Siejuban Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 My tank is in the 8th day of cycling, I saw a bunch of red hairly stuff in a small area of the rock, what is that? I search forum, so far there is information most are about green hair algae, so how can I get rid of those red hairly stuff after cycling is completed? Link to comment
seabass Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I wouldn’t wait to deal with it. I’d mix up a batch of saltwater in a bucket, take out my LR, and brush it off with a new toothbrush in that bucket. I assume that you are monitoring your cycle. As soon as you Nitrites zero out, do a large water change then test your nitrate level (if its at 20ppm or less, start adding your cleanup crew). Using good water can be the key. Use RO/DI water or distilled (test distilled for copper). If you are stuck with RO water, test it for nitrates and phosphates. Stay away from using tap. Using bad water is an invitation for bad algae. I think cycling with lights is good, but many do not. Anyway, you might consider shortening your photoperiod until you add a cleanup crew. Keep your tank out of direct sunlight; also, crappy lighting (with an improper light spectrum) can also promote bad algae (upgrade if necessary). I also believe in phosphate removers; I use them all of the time. In a media bag, I use Seachem’s SeaGel (a mix of carbon and PhosGuard) in my HOB filter. You’ll need a flow rate of at least 10 times (100 gallons per hour for a 10-gallon tank). Personally, I think this is too low; during the day, I prefer 30 times (with multiple sources to create random currents); I have my pumps on a timer so the flow is reduced (but still at least 10 times) during the night. Lastly, if you’ve put in a piece of shrimp or something to get your cycle going, take it out. Link to comment
Siejuban Posted September 12, 2003 Author Share Posted September 12, 2003 My ammonia always read as 0.04-.0.05ppm, Nitrite is 0ppm, Nitrate is dropped from 5ppm to 0ppm in 5 days, still not sure if it is cycled, since it is up for 9-10days, btw, my rock is from liverocks.com, was told it is full of beneficial bacterial, and ammonia is very low when cycling, LS is from package (something like Agua-life" The red hair and green hair algae so far is less than a quarter millimeter long, it is causing problem yet, so I am thinking I may add something to work with those hair algae, which kind of cleaning crew should I get? Link to comment
seabass Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I’m not sure what will eat your problem algae. However, for a cleanup crew in a 5-gallon tank, I might start off with a Scarlet Reef Hermit, a Nassarius snail, and a Cerith snail. Link to comment
Siejuban Posted September 13, 2003 Author Share Posted September 13, 2003 Just got 2 blue leg hermits, 3 nassarius snails. These snails immediately hide in the sand bed. And the blue hermits, I saw they picking up hair algae to eat, hope they take those red hair. How many blue leg hermit can I put in my 5gal Minibow? Link to comment
seabass Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 I’d stick with the two. Put a couple extra shells behind your LR for them to grow into. Link to comment
Siejuban Posted September 13, 2003 Author Share Posted September 13, 2003 yeap, the LFS staff gave me some extra shells too. Link to comment
Siejuban Posted September 13, 2003 Author Share Posted September 13, 2003 BTW, I just got a Lettuce Nudi from LFS. Hope it may help to control them. How long is Lettuce Nudi's lifespan, I heard from this forum, their lifespan is short. Link to comment
Siejuban Posted September 15, 2003 Author Share Posted September 15, 2003 Today, some of the red hair algae (I believed) got eaten, either the blue leg hermits or the lettuce nudi ate them. Link to comment
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