|
11/14/2019, 08:12 AM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Milan (Italy)
Posts: 70
|
How to get rid hair algae
Hello
I need some suggestions How to get rid hair algae on the rocks? I've discovered the issue, it's worng cement used 8 months ago to glue live rocks, but Fluocanazole doesn't work I woulk like to avoid to remove rocks and start with another one. Maybe ZEOLITE or ALGAE SCRUBBER could help? In the last 3 months I've bought new osmosis system with 5 stadium, I've changed 30% weekly water of my reef tank (80gallons net volume), but probably silicates released by cement is already present.
__________________
Reef tank 105 gallons, skimmer Ultrareef Akula 200, 3 CORAL box pump QP16 Plus |
11/14/2019, 09:06 AM | #2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
|
Nitrate levels?
Phosphate levels? Not sure why you think the cement is/was the issue.. Phosphorous based adhesive? Its also not likely that silicates are the reason. Typically silicates are associated with Diatoms and not really hair algae. Can you post a picture to ensure we have a proper identification of the issue? How long were you using it and how much Fluconazole did you try? Were you using "tap/city" (unfiltered) water prior to your recent purchase of a RO/DI system? How old is the tank? Type of lighting?
__________________
Who me? |
11/14/2019, 10:03 AM | #3 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Milan (Italy)
Posts: 70
|
Quote:
__________________
Reef tank 105 gallons, skimmer Ultrareef Akula 200, 3 CORAL box pump QP16 Plus |
|
11/14/2019, 03:38 PM | #4 |
RC Mod
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA
Posts: 88,616
|
There are lots of approaches. I might try spending a few minutes a week pulling out what hair algae is easy to remove, just to reduce the nutrients in the system. In addition, I might try some vodka or vinegar dosing. GFO sometimes helps, as well, even when the phosphate level measures zero, as it can outcompete some alga species for phosphate as it is released.
__________________
Jonathan Bertoni |
11/14/2019, 06:40 PM | #5 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 451
|
I'm at the (hopefully) tail end a very long multi-month battle with very severe GHA that was not solved by Fluconazole. I'd siphon out massive amounts of algae but in a week or two it'd be all back. It was quite a problem and the GHA overgrew and killed more corals than I'd like to admit.
I'm not entirely convinced by the causality, but once I started dosing the maximum dosage of Vibrant (1ml/10 gallons twice a week), the algae really started to weaken and my ability to clean it out of the system became faster than its ability to grow. Now this is all part of a large system where I'm skimming pretty wet, have an ATS and am using the Vibrant, but I had all those things before the Vibrant and they weren't helping all that much. It isn't like when I started dosing the Vibrant all the algae died, but it did seem to weaken the algae enough that when I clean it off the rocks it doesn't come back, and slowly but surely I'm knocking it out of the whole tank. I'm not sure if the Vibrant was really just an expensive form of carbon dosing (Vinegar is one of the ingredients) or the Vibrant special ingredients actually had the effect, but I'd say it is worth a try. Also I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from the water tests. When my GHA outbreak was in full swing my Nitrate levels were 0, and now with the GHA in decline my Nitrate levels have been pretty steady between 5-7.5. When you have a ton of algae your levels might be low but you still have a nutrient problem because the algae is just taking them up so quickly. |
11/14/2019, 08:34 PM | #6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Wichita KS
Posts: 2,621
|
I have hair algae that grows in little tufts here & there. It's not an issue but I've fought it for a while. Reef Flux never touched it, GFO didn't make it go away, carbon dosing didn't do the trick. Peroxide killed it where I could use it and the algae has not returned in those areas. Unfortunately there are a lot of areas I can't use it. I'm just starting week 3 of Vibrant. The algae is definitely starting to recede. Oh... and I added a rather large Sea Hare to boot. He's made a visible in just a few days.
Based on the last 3 weeks, I would suggest Vibrant & a big ugly Sea Hare.
__________________
John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
11/14/2019, 10:57 PM | #7 |
RC Mod
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA
Posts: 88,616
|
The only problem with the sea hares is that they tend to die of starvation before getting rid of all of the alga. They can be picky about their diet, too.
__________________
Jonathan Bertoni |
11/15/2019, 02:19 AM | #8 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Fremont, CA
Posts: 9,555
|
Quote:
I had some success with longspine urchins but they tend to show little discrimination between nuisance algae, good algae (especially coralline), and even corals (encrusting SPS are at particular risk to be "mowed over"). Another thing that worked for me in the past were Trochus snails and scarlet hermits. But that can be a costly path. In my experience , reducing nitrates and phosphates does little to nothing. GHA can grow like crazy even without excess nutrients. I had actually GHA starting to grow and grow out of control AFTER I reduced feeding. In my coral system with 0 phosphate, 0 nitrate, and 3 macro algae fuges (together those have the same volume as the display!) GHA is out of control. At the same time my Anemonefish system with 20 nitrate and 0.8 phosphate and no fuge has very little GHA and little algae problems in general.
__________________
Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio 3 P. diacanthus. 2 C. starcki Current Tank Info: 200 gal 4 tank system (40x28x24 + 40B + 40B sump tank + 20g refugium) + 30x18x18 mixed reef + 20g East Pacific biotop + 20g FW +... |
|
11/15/2019, 09:32 AM | #9 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Wichita KS
Posts: 2,621
|
Quote:
I just wanted to give the Vibrant a little help, not to add a permanent member to the clean-up crew. Hopefully I'll get to return the Sea Hare to the LFS. We'll see.
__________________
John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
|
11/15/2019, 09:44 AM | #10 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Wichita KS
Posts: 2,621
|
Quote:
__________________
John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
|
11/15/2019, 10:50 AM | #11 |
Registered Member
|
You can shut off the flow in the tank and apply 12% H2O2 (eBay) directly to the base of the HA and it will do wonders. Use a titration syringe to apply the H2O2. In a day or two you will see massive results. Turn the flow back on a few minutes after application.
__________________
Originally posted by yellowslayer13: "I hate that hole" Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS |
11/15/2019, 01:06 PM | #12 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 16
|
Quote:
Just be careful not to apply it too close to anything you want to keep. Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk |
|
11/15/2019, 05:08 PM | #13 |
RC Mod
|
Fluconazole works when nothing else does but you NEED a really good skimmer. WHich will save you from a lot of other situations.
__________________
Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. |
11/15/2019, 05:10 PM | #14 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Milan (Italy)
Posts: 70
|
Quote:
It's ultrasized skimmer for my tank Inviato dal mio LM-G710 utilizzando Tapatalk
__________________
Reef tank 105 gallons, skimmer Ultrareef Akula 200, 3 CORAL box pump QP16 Plus |
|
11/15/2019, 05:33 PM | #15 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Miller Place, NY
Posts: 7,206
|
IF your ultrasized skimmer works well & then stops for a while then works again it is too big for your system.
__________________
250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
11/15/2019, 08:13 PM | #16 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: reno, nv
Posts: 201
|
I had a huge GHA outbreak,spent about 3 months doing 30-40% weekly water changes, cut feeding by 75%, shortened the time lights where on, spent hours removing it by hand. Nothing worked. What finally worked was did a Fluconazole treatment, GHA started fading in color to a light green, removed all I could by hand, 30% water change, then a 3 day blackout(completely covered tank with cardboard and light off), then another Fluconazole treatment and 30% water change. GHA is gone and its been 4 months.
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|