How I beat hair algae.

[LRStar]

I am really going to try to keep this short, as this topic can be a few pages in a second if i let it. So here is the brief rundown of my system before I started to combat the algae.

 

Biocube 29 - Stock

30lbs of LR + 20lbs of Crushed Coral

2 Koralia #1's

Stealth Heater 150w

Filtered with poly mat from mediabaskets

Media baskets fuge, and filter.

5w halide fuge light

Giant wadd of cheato

 

Here are the steps i tried seperately to combat algae. I waited as long as i could between each step to see if the problem was fixed.

 

1. Stopped feeding pellet food, went to raw/fresh only. - No change.

2. Added UV sterilizer - No change.

3. Changed filter media to walmart fiber fill - Clearer, but no change.

4. Added 30lbs more of live rock for 60lbs total - Clearer, no real change.

5. Replaced all crushed coral, went volcanic phillipines - Awesome.. no real change tho.

6. Removed all Mediabaskets supplies - no real change

7. Added skimmer - no change

8. Added Fluval canister filter (the one for 70 gallon) 2 carbon, 2 phosphate, 2 filter floss - no real change

9. Algae fix - desperation, no change.

10. Pluck, pull, scrape till my fingers bleed - no change, infact boosted problem.

 

Mind you this is over almost an entire year period. And finally... finally the problem was resolved.

 

I was sitting in my garage, imagining my ultimate sump/fuge combo (and the costs to add to a stinking biocube) when it dawned on me.

 

I now have killer filtration with the fluval... so that can't be the problem. Yet the algae is getting food... how?

 

If the stuff that would normally be filtered out, was not in the water long enough to be filtered out, then no progress is being made. Well how can i get it to suspend in the water column longer? More turbulance.

 

At this point i stripped all the BS out of my aquarium, and this is how it sits to this very day (going on 4 months algae free and tank is great!).

 

Biocube 29

60lbs of LR

10lbs of Black Gravel/Sand

Stealth 150w

1 Koralia #1

Fluval Canister

UV Sterilizer

 

Thats all! The real trick for me was to get the koralia to make the most movement working WITH the stock pump. Originally i had the flow of 2 koralias flowing against the stock pump to make turbulance in the middle of the tank.

 

My solution was to mount the koralia just to the right of the stock pump output. "Boosting" the already pretty fierce flow coming out of there, while simulatineously pulling stagnant water from behind the rockwork.

 

With my rock layout and the flow change, really made the difference. In about 1 week, gobs of GHA was filling my canister filter and clogging up the works. It literally was falling off the rocks.

 

I am now 100% GHA free, and 99.9% bubble free. All thanks to just getting all the BS out of the tank, and going back to basics. It really is ALL ABOUT THE FLOW!!

 

Experiment with your own.. it won't take very long to tell if your heading in the right direction.

[Thrassian Atoll]

Hmmm. I am glad it worked for you. How is the clarity?

[LRStar]

Crystal clear. The fluval canister really cleans well. Course I have to clean the canister every 3-4 days.

[TheStar]

I have the same problem. I have an MP20 on the left middle and an MP10 on the left towards the back and lower. Perhaps this is creating dead spots and making the GHA even worse. Can't wait to get home and take the MP10 out.

[brandon429]

all algae beating threads need pics bef and after, at least after

[brandon429]

its not the flow but that doesn't hurt thats for sure!

 

 

its the substrate swap and the post-manual removal UV thats doing it.

[LRStar]

its not the flow but that doesn't hurt thats for sure!

 

 

its the substrate swap and the post-manual removal UV thats doing it.

 

Thanks for somehow being there the whole time, heh.

 

BTW the substrate swap happened aaaaaalmost a year ago. UV almost 6 months ago.

 

Get the flow right, and magic happens in less than 2 weeks.

 

BTW, i will have before and after pics after work... i have the before on my phone right now. I'll take a fresh "after".

 

(the before is about halfway through troubleshooting.. with no real results)

 

How bout a after video?

 

Took this the other night.

[Thrassian Atoll]

Did you have CUC in that thing? I do not see any snails in the pic.

[LRStar]

Did you have CUC in that thing? I do not see any snails in the pic.

 

Yep. You can see their reflection in the front glass... buncha mexican turbos, about a dozen or so blue carribean hermits, handfull of necarious/misc.

 

**note the updated video**

 

I'm just excited that i have finally fixed it, and can start my tank now. GHA has been a problem since day one almost... and haven't really stocked my tank with the corals i want (as they were getting snuffed out).

 

Don't hate.... just to hate.... I have read 10,000 posts regarding GHA... I highly doubt you are going to discover the miracle sauce by just trying to hit me with one liners like "did you have snails?"

[wartskin]

Lose the heater why risk it? And get about 6 emerald crabs wwjd?

[Dr.eclipse]

how i beat my GHA, bought a 6 dollar red emerald crab. one week later everything was gone.

[Thrassian Atoll]

How is asking if you had a CUC or snails hatin'? Just trying to get to know your tank a little better. How often were you doing water changes? What were the inhabitants or still are? How often were you feeding? What were the water parameters? Not sure that would even show correctly with all of the algae. I believe that you got rid of the GHA by the flow, I am just wondering how a tank could get that much hair algae to begin with.

[d0lph1n]

You said you removed the BS. What's that, black sand or real BS ?

 

I've been in the same situation for the past 2-3 months, thinking to add an UV sterilizer.

Meantime, I doubled the flow with a 2nd Tunze 6045 in my 40Gal tank.

 

I'm cleaning the canister (Eheim Pro 3e with 6LSeachem Matrix and Matrix Carbon & PhosGuard) every weekend along with 15% water change. My biggest mistakes, I think, were:

1. not running a skimmer from day one

2. not using "zero" TDS water, when I checked my filtered water it had 120TDS!!!, so I switched to Ro/Di water few weeks ago and I can see an improvement

3. not enough flow, like you mentioned

4. overfeeding (i'm blaming the algae also on the live plankton, but I have no proofs)

5. using an used 20k aquamedic bulb, switched to 14K Ushio

6. my 250W MH lights too close (I raised them higher) and running for too long (12h)

7. having the LR placed on sand not on egg crates

8. poor quality LR (didnt buy it from reputable dealers), not "cooking it" properly (see #1)

9. not listening to some of the forum's members about cleaning the canister every week, they consider the canister a nitrate factory, I still disagree..somehow

10. Not cleaning the substrate (see #7)

 

Basically, being a cheap ass and an ignoramus doesn't help in this hobby. Here are some of my horror pictures:

 

 

Current situation, most of the algae is dieing off (not as green as before, smaller and brownish), but I see new ones coming out especially after plankton feeding (see #4)...here is the current situation. The good thing is, the corals were happy even before:

 

 

 

 

[LRStar]

How is asking if you had a CUC or snails hatin'?

 

Sorry... after years of nano-reef i have learned to defend yourself first, ask later.

 

Most folks who would ask "where's the snails?" insinuates that had i added snails my problems would have been gone a long time ago. i see here, you were just asking.

 

 

I havne't heard of a "red emerald crab" before... since its color is its name (emerald=green), i would have just assumed it was a typographical error anyway. Green crabs are worthless.

[Dr.eclipse]

no no, its an emerald crab that is red.

[d0lph1n]

how i beat my GHA, bought a 6 dollar red emerald crab. one week later everything was gone.

 

My problem is the emerald crab is not removing HA bcz he has full access to my Cheato. That's why I was thinking to shoot 2-3 birds with 1 stone and build a sump/refugium and remove the canister.

[Thrassian Atoll]

They have red emerald crabs...I heard the average of finding one is like 1 red to a 100 green ones.

[vinhle00]

Throw a few tangs in there. Worked for me. Jk . When did it hit you that the flow was working? And during the time you changed the flow did you do anything else?

[LRStar]

You said you removed the BS. What's that, black sand or real BS ? real bs. Forums everywhere are full of desperate people trying the same old routine, by armchair experts opinion.

 

1. not running a skimmer from day one - Your tank is bigger than mine... but a skimmer was a waste of time.

2. not using "zero" TDS water, when I checked my filter water has 120TDS!!!, so I switched to Ro/Di water few weeks ago and I can see an improvement - Be sure to go from RO/DI unit STRAIGHT to your mixing barrell, and EXCLUDE THOSE CLEAR 5 GAL JUGS!! Measure your TDS before, and after transport to see what im talking about.. 20-30TDS from just moving it from my bathroom to my office in a jug.

3. not enough flow, like you mentioned - Check this by stirring up the sand. If your sand settles and the dirt/ditritus/whatever falls back to the sandbed, its not good enough

4. overfeeding (i'm blaming the algae also on the live plankton, but I have no proofs) - No experience here. Stopped dosing phyto after my first blooms back in 2009

5. using an used 20k aquamedic bulb, switched to 14K Ushio - This has a very large impact on algae. New bulbs every 6 months for my PCs, check recommendations on your MHs

6. my 250W MH lights too close (I raised them higher) and running for too long (12h)

7. having the LR placed on sand not on egg crates - White eggcrate leaks phosphorus and other bad chemicals into the water over time. This is fairly well documented on other sites... be sure to use black if you go this route.

8. poor quality LR (didnt buy it from reputable dealers), not "cooking it" properly (see #1) - Not a believer of POOR or GOOD quality LR. It all is compromised in my opinion.

9. not listening to some of the forum's members about cleaning the canister every week, they consider the canister a nitrate factory, I still disagree..somehow I clean mine every 4-5 days, sometimes more frequently. It is essential to getting rid of the algae. I would guess this may be your issue.

10. Not cleaning the substrate (see #7) - I've got a pistol shrimp to stir things up... stays fairly clean, maint. free.

 

You seem to be on the road to recovery... keep it up. Try out a sea hare to clean up the rest of your mess, and start fresh. Probably would only take one a day or two to clean it up. It may help you isolate the real cluprit. (but return the sea hare as soon as you can).

[d0lph1n]

I can't measure tds after putting in my 5 gal mixing barrel (green), only what comes out of the SpectraPure. But I'm not using any container to store Ro/DI water. Btw, what kind of mixing barrel do you recommend?

 

For sand stir I have 3 tonga snails & 6-7 nasarius snails

 

I'm finding less and less algae in the filter's tray.

 

I'll stop the phyto too. What do you use instead?

 

Any sea hare in particular?Do you think one is going to be enough?

[LRStar]

Throw a few tangs in there. Worked for me. Jk . When did it hit you that the flow was working? And during the time you changed the flow did you do anything else?

 

It hit me a few months ago. One of those moments, while i was just toilling away on my new LED fixture for my other aquariums.

 

I stirred the sandbed with some tongs... and everything fell right back to the sandbed. Duh, i said. Can't filter it if it never makes it to the filter.

 

It was the ONLY thing i tried during that period, to isolate what would actually "fix" it.

[LRStar]

I'm finding less and less algae in the filter's tray.

Any sea hare in particular?

Do you think one is going to be enough?

Did u get rid of you UV filter?

 

There is only one thing worse than the Tang police, and its the Sea Hare police.

 

They eat extremely fast. I'm talking.... entire 50+ gallon systems full to the brim with hair, in a couple days. I just told my LFS, "Gimmie one that eats alot". haha. No idea of the species.

 

I still have my UV filter, but it is mentioned in just about every biocube 29 system to be completely worthless. It would sit on my shelf anyway.. so may as well have it fired up.

 

To answer the previous post about how it go so bad so quickly (was an edit apparently), here's the facts.

 

Every 3 days i feed my clowns until they stop eating. It ranges from frozen foods, to pellet. I use spectrum pellets both herbavore and carnivore blends, frozen mysys, frozen krill, shrimp pellets, Dianichi veggie fx sometimes for fun.

 

I do not feed my corals.

 

My YWG and Pistol Shrimp get 1 shrimp pellet each everyday. The hermits mop up the left overs.

 

My algae outbreak is what you get after almost 2 years of growing, this did not appear over night. Serious vexation for years now, don't worry.

[d0lph1n]

I stirred the sandbed with some tongs... and everything fell right back to the sandbed. Duh, i said. Can't filter it if it never makes it to the filter.

 

There almost no flow in the corner, under the chaeto, no idea what to do. Otherwise the current is strong enough sometimes to strong for my coco worms & elegance coral, link. I repositioned the heads and the corals since then.

 

Just pre-ordered a sea hare at my LFS, it should arrive by Monday. If it works, I'll build you a statue next to my tank.

[LRStar]

There almost no flow in the corner, under the chaeto, no idea what to do. Otherwise the current is strong enough sometimes to strong for my coco worms & elegance coral, link. I repositioned the heads and the corals since then.

 

Just pre-ordered a sea hare at my LFS, it should arrive by Monday. If it works, I'll build you a statue next to my tank.

 

Well if that video is any indication, your flow looks good. But there is not GHA there near the cocos. Whats the flow look like nearest the worst outbreak?

 

If you don't want to stir up sediment, you can use purple up (like me) to view currents via eyedropper. Really helped me isolate dead spots. I can video that process if you like.

[d0lph1n]

Well if that video is any indication, your flow looks good. But there is not GHA there near the cocos. Whats the flow look like nearest the worst outbreak?

 

If you don't want to stir up sediment, you can use purple up (like me) to view currents via eyedropper. Really helped me isolate dead spots. I can video that process if you like.

 

If it's not a big deal, please make that video. It could be useful not only for me.

 

As you can see below, these were the worst algae spots (not only GHA, also few types of Caulerpa and so on, bubble agae), now, for the most parts, I achieved a very strong turbulence and water flow. Also, every other day I use a turkey buster.