sea hare vs Blenny for GHA

[aja19919]

If you had to pick one to help control your Green Hair Algae , which would you pick or would you pick something else and why? :twitch:

 

[reefman069]

first thing i would do is find out why you have green hair algae. are you running a rodi unit. if so. change the filters in it. if not running a rodi unit. buy one.

 

[aja19919]

Answer: I don't have $170 to go buy one.

2nd Question: why am I always attacked on this forum? Can't anyone just answer a simple question?

 

[reefman069]

well i was not attacking you. just trying to help. all i was saying is you should find the route cause of the problem and go from there. why ask what will help eat the alage. when you can get rid of it and it wont come back.

 

[snoozer]

Unfortunately I don't know the answer, but I think it's a fair question. I think most people probably have problems with algae at one time or another. I purchase ro/di water, my nitrates & nitrates are at zero and I have algae issues at times. I think algae is pretty amazing stuff and can grow almost anywhere. I bet you could fill a bottle with distilled water, seal it, and put it in the sun and in a few days you'd find algae growing in it.

 

[TJL]

Hey Amy? IMHO go with a Sea Hare, they are probably the most effective of anything I've ever tried. When my tank was fallow I had a huge HA outbreak, five of these knocked it out in just a few weeks.

Cheers, Todd

 

[NanaReefer]

I second the Sea Hare They'll munch it down to the rock, where's a Blenny mostly pulls it out. I'd also try a couple of Mexican Turbo Snails, these guys are algae dozers!!

 

[blk822822]

I always go with mexican red leg hermits ,they LOVE hair algae and are usually pretty cheap. They did way better than my foxface or sailfin tang. I also tried a lettuce nudi and it didn't do much at all, just disappeared.

 

[blk822822]

first thing i would do is find out why you have green hair algae. are you running a rodi unit. if so. change the filters in it. if not running a rodi unit. buy one.

I run a ro/di unit with fresh filters and got hair alage........Phos can cause it, bad lighting will contribute to it, sun light will really make the stuff grow, and theres also bio load, too many fish or over feeding. Or under skimming. RO/DI isn't always the problem, some people dont us them and have good luck. Some have found receintly that just the DI resin was taking there tap down to 0 TDS.

 

[N1Husker]

Sorry Amy, some people can be pretty abrupt. I think part of your problem is your lights. Did you get your new tank and lights? I also have a new RODI 5 stage unit. I still get hair algae as you know but I keep buying sure fire solutions, but it doesn't seem to get the message.

 

[N1Husker]

well i was not attacking you. just trying to help. all i was saying is you should find the route cause of the problem and go from there. why ask what will help eat the alage. when you can get rid of it and it wont come back.

She is new, so she doesn't really know how to find the root of her problem and doesn't know how to prevent it. That's what this forum was suppose to be all about, to help people.

 

[pandora32]

Supposed to be about. People on here recently seem to have forgotten that one simple fact. This forum is different than the others and better in my eyes for that simple fact. But lately, people have been rude to eachother and at times just plain mean. Thats one of the reasons i really havent been posting anything for awhile now. If you post a suggestion, get attacked. Ask a question, get attacked. Post a picture, get attacked. Sorry Amy. Didnt mean to hyjack your VERY good question.
Hair algae is easiest to get rid of imo with good water chemistry. The cleaner your water is, the less nutrients there are for the algae to feed on. Nutrients can come from food, fish waste, coral waste and water supply. Have you tested your phosphates? Lighting can also grow hair algae real good. Im dealing with this now...lol. I dont know what your using for lighting, but ifyou its not LED, remember metal halide bulbs need changed something like every 6 months and T5 bulbs i believe every 9-12 months. Color spectrum of the bulbs (kelvin) will also affect hair algae. You want the spectrum to be good for your corals, but not to close to natural sunlight. Hope this doesnt confuse you. Its starting to confuse me...lol. Water flow is another good point to make also. If you have dead spots or not enough water flow, fish waste and uneaten food just sits on the bottom and rots, this in turn adds to the nutrient issue and algae. Like i said. Hope this doesnt confuse you and i really do hope it helps in some way.

 

[pandora32]

I think algae is pretty amazing stuff and can grow almost anywhere. I bet you could fill a bottle with distilled water, seal it, and put it in the sun and in a few days you'd find algae growing in it.

I agree. Out if everything in this hobby, algae jas to be the most hearty thing!...lol

 

[pandora32]

I second the Sea Hare They'll munch it down to the rock, where's a Blenny mostly pulls it out. I'd also try a couple of Mexican Turbo Snails, these guys are algae dozers!!

Keep an eye on the seahare. If it dies, it can really pollute your tank real quick. And they poop alot! Atleast mine did...lol. Lots of poo=lots of nutrients...lol

 

[aja19919]

Thanks for the input guys and constructive criticism. I do a water change every other week and test every week. I am usually spot on w/ my parameters. I know my lights are pathetic and currently working on getting some T5s. I've changed my salt & my zoas have improved as well as some of my other corals. I clean out my skimmer regularly as well. My water is RO from a professional water company.

I was hoping someone would suggest the sea hare. I thought about an urchin as well and have nixed that idea. I don't like using chemicals in my tank to band aid the problem. I do have turbo snails, cleaner shrimp, conch, blue leg crabs, & sand starfish as part of my cleaning crew. My next F&S order will include some other types of filters.

I am currently working on a larger tank (55) and will hopefully have that properly/better set up w/ good quality equipment.

 

[NanaReefer]

Well he$$ it sounds like you've got it going on!! Keep up the good work and post some pics when you can!!


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[senji]

i second on keeping an eye on the hare if its a smaller tank 120g and smaller it will eventually starve itself good for tank but not on the hare. most rehome after a month or so because if it does die it releases a toxic poison and will nuke the tank. if it starts breathing hard or starts leaving its back hole open and looks stressed get it out. just my experiances and info i know. also welcome to the community some of the nicest,giving,caring and helping people i know are on here. just take your time and find the root cause then worry about cleanup. night

 

[N1Husker]

Well he$$ it sounds like you've got it going on!! Keep up the good work and post some pics when you can!!


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

I know she is working toward it, she is going bigger and better.

 

[TJL]

If you are going with a Sea Hare get the Common not the pretty Blue Spotted. Commons are not toxic IME as their self defense is camouflage, I've had them go through old school powerheads without NUKING my tanks.

Cheers, Todd

 

[aja19919]

If you are going with a Sea Hare get the Common not the pretty Blue Spotted. Commons are not toxic IME as their self defense is camouflage, I've had them go through old school powerheads without NUKING my tanks.

Cheers, Todd

Ewwww, the visual of that is not pretty.