WOW that hair algae was crazy!!:jaw::jaw::jaw:
Tell us how you got a handle on it. I am sure some want to know.
Yeah horrible, right? Here's what I've done, up to this point. Not done yet, but it's better.
1. Manual removal. I got some 5/8" tubing and pulled and siphoned it as much as possible. I would siphon it back into the sump through a strainer.
2. Less feeding. I'm only feeding once a day, or every other day, for now.
3. Rinsing the food.
4. Dr. Tim's Wasteaway and Refresh. I was dosing with Refresh for a couple of weeks, every other day or so. That got rid of my cyano, and it hasn't returned. I used Wasteaway every other day for a month or more, but recently ran out and haven't reordered it yet. It's bacteria that competes for waste. I think it's made a difference.
5. Added Chaeto and a light in the sump.
6. Added more biopellets in my pellet reactor.
7. Skimming a little wetter.
8. Cut back my lights a couple of hours a day. Plus, if it's really sunny I close the front curtains in the afternoon.
9. Hydrogen peroxide. I've pulled out as many rocks as I easily can and sprayed or squirted with hydrogen peroxide. It kills the hair algae dead! And it doesn't come back on the rocks you treat. I've also been dosing it directly into the tank. I use 1/2 cup a day dumped right into the tank, my total volume is about 150 gallons, minus the rock. I don't really like doing that because it kind of stresses some of the corals (zoas mainly) but I really want to get rid of it. The zoas close up for about an hour or less, then they open up just fine. It shocks the urchin a little too, it falls off the rock that it's on, but recovers immediately.
10. I've bought tons if snails (turbograzers, ceriths, margaritas, astreas, trocus, and nerites). Plus, 2 urchins, 2 tangs (tomini and sailfin) and 3 or 4 emerald crabs. In my opinion, none of these things have helped at all. I don't think snails help at all, and they kind of drive me nuts.
This is what I've done, and I think it's getting much better. I just keep plugging away at it. I think a lot of it is that my tank is fairly new, only about 8 months old right now. Patience is the key I think.
