yes you can cut your feeding. Most folks here are feeding every other day. I feed every 2 - 3 days, but I add nori (seaweed) for my tangs.

Was your light fixture purchased new too or did it come with the tank?

 

[Derdy88]

came with tank but the balast was shot and i got a new bulb so its brand new right now