Hair algea help!! Desperate!!!

[Scotty Fraiser]

Hair algea is slowly taking over my 110 reef. I have read the 10 steps to rid algea. I am doing all I can every afternoon and it seems I am getting further bh. 30 gall sump with newly established fuge. Nextreef smr1 reactor with phosguard and Gfo. All test show water parameters are good. I suspect my phos is not registering bc algea is consuming it. 25 gall ro changes every other week. Feeding only minimal every three to 4 days. Have rigged up sprayer nozzle on end of hose to blow as much as I can off to catch it in filter socks. I do this every three days and clean socks. Too many corals glued and puttied into place to take rocks out. Running 2 1600 gall voyagers hooked to wave maker. Still spots in front corners with two 800 gph heads coming. Anything else I can do. I also added three little packs of all gone to sump about three days ago. Caulerpa in sump is only baseball size. Anything at all????? Looks terrible

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

I also just added about 40 hermit crabs.

 

[Sniperhank]

It won't be an over night fix. It takes time. Pull the stuff out prior to water changes. Toss an algae blenny in, it'll chow down on the stuff too.

 

[mr_X]

IMO, don't add any more to your bio load. Just keep up with manual removal, reduced feeding, and water changes until you get it under control.

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Mr x, I think part of the problem is not enough flow. As long as the softies can stand it I can add more flow?? Will it Hurt? The front lower corners seem to get the worst and there is little flow there. That problem will soon be fixed I hope unless it just kicks up too much. Also when I blow the algea with blower pump dust is kicking up from rocks pretty good. I just seem to be loosing ground!!!!!!! Ha. One expensive frog pond in the living room.

 

[mr_X]

Two 1600gph power heads is all you have in the tank? It's possible that is the root of the problem, but now you have nutrient build up in the low flow areas. I ran into the same thing as you, but it was a different algae. It took me about 6 months to get a handle on it. Manual removal, vacuuming out what I could with each water change, and regular water changes.

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Yes. Two 1600 gph on a wave maker is all I have. Did order two 800 gall today with a Red Sea wave maker. Hope the two 800 gph will be ok. I'm afraid they will be too strong. The two 1600 are on the ends facing across about 150 lbs of live rock. The two 800 pumps I plan on putting on the back glass in the middle aiming toward the front lower corners. Keep in mind my tank is 30 inches tall.

 

[Ingy]

Although I don't have an algae problem as my snails et al eat any that shows in the DT, periodically between trips to the power head by the turbo a small bit will grow. Right on the 1400 gph power head. Flow has 0 effect on algae growth for hair algae. Same holds true in wild reefs that I've dived on.

 

[waterfaller1]

Increase the size of your water changes, and switch to RO/DI water instead of just RO. If you don't have them, put your lights on timers and decrease the time they are on. Three days of lights out after a hefty water change and the HA will start to die. Continue manually removing as much as you can.

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Sorry. I meant to say rodi just typing in a rush. I have maxspect mAzarra p series led lights. They are nice although the programming is not exactly user friendly. Have them in the automatic setting and not sure howto reduce the hours they are on. Seems I am the only on in the country that have these lights. Starts to brighten slowly around 9 am. Peaks about three pm. Only moonlight by 9 pm. I need to educate myself on these lights. That is for sure one place I am slipping! Thanks

 

[waterfaller1]

When is the last time you changed the filters in your RO/DI, and do you have a TDS meter? If so, what is the reading? It should be 0.

 

[Pisces3473]

Although I have a smaller tank, i run two wavemakers on one side during the day and another larger one on the other side at night. Plus, I've got a 300gph HOB pushing water from back glass to front. When they switch from day to night I can see little bits and pieces moving around the water. Hope this info helps.

 

[Voshon247]

You can try a lettuce nubbranch but be carefully

 

[melosu58]

IMO, don't add any more to your bio load. Just keep up with manual removal, reduced feeding, and water changes until you get it under control.

Very good advice if you ask me. Also here is a good battle plan.

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

 

[bjj_junkie]

Adding a tang helped with my hair algae problem. All my reefer friends said that it'll die off with time but I added a few more snails and a tang and the tang cleared 75% of the fuzziness within a week