What is it? How Do I Get Rid of It!?!?

[jordancemery65]

I have an algae bloom, i dont know what it is, if it is bad or good No Idea! I am new to the hobby. I just added my liverock and then this happened! I added a clean up crew of 300 Nassarius Snails, and 200 Cerith Snails. They have been in there for almost a week, and havent even made a dent in the algae! I really dont want to have to take every rock out and scrub it, but if that is what i absolutely have to do then i guess i will have to do it! Can anyone help me with getting rid of this? I have attached a link to a picture of my problem! Thanks in advance for all of your help! It really is greatly appreciated!

 

[BobBursek]

HAIR ALGAE!!! And snails do not eat it!!!!!!! I am sorry, I have lost my patience here, Does anyone read first then buy and do a tank?? Turn off lights, water changes with RO/DI water, and patiences, tank is cycling, Hair algae needs nitrates, phosphates and light to flourish.

 

[BobBursek]

JCE,
sorry for being so abrupt. Just time and now add no LS until algae is gone and you get your water params to correct levels. Which means Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates no more then 20ppm, phosphates 0. Mg 1300. Ca 380-400, Alk 9-11, Ph 7.9-8.2, temp 76-82F. You will need to get Mg up first or Ca will not get there or stay there. Since you have no corrals I hope you can cut way back on lighting and just run fluorescents, no need for MH, just will help the algae grow, water changes, water changes, with RO/DI water.

 

[elmafioso52988]

Hit the lights for 3 days and do a couple of big water change. Scrub it of the rocks with a tooth brush and remove it when you do a water change. Change your bulbs if their old. Feed one every 2 day. If you can add a sump with some cheato. Check your nitrates. Regular water changes every week to every other should keep it away.

 

[DrHank]

Also make sure that daylight isn't hitting the tank at any point during the day. Remove as much as possible by hand. Check your nitrates and phosphates. You're trying to hit 0 for both. Nitrate will continue to be produced until the tank finishes cycling. A 50% water change should drop your readings by 50% each time.

 

[redsea reefer]

is that hair algae or bryopsis?

 

[jordancemery65]

I will have to start with the toothbrush and get that all out of there, and do a water change and start using some phosphate remover to stop this from growing, its hideous! Thanks everyone! Your input is all really appreciated!

 

[jordancemery65]

what is cheato?

 

[dsmooth]

HAIR ALGAE!!! And snails do not eat it!!!!!!! I am sorry, I have lost my patience here, Does anyone read first then buy and do a tank?? Turn off lights, water changes with RO/DI water, and patiences, tank is cycling, Hair algae needs nitrates, phosphates and light to flourish.

Man that was not even called for, you may need a break from this site , a hug , or something, but don't take out your problems on other peeps. He ask a simple question, if you didn't want to help don't respond.

 

[tektite]

Chaeto is a good type of macro algae. It takes up nutrients in the water that the hair algae was using to grow, gives it some competition and slows its progression. It also makes a good home for copepods to multiply.

 

[tbone71788]

turbo snails eat hair algea so you cant say all snails dont eat it

 

[fishmama67]

HAIR ALGAE!!! And snails do not eat it!!!!!!! I am sorry, I have lost my patience here, Does anyone read first then buy and do a tank?? Turn off lights, water changes with RO/DI water, and patiences, tank is cycling, Hair algae needs nitrates, phosphates and light to flourish.

WOW Dude! Calm down! Lots of us start out with the mistaken impression that the LFS can be trusted and or not knowing there are a lot of books out there that don't give nearly enough information. Yelling at us will only make us feel like quitting and is not at all helpful. Remember we found out about this site becasue we aer looking for more info and not becasue we think we know it all. Be nice!

 

[ReefLady]

rbursek apologized in his very next post, and offered some very relevant advice. We all have our "moments".

I do agree, however, that the algae looks more like bryopsis. Are you using RO/DI for your water? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[Basile]

Hey, Jordan C. Emery your doing good, better do your mistake at the beginning, you know now what to do if you get algae again. No harm done, nothing in the tank, of relevance i mean. And that chore your about to do is one of many so get use to it now lol, its get even bumpier some times, but we all survive them. I whish i could get a tank that big at my place bummer i envie you lol. and basically you don't really need light at all when cycling. You mean you actually have about 500 little critters in there?? wow man lol you don't skip on cleaning crew do you lol, peace bro. Read alot if i may offer and advice. And trust this site more than your local fish store( LFS) Listen to the REEF LADY ,i got very good advice from her, if i may say so!

It does look like bryopsis to me too. Man you got it bad, sorry about that. Is there a chemical he can use since nothing is in the tank so he can get over it faster? Teri?

 

[lcstorc]

Hopefully it is regular HA since Byropsis is extremely difficult to get rid of.
The only thing I have found to eat HA on a regular basis is a sea hare. My turbos wander around eating something but I have never determined what they eat.

 

[hickoryhollow]

Good God that's alot of snails....... Pretty cool looking in the photo except for the Algae... Don't worry, you'll get rid of it sooner than you think. Remember that everything has a reason and Algae is no exception. The Algae is usually a very good tattle tale. It lets you know that something is off in your tank and needs to be addressed. A good start is Water change Water change. In time this will usually get a hold of the problem and take care of it.
Just please try not to fall a victim of the band aid remedy. Hold back on any of the chemicals.
I had for some time the biggest problem with mine. Kept on and kept on. Then after a year of fighting the Algae probs I put on a triple filter housing. One has the spun filter the second has a charcoal filter and the third has phosban. Day 2 the water has gotten crystal clear and when day 4 got here no Algae to be seen and the corals started to explode its colors ( Like Walt Disney on stearoids) Coraline began to show up really nicely and all my readings bottomed to normal.
So if all fails put on a double or tripple housing and watch the magic work.

Good Luck and Don't give up.

 

[l3fty999]

I'm kinda thinking that's HA, not bryopsis. I have bryopsis in my tank, and it's a much darker green, but no matter what it is, every bit you remove by hand goes toward nutrient export.

take care
Aaron

 

[ReefLady]

It does look like bryopsis to me too. Man you got it bad, sorry about that. Is there a chemical he can use since nothing is in the tank so he can get over it faster? Teri?

My gut instinct is to always vote no to a chemical solution. It really doesn't address the issue - what is feeding the algae - and especially in this situation, where the tank is relatively new, I'm pretty sure it's just a normal "phase" that will pass. Chemical treatments can upset the balance of the tank, and a tank in it's initial stages is already "delicate".

I do think that there are a lot of snails....be prepared to remove/relocate some when the tank & algae issues are stable...they can starve.

I'd still like to know if RO/DI is being used, and what nitrate/p04 levels are.

Hang in there.... it won't be long before you're chuckling at these photos. Thye'll make really good "before" pics to compare to the "after".

 

[K L R]

:jabber: same problem in my 12 gal tank with hair algae. . . it took me about a year and a half to completely get rid of it. . first reduce the amount of light your tank gets (sunlight makes algae grow quicker than tank lights), next get ur cleaning crew . you already have the snails the best creature that got rid of ouralgae was lettuce nudibranches they live for the most a year and a half usually but eat lots of algae, finally just make sure you make frequent water changes and frequently scrap the glass and remove the algae that comes off the glass.(the nudibranch)

ps. if you want a sea urchin eat tons of algae but may kill some snails . . collector and tuxido urchins are the 1s that are mostly reef safe. . i have collector urchin that hasnt harmed anything

(the urchins) (

tuxedo) (collector)

. . . the pictures meesed up . . look in my gallery to see the pictures

good luck

 

[K L R]

also angelfish, blennies, some gobies, and butterfly fish eat algae but most ,except the gobies, eat some type of corals

pictures under my gallery