Ohio Reef
Reef Discussion => Reef Discussion => Topic started by: Rob on November 29, 2021, 09:31:57
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Ok, what is the best way to eliminate hair algae? When I initially set this tank up, I had it it really bad. Since then, I got an RO/DI water filter (less garbage in, less garbage out) and am running Chemi-Pure Blue (it has some GFO in it) with the hopes to remove phosphate (food source for algae). It has gown down dramatically, however, I still have some. I plan to do a couple of water changes in the near future to help as well.
All of that being said, which crabs or other life can keep this at bay? This is a small tank, so open-ocean swimmer will not work for me.
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How long have you been fighting the hair algae in this tank? Sounds like you're winning the war; it may just take a little more time
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The tank has only been up for a couple of months.
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All of that being said, which crabs or other life can keep this at bay? This is a small tank, so open-ocean swimmer will not work for me.
Your right about nutrient control being important. I always keep blue leg (mostly) and other assorted hermits, which I know a lot of people don't like, but to me other than tangs they are the best at hair algae control.
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Did the tank cycle properly?
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Yes, it did. No issue with the cycling, took my time on it. The amount of hair algae I have now is significantly less than what I had, the color is also much less green. I'll grab a couple of pics.
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211130/e1bbab2a5952a0abe51f8cf17a35c490.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I may be missing them in the photo but I dont see any snails? I would manually pull out as much as you can and then add 1 snail per 2 gallons of water. You shouldn?t have any problems after that.
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I also blast my rocks with a turkey Baster before water changes and when I?ve had hair algae have found larger and more frequent water changes help like 20% twice a week. Turbo snails also are good to keep hair algae at bay once controlled.
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I need some hermits and snails! Where is the best place to get these critters in town these days?
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I don't know so much about hair algae, but I added a couple of urchins to my tank and they eat everything green, in no time.
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I need some hermits and snails! Where is the best place to get these critters in town these days?
Personally, I would forego the hermits. In my experience they will kill your snails and wipe them out quickly. Snails eat a ton of algae and if you get a bit of variety, you won?t need anything else.
Gerbers has plenty of snails. They are costly though. I just bought 100 Florida Astrea snails from KP Aquatics for $104 shipped. I?ve only had 2 out of those die! They are one of the best vendors out there!
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I would say a 98% survival rate is phenomenal!
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https://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/quick-crews?limit=int&limitstart=50
Slot of people also use reef cleaners out of FL. They have custom crews based on ur tank size or u can manually select. I always select my own and I?d add a couple turbo snails imo
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I swung out to Gerber's at lunch and picked up four turbos. I made sure I asked for hungry ones. I think this will bode well for my little tank. Now we wait...
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https://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/quick-crews?limit=int&limitstart=50
Slot of people also use reef cleaners out of FL. They have custom crews based on ur tank size or u can manually select. I always select my own and I?d add a couple turbo snails imo
I recently had a bad experience with them. Their ?free shipping? was bogus.
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I recently had a bad experience with them. Their ?free shipping? was bogus.
Really? I?ve bought from John at least 4 times and never had a problem.
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Saltybottomreefcompany is good as well.
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Really? I?ve bought from John at least 4 times and never had a problem.
Try ordering 90 Astrea snails under their free shipping.... he will not fulfill the purchase. He required I send him $45 extra for overnight shipping.
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Well, the snails were indeed hungry! They are doing a wonderful job.
If I could figure out how to post pictures from the web interface, I'd show some daily updates. They are mowing it down.
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That's good news.
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So, if anyone has been following this thread, a couple of weeks ago I picked up four turbo snails...and they set to work.
Here is a couple of days after they were introduced.
All in all, it took about 4-5 days to go from sorta scuzzy to perfect.
(http://DB70E473-846C-4C04-B846-0126C4F6B3ED.heic)
ugh...how do I actually insert a picture into the reply?
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The large Mexican turbos are great!! Needing to get me a few more. Astreas are good too.
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Looking at the pic, some of that has a fern-like look. Investigate closely to make sure it's really hair algae and not bryopsis. If it is, you'll need a different treatment regiment.
If it is bryopsis, look into flucanizole for a treatment.
If hair algae, you might also want to try a sea hare. Just note that they mow it down fast, then die fast when it is gone. Have a return plan, find someone else to share it with, etc!