Algae problem help

[dax352]

Ive got some purple hair algae growing in my tank. What's the best thing to get that eats it? I've looked into turbo snails and sea hares.

[dskidmore]

Turbo snails are always a good thing. Anything that reduces nitrates and other nutrients will help. Do you have a good skimmer?

The algae will actually improve your water quality. The fact that you have it says that there is stuff in the water it needs to eat up.

[dax352]

Ok but turbo snails are definitely the way to go to keep it under control. Cuz it's gettin out of control. I've got a an ASM G1X for my 115 gallon tank.

[dskidmore]

Turbo snails will help, but they don't entirely eliminate the problem if you don't have nutrient export. They'll turn the algae into poop so you have another chance to siphon it out during a water change. If the poop or what bacteria make from the poop is not removed from the system, the algae will grow again.

[Grabloids]

Can you give some details about your set up? Do you have a refugium section in the sump? If so you could possibly add some chaeto to actually compete with the hair algae for the nutrients and hope for it to starve it out. Another hit and miss tactic would be to add a yellow tang. It seems crazy but I've seen these fish destroy hair algae populations. If you have a reactor, you could possibly use a nitrate sponge, bio pellets, GFO, or phosban. Are you using RODI water? Have you tested for phosphates? How much are you feeding? What is your flow like in your tank? What kind of lighting do you have? How old are the bulbs?

[dskidmore]

Yellow tangs need a decent size tank though.

[Gregcoyote]

Animals that will eat the algae simply reprocess the nutrients back into the water, to grow even more algae. Harvesting it and throwing it away is an excellent way to strip the nutrients out of the water, that is what a algae turf scrubber does. Probably, along with protein skimming, algae scrubbing is the the most natural way to keep nutrients at zero. Keep up the water changes and look into reducing your nutrient levels.

[pokmijn]

Things that will eat it will only help slow it down for a bit and don't worry about testing for phosphate as it will read zero. Your best bet is to increase waterchange and cut back on feeding if you have fish that dont requir much feeding. Don't get a seahare it will run out of food to eat.