Hairy Algae

[FOB_Reefy]

I know this is an on going topic, but wondering if anyone have any better idea of controlling hairy algae.  Recently, i had deployed turbin snails, urchins, fox-face, etc.. but going forward, what is the best way to keep these algae at bay...

[sadie]

I was having a problem with it, and my water was good, lighting schedule was good, I had a clean up crew and still it kept coming back.  It came down to the location of my tank.  Though I didn't think it was, my tank was too close to a window.  When I shut the shade, the algae went away.

[nickfarmer]

I got a small urchin and it ate it all over a month or two.

[Tired]

Tuxedo urchins are voracious hair algae eaters, stay pretty small, and aren't particularly sharp or long-spined. Keep them fed so they don't starve after they eat all the algae, and they'll stop more from growing by eating it while it's still fresh.

 

[sadie]

what would you feed it once the algae is gone?  (just curious).

[Tired]

Nori. It's the flat seaweed sheets that people use to make sushi, and you can buy it pretty cheap. I suggest buying a type specifically for marine creatures to eat, the human kinds sometimes have seasoning added. You just clip it to something so it doesn't float, and put a bit in the tank. The urchin will find and eat it, and then maybe wear some of it around, because tuxedo urchins are one of the item-carrying urchins. They'll also eat regular algae, and depending on the size of the tank and how much the tank gets fed, may not need to be fed at all. You just add in some nori if you see there's not much algae.

[mcarroll]

On 9/16/2019 at 10:46 AM, FOB_Reefy said:

I know this is an on going topic, but wondering if anyone have any better idea of controlling hairy algae.  Recently, i had deployed turbin snails, urchins, fox-face, etc.. but going forward, what is the best way to keep these algae at bay...

A stable system, which includes stable nutrient inputs.  And patience.  

 

Adequate herbivory is always needed as well, but under stable conditions and with high grazing pressure from YOU and the cleanup crew, green algae will ultimately give way to corals and coraline algae.  Disturbances always favor "pest algae" blooms and disfavor corals and coraline algae.

[FOB_Reefy]

Has anyone using vibrant to control the algae?  Any side effects comes out using it?

[Tired]

It's best not to control a problem with artificial solutions when there's a simple enough non-artificial solution. Namely, get the tank well-established, don't overfeed, and use either yourself, herbivorous animals, or both to physically control it until then.

[FOB_Reefy]

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