NEED HELP WITH GREEN HAIR ALGAE!

[ZR2]

I have been battling green hair algae in my Fluval EVO 13.5 and nothing seems to work. I want to avoid dumping chemicals in the tank and spending money on a bunch of crap. I tested for Phosphates and they were hardly traceable and nitrates are not high. It is growing on my sandbed and on dry rocks. I have scrubbed it off the rocks and scraped it off the sand bed with a net. I also cleaned the filtration block and entire sump area in the tank and have reduced lighting. 

 

I have a strawberry crab, a OC Clown, and a royal gramma in the tank, I have been thinking about adding snails or a conch to clean the algae up. I do weekly water changes and the phosphates are not high enough to explain the green hair algae. I am looking for recommendations for a good CUC for the tank. Some have said to avoid snails and conches, but at this point, nothing I do is working.

 

Unfortunately, I lost my enchanted green birdnest tree. The polyps are still greenish but the structure has bleached, I am not sure if this is caused by the algae. I have never seen any algae on the bird nest coral. Also, the Ca, Mg, and Alk all tested in the normal ranges, so I can only think the algae-bacteria is affecting the health of the coral. 

 

I am open to any suggestions. 

 

 

[JurisReefer]

Emerald crabs are a hit or miss as to whether they'll power through the algae like a lawnmower, or ignore it. They've also been known to sometimes nip on corals, but I've had some luck with one that just eats patches of GHA. That keeps him too full to go after anything else. Could be something to consider.

[JurisReefer]

You might also consider some macroalgae to outcompete the GHA for nutrients. A full refugium would work best, but some chaeto in one of your media compartments could also work.

[ZR2]

Just now, JurisReefer said:

Emerald crabs are a hit or miss as to whether they'll power through the algae like a lawnmower, or ignore it. They've also been known to sometimes nip on corals, but I've had some luck with one that just eats patches of GHA. That keeps him too full to go after anything else. Could be something to consider.

I have considered it but was not sure if it would be a bad mix with my strawberry crab. I got the strawberry crab because it is little and does not grow big. I have heard many stories about the emerald crabs eating fish and corals. My strawberry crab has given me no issues at all. 

[Tamberav]

Why no snails? I keep a mix snails in all my tanks. Eats my algae right up. I wouldn't do a conch in such a small tank though. Trochus snails are my favorite but I have some cernith and nerite too.

 

Hermit's work well but sometimes eat a snail or fight each other.

[JurisReefer]

4 minutes ago, ZR2 said:

I have considered it but was not sure if it would be a bad mix with my strawberry crab. I got the strawberry crab because it is little and does not grow big. I have heard many stories about the emerald crabs eating fish and corals. My strawberry crab has given me no issues at all. 

Can't speak to having both crabs. My experience is just as anecdotal as the next, but my crab is on the smaller and shyer side, so I've never had any issues to date.

[ZR2]

5 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Why no snails? I keep a mix snails in all my tanks. Eats my algae right up. I wouldn't do a conch in such a small tank though. Trochus snails are my favorite but I have some cernith and nerite too.

 

Hermit's work well but sometimes eat a snail or fight each other.

Not sure, I had asked in a different thread and was told to avoid snails because I will need to feed them when there is no algae. How many snails would you recommend for my tank? I just do not want 1000 snails covering the glass. Also, do you know if the algae can kill a coral without being on it? 

[Tamberav]

12 minutes ago, ZR2 said:

Not sure, I had asked in a different thread and was told to avoid snails because I will need to feed them when there is no algae. How many snails would you recommend for my tank? I just do not want 1000 snails covering the glass. Also, do you know if the algae can kill a coral without being on it? 

It sounds bleached...how long have you had it? One of my birds bleach when stressed. Too much light....temp swings... parameter swings all made mine bleach at one point or another. 

 

If you can buy snails locally..you can just start with a few snails and add more if needed. Maybe 3-5? I would try and remove some of the GHA so it's short as not all types of snails can tackle it once it's long. It's easier for them to prevent GHA when it's new baby sprouts than eat existing stuff.

 

I would also make sure to be cleaning and siphoning your sandbed if you aren't and make sure you are not packing your sump/AIO area with sponges or rubble or anything that can trap debris. Blast any debris off your rocks...it will need to be cleaned more frequently while the GHA exists as the GHA traps debris like crazy.

 

What type of rock did you use? Live or dry?

 

[ZR2]

12 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

It sounds bleached...how long have you had it? One of my birds bleach when stressed. Too much light....temp swings... parameter swings all made mine bleach at one point or another. 

 

If you can buy snails locally..you can just start with a few snails and add more if needed. Maybe 3-5? I would try and remove some of the GHA so it's short as not all types of snails can tackle it once it's long. It's easier for them to prevent GHA when it's new baby sprouts than eat existing stuff.

 

I would also make sure to be cleaning and siphoning your sandbed if you aren't and make sure you are not packing your sump/AIO area with sponges or rubble or anything that can trap debris. Blast any debris off your rocks...it will need to be cleaned more frequently while the GHA exists as the GHA traps debris like crazy.

 

What type of rock did you use? Live or dry?

 

I used cured dry rock, I have attached pictures of the tank. A few weeks ago the tank was spotless and now it’s a mess. It looks like some coraline may be growing on the smaller rock, not for sure in that. The hairs I do see are short, so the snails might be my best option. Can a bird nest coral bounce back from bleaching or is is done? My biggest complaint with the evo is there is no way to program lights. It’s just a heat touch sensor that has to be turned on manually. I lke the stock lighting though and my tank needs to have a lid on it. The fish and crab seem to be happier than the bird nest. I am running the tank stock with the filtration setup it came with. Trying to keep it as stock as possible to keep costs down. Should I add a wave maker to the tank. I hate the look of them, but if need I would need a very small one as it is a smaller tank.

[Tamberav]

It can recover but I would stay away from anymore SPS for awhile...tank is honestly too young and immature to bother with SPS. It takes longer with dry rock for things to really settle in. I would start with some softies and then move to LPS after the tank is running good for a few months. Keep in mind the stock light is not super powerful so try and stick to appropriate additions. 

 

It looks like cyano but some other little algaes too. Good husbandry....flow... Manual removal should beat the cyano. I would still add a few small snails...every tank should have at least some film algae for them to eat. I don't scrape my black back wall and let them munch on the film algae there.

[ZR2]

3 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

It can recover but I would stay away from anymore SPS for awhile...tank is honestly too young and immature to bother with SPS. It takes longer with dry rock for things to really settle in. I would start with some softies and then move to LPS after the tank is running good for a few months. Keep in mind the stock light is not super powerful so try and stick to appropriate additions. 

 

It looks like cyano but some other little algaes too. Good husbandry....flow... Manual removal should beat the cyano. I would still add a few small snails...every tank should have at least some film algae for them to eat. I don't scrape my black back wall and let them munch on the film algae there.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. What is a good lighting schedule? Is there any snails that eat green cynao and hair algae? Would a shrimp be a good addition to clean the holes in the dry rock?

[Tamberav]

29 minutes ago, ZR2 said:

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. What is a good lighting schedule? Is there any snails that eat green cynao and hair algae? Would a shrimp be a good addition to clean the holes in the dry rock?

I wouldn't do a shrimp for cleaning the rock. Hermit's can fill that role if you like them. If you like shrimp they can be a nice addition just to watch. They eat fish food.

 

Most will eat short HA but trochus seem to do better than others on GHA. Mexican turbos are GHA eating machines but they grow large and bulldoze. 

 

I don't have experience with that light but my peak is around 6 hours and then I run some blues. 

 

Your tank is young so these uglies are pretty normal but a small cuc is a nice addition and just keep up with maintenance. It should eventually go away.

 

This is a great example of a Evo with stock lighting and probably worth asking him on YouTube how he runs his light. 

 

As you can see he still has some ugly algae on the sand. 

 

 

[Superdave]

I fought the Great GHA Wars for quite a while and ultimately emerged victorious I can say!  Here is what I did--hopefully it will help you.  

 

--I removed rocks and scrubbed (I bought cheap, small metal wire brushes), plucked and removed as much as I could by hand.  I let mine get so bad initially it really was like small carpets it was so think.  I did this multiple times.  

 

--I went black/dark for several days on several different occasions.  I realize you have corals and so that is a different variable.  Unless you have a super strong attachment/tons of money sunk in them, I would say it is worth the risk.  If the GHA doesn't get under control, it will make the tank unsightly, rob corals of nutrients, and overtake the tank.  Corals can handle more than most think.   I covered mine in black plastic garbage bag so no light at would get in.  

 

--I used an emerald crab.  I personally never had any issues, but that is just me.  I had to buy more than one (you will not I said Great GHA Wars, plural) as mine would each all the GHA, then bleach out (turning ghostly white) and die from lack of food even though there was still some alage and it came back a few times.  My LFS said they would gladly take back my emerald if I wanted to.  It was less than $10 for me in Dallas (I think maybe even one of them I got for $8?) so it wasn't a big deal either way.  

 

--I think it is always worth going the non-chemical route.  It will take longer, but you will learn a ton more about your tank and earn a great sense of accomplishment.  It does not always turn out positively, but there is a very tiny percentage of reefers who keep corals for decades anyways, so don't feel bad.  I cannot tell you how many tanks I've seen on here (that look amazing and far better than mine I will add) that crash horrifically, get taken down out of boredom, etc.  I'm in not way bagging on these people because I believe in a hobby to each their own.  I just want to encourage you the success rate is not as high as you might think.  

 

Good luck!!

[ZR2]

23 minutes ago, Superdave said:

I fought the Great GHA Wars for quite a while and ultimately emerged victorious I can say!  Here is what I did--hopefully it will help you.  

 

--I removed rocks and scrubbed (I bought cheap, small metal wire brushes), plucked and removed as much as I could by hand.  I let mine get so bad initially it really was like small carpets it was so think.  I did this multiple times.  

 

--I went black/dark for several days on several different occasions.  I realize you have corals and so that is a different variable.  Unless you have a super strong attachment/tons of money sunk in them, I would say it is worth the risk.  If the GHA doesn't get under control, it will make the tank unsightly, rob corals of nutrients, and overtake the tank.  Corals can handle more than most think.   I covered mine in black plastic garbage bag so no light at would get in.  

 

--I used an emerald crab.  I personally never had any issues, but that is just me.  I had to buy more than one (you will not I said Great GHA Wars, plural) as mine would each all the GHA, then bleach out (turning ghostly white) and die from lack of food even though there was still some alage and it came back a few times.  My LFS said they would gladly take back my emerald if I wanted to.  It was less than $10 for me in Dallas (I think maybe even one of them I got for $8?) so it wasn't a big deal either way.  

 

--I think it is always worth going the non-chemical route.  It will take longer, but you will learn a ton more about your tank and earn a great sense of accomplishment.  It does not always turn out positively, but there is a very tiny percentage of reefers who keep corals for decades anyways, so don't feel bad.  I cannot tell you how many tanks I've seen on here (that look amazing and far better than mine I will add) that crash horrifically, get taken down out of boredom, etc.  I'm in not way bagging on these people because I believe in a hobby to each their own.  I just want to encourage you the success rate is not as high as you might think.  

 

Good luck!!

Yeah I have heard emeralds are good for algae cleanup. I never bought one for the concern they would run out of food. My strawberry crab is a pig and just likes to eat shrimp and sift through the sand. I bought him though because he’s cool looking. Once the tank lights go off, he is all over the tank. He pops out sometimes during the day to grab a mysis shrimp off the bottom. I think I am going to try the snail route first and see how that goes. With very low phosphates and acceptable nitrates, I think if I can get rid of it, it may not come back. 

 

[Firefish15]

1 hour ago, ZR2 said:

I tested for Phosphates and they were hardly traceable and nitrates are not high.

If you have a lot of algal growth, those tests will usually show up as 0 or quite low. As the algae grows, it sequesters those nutrients and keeps them from being read on the test. Do you top up and do water changes with RODI water?

1 hour ago, JurisReefer said:

Emerald crabs are a hit or miss as to whether they'll power through the algae like a lawnmower, or ignore it.

Two factors that I've heard about Emeralds are the size and sex. Small females are supposedly more likely to eat algae. I had a large male, and he did eat algae, but he also took swipes at my fish with his big claws. 

[ZR2]

2 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

If you have a lot of algal growth, those tests will usually show up as 0 or quite low. As the algae grows, it sequesters those nutrients and keeps them from being read on the test. Do you top up and do water changes with RODI water?

Two factors that I've heard about Emeralds are the size and sex. Small females are supposedly more likely to eat algae. I had a large male, and he did eat algae, but he also took swipes at my fish with his big claws. 

I use nutri-seawater and dilute it with distilled water because salinity runs on the high side with nutri-seawater. But I have tested my water mix and phosphates never register on the test. What should my feeding schedule look like? I feed with the frozen mysis shrimp blocks. I cut off a small piece and soak it in a cup (with tank water) and then pour into the tank once every day. 

[Firefish15]

3 minutes ago, ZR2 said:

I use nutri-seawater and dilute it with distilled water because salinity runs on the high side with nutri-seawater. But I have tested my water mix and phosphates never register on the test. What should my feeding schedule look like? I feed with the frozen mysis shrimp blocks. I cut off a small piece and soak it in a cup (with tank water) and then pour into the tank once every day. 

Maybe you should try straining the food pieces out of the liquid. That way, you don't have all that soup going into the tank. Do the fish eat all of the food in a minute or so?

[ZR2]

3 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

Maybe you should try straining the food pieces out of the liquid. That way, you don't have all that soup going into the tank. Do the fish eat all of the food in a minute or so?

They eat most of it and the rest sinks to bottom and the crab eats it. He does a good job at cleaning up the leftovers 

[Superdave]

I will add my emeralds (I had more than one but never more than one at a time)  were small, like maybe size of a nickle or so.  

[mcarroll]

On 2/15/2019 at 2:22 PM, ZR2 said:

I tested for Phosphates and they were hardly traceable and nitrates are not high. It is growing on my sandbed and on dry rocks.

 The untraceable phosphates are the root of your problems.

 

The algae is growing on the rocks and sand because aragonite works very very much like GFO and binds phosphate from the water – anything that can grow there as an available source of phosphate. Everything else in the tank is starving for phosphate. More on this below.

On 2/15/2019 at 2:22 PM, ZR2 said:

Some have said to avoid snails and conches, but at this point, nothing I do is working.

 on a wild reef, herbivores are the only thing to stand between a green algae takeover and a coral reef. Tangs and parrot fish do most of the eating in the wild — even at best we are missing half of that equation in our tanks... most of us with smaller tanks will never have either one of those fish.

 

All that means we have to rely very very hard on the herbivores we have access to, which will also fit in our tanks. This translates to snails and hermit crabs along with a smattering of other critters.

 

Pick your favorite snails and hermits (tiny blue-legged are the best hermits for a smaller tank) and add 4-5.   see how they handle the algae for a few weeks – help them as needed. If the algae still has them out-classed, consider adding two or three more. Again, let them go for a few weeks to see how they do and act accordingly. Repeat until there are enough of them that they are doing most/all of the work.

 

Keep the ratio of snails to hermits tilted heavily toward snails.

On 2/15/2019 at 2:22 PM, ZR2 said:

Unfortunately, I lost my enchanted green birdnest tree. The polyps are still greenish but the structure has bleached, I am not sure if this is caused by the algae.

 

Removing the green algae growth will take some of the pressure off of phosphate utilization, but it's possible you might want to dose a small amount of phosphates to keep a minimum level until things stabilize for your coral's benefit. (> 0.03 ppm of phosphate)

 

The only problem with that advice is that it may already be too late for this coral — Birdsnest corals are known for being pretty sensitive.  

 

Phosphate additive is very in expensive though, so it might be a worthwhile effort regardless. You just need a phosphate test kit to gauge your dose.

 

Aside from your corals benefiting, the other main thing you want out of keeping available phosphates in your tank is for coraline algae to begin growing and take over real estate from the green hair algae.   this will not happen — or it will only happen in small spurts — until nutrients and mineral levels are all stabilized. 

[Houston(EX)NanoReefer]

Turbos are great for GHA, same with borrowing a Sea Hare (if possible). I've had some Emeralds eat it, but they're slow. Of course like everyone else has mentioned, water stability will be very important in keeping the issue at bay. 

[Matteo]

On 6/20/2019 at 9:02 AM, davidysmael said:

Turbos are great for GHA, same with borrowing a Sea Hare (if possible). I've had some Emeralds eat it, but they're slow. Of course like everyone else has mentioned, water stability will be very important in keeping the issue at bay. 

+1 on turbo. If you glue frags down ez pz you won't have to worry about them but being your personal reef roombas!