Hair Algea eaters?????
- Thread starter Dbarnes
- Start date
I hated that stuff! IF it's actually hair algae, not Bryopsis. Which is often misdiagnosed as Hair algae.
So, here's how to tell.
IF it's hard wires of green thread like algae which does not have branches. It's Hair algae.
If it's soft and can easily be pulled off rocks, AND it has tiny branches. Then it's Bryopsis.
IF it's actual hair algae, the only way to rid yourself of it completely is to maintain ZERO phosphate for a long time. (GFO reactor works well)
IF it's Bryopsis, You need to get your Magnesium up to 1650 for a week or so, using Kent marine Tech M. (It'll kill it).
I never found anything that would eat real hair algae, other then my scissors and the toilet.
So, here's how to tell.
IF it's hard wires of green thread like algae which does not have branches. It's Hair algae.
If it's soft and can easily be pulled off rocks, AND it has tiny branches. Then it's Bryopsis.
IF it's actual hair algae, the only way to rid yourself of it completely is to maintain ZERO phosphate for a long time. (GFO reactor works well)
IF it's Bryopsis, You need to get your Magnesium up to 1650 for a week or so, using Kent marine Tech M. (It'll kill it).
I never found anything that would eat real hair algae, other then my scissors and the toilet.
I had the worst hair algae ever. I tried everything and could not keep up with it. After a bunch of time and money on phosphate I found out that my Rodi unit needed filters and new di. I was feeding nuntrients to the algae. Within 2 days it's disappeared and did not come back. That's something I would defintly look at.
Great point Phillipj2! I'll admit that could have played a role in my first round of hair as well. I was feeding that stuff so well I could pick up large rocks with a pinch of hair between my fingers. Once I discovered GFO, and soon after that bought my first RO/DI filter. The stuff was gone! I lost three Sea hare (s) in that tank before it was gone. I mean lost, as in they went in, to never be seen again.
I had a pretty bad Bryopsis outbreak.
I now feel like I need to overfeed the tank so that maybe I can get more algae to grow so he can eat it haha.
- A little more husbandry(pulling weeds) allowed my chaeto to grow more so it could take in a lot more of the nutrients.
- Raising the magnesium, i had low magnesium because I slacked on water changes(nitrates were undetectable though). I initially had magnesium around 1100. Its now around 1450. This helped quite a bit along with pulling most of the bryopsis out. It allowed time for the chaeto to grow.
- Added a filter bag to my sump/refugium inlet.
- I bought a foxface. In two days it has literally cleaned out 95% of the remaining algae in the tank. I had a pretty big patch on the back wall of my tank that I didnt get around to removing, the foxface has cleaned it all off the day i bought him(i didnt quarantine, hopefully i will be forgiven.)
- The foxface has cleaned all the powerheads off. Hes nipped all the bryopsis to the rock.
I now feel like I need to overfeed the tank so that maybe I can get more algae to grow so he can eat it haha.
Water seems to be great, The DI filter is good point however i do test my RO water with a TDS meter and it comes in at .001-.000. If myu DI filiter is bad wouldent it be detected in the TDS?? My mag was low around 800 so this could play a roll, i have sense been dosing and it is up to 1250 and rising, so far i have seen a little demise in the Bryopsis but nothing thus far that i would determine a total fix. Like i said my fox face/Rabbit fish has not even looked at it let alone eat it, niether has any of my three tangs. My emerald avoids it like a pleague and none of my hermits have touched it. I started pulling it inorder to try to hinder its exsistance. I dont think it is growing but i want to find why it is still alive. I have a 60gal fuge full of cheoto that double in size in about ten days so i doubt i have a lack of consumption to the nutrients feeding the algea. I will be ordering two sea hares as soon as i see a group by get together. I will continue rising my mag until it hits the majical 1650 i have read about and see if it "melts" away. Thanks for all the continued advice and as always keep it coming.
P.S. its not effeceting the tank at all ALL my corals and fish are thriving but i am pretty picky on how the tank looks and really want to get rid if this crap
P.S. its not effeceting the tank at all ALL my corals and fish are thriving but i am pretty picky on how the tank looks and really want to get rid if this crap
My nitrates were undetectable(3 different test kits were tried) yet I was growing bryopsis like I was farming it. I would keep up the husbandry and keep raising magnesium(do it slowly, max at 100ppm a day). You'll have to keep it there for a couple weeks. I think your low magnesium definitively contributed to the problem. Once i fixed my magnesium problem, coralline started growing like wild(Several research articles focus on low magnesium inhibiting coralline growth) and while the bryopsis didnt just melt, it was significantly stunted in growth and was easier to pull out of the tank.
