Hair Algae Problem

[greenspottedlover]

My GSP's tank is infested, anyone have any suggestions?

[RTR]

Water parameters?

Type and wattage of lighting and hours per day lighted?

Tank size and water change schedule?

[bertie 83]

+1 to questions asked by rtr

[greenspottedlover]

Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate ~10-20(not sure, the test tube leaked a little)
Ph ~78-80

not sure on the lights watts, but it's just the bulb that came with the standard fluorescent hood. 12hrs a day MOST days.

20g. 25% twice a week.

[sevenyearnight]

Light cycle is a bit long. Do you use tap water?

[Lil' Swimz$]

Definitely too long of a light cycle. 6-8 hours is good. What's your filter like?

[RTR]

There is nothing wrong with those readings.

Do you have a phosphate test? We ahd a similar question recently from someone who had high phosphate, which definitely drives algae growth.

The light cycle is too long. Cut back to ten hours max and better 8.

[Arny]

Do you have a full marine setup? If you do buy a Seahair as they love eatting Hair algea. I bought one myself and he's cleared all my hairalgea from all the Live Rock and glass. took about a week.

seahare-2.jpg

[greenspottedlover]

Do you have a full marine setup? If you do buy a Seahair as they love eatting Hair algea. I bought one myself and he's cleared all my hairalgea from all the Live Rock and glass. took about a week.

seahare-2.jpg

Wouldn't my GSP eat it? Is a 20g. gonna sustain enough hair algae to keep it alive(planning to get a slightly bigger tank some time this year though, probably 40g.)

[RTR]

Those are in my limited experience non-hardy inverts in captivity - largely for lack of food in enough variety, and their need of excellent reef-level water quality.

If one dies in a smallish tank, the tank may well be doomed. As with most of that group of animals, they rot with great speed postmortem. It can wipe out a tank.

NIMFT

[Arny]

Do you have a full marine setup? If you do buy a Seahair as they love eatting Hair algea. I bought one myself and he's cleared all my hairalgea from all the Live Rock and glass. took about a week.

seahare-2.jpg

Wouldn't my GSP eat it? Is a 20g. gonna sustain enough hair algae to keep it alive(planning to get a slightly bigger tank some time this year though, probably 40g.)

My puffer takes no notice as the seahair totally blends in with the LR, also it's quite big. My Seahair is still alive and well and I still see him going over the LR. I think if i had 2 Seahairs there maybe a problem with lack of food but just 1 in a 55g tank and 25kg of LR seems to be enough to sustain 1 Seahair. I always look at all my creatures in my tank every day so hopefully if like RTR say's about a Seahair dying in my tank I'll be able to get it out before it decays.

[J-P]

Not to offend Arny, but I understand where RTR is coming from. Many if not most inverts are introduced into FW tanks first. From there they are fed, multiply and breed.

In SW conditions it is the opposite and many people don't realize this. New set ups like the one greenspottedlover most likely will not sustain a critter with such a specialized diet. It just won't work as the tank is not mature enough. It will plow though that algae and then we are left with another dead critter.

Adding a life form to a tank to combat another life form isn't always the best choice. It adds to the bioload which may already be stressed.

In this situation the best solution may be manual removal with a combination of starving the algae (light and nutrients); RO/DI water or distilled water for changes.

[greenspottedlover]

Not to offend Arny, but I understand where RTR is coming from. Many if not most inverts are introduced into FW tanks first. From there they are fed, multiply and breed.

In SW conditions it is the opposite and many people don't realize this. New set ups like the one greenspottedlover most likely will not sustain a critter with such a specialized diet. It just won't work as the tank is not mature enough. It will plow though that algae and then we are left with another dead critter.

Adding a life form to a tank to combat another life form isn't always the best choice. It adds to the bioload which may already be stressed.

In this situation the best solution may be manual removal with a combination of starving the algae (light and nutrients); RO/DI water or distilled water for changes.

The setup is over a year old, but I still don't think a 20g. could support it, the 40g. I plan to setup a 30-40g. for my puffer soon, so won't be to worried unless that tank outbreaks also.

[Pufferpunk]

I've never had one last more than a few weeks in any tank. Only found one body, too. my cleaner crew is amazing!

[RVS]

ummm i also had hair-like algae problem in my BW tank, but my P.velifera destroy it in about 2 weeks.
i also rise the salinity 2º, from 1.004 to 1.006 and the algae seems to get weak, thats when i use my super fingers to finish it.
By the way my GSP get a piece of finger, now she knows the human flavor.