Need HELP fighting Hair Algae!
- Thread starter Justin144
- Start date
Hey guys, I am having the same issue. Tank is 5.5mos old. Had chaeto, but it slowly disintegrated so I removed the last of it, then the GHA showed up. right about that time my skimmer gave up the ghost. My tank was started with dry sand and rock. Some of the rock was previously in a friends tank but had set out for several months and dried out. Along with the GHA, I have noticed an increase in regular algae on the glass. My astreas won't touch it, I can't keep more than two red legged crabs due to the low feeding amount and they won't touch the stuff. I will be trying the three days of darkness and then a reduced lighting schedule. What is an optimal lighting schedule? I can program my lighting so whatever is best. My params are all in check but haven't tested for phosphates. What should water changes look like, I mean periodicity and amount?
Anything else you guys can recommend?
Anything else you guys can recommend?
Couple points, most of which have already been made but her ya go, Everyone gets hair algae at some point and its a PITA. The things to remember are that GHA love excess food in the water, it loves lots of light, and it loves low flow. So start with those, limit feedings, turn back the lights, and INCREASE the flow! If your using physical filtration like sponges and filter floss change them very regularly because they build up all sorts of dead stuff. Also increase the frequency of water changes, not more volume but more per month. Finally beef up your CUC with turbo snails and hermits and try to run something that will help pull out the phosphates (remember that your phosphates will test near zero because the algae is growing and using it). If you do these things it will help with time, my old biocube went from baseball size chunks of hair algae to algae free by doing this over the course of two months. Good luck!