Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Gz28 · Post by **Gz28** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:04 am

I need a little help. In my big Reef tank I have ALOT of Green hair algae that keeps growing back rather quickly how can i get rid of it. I am sick of trying to pick it all out every 1-2 weeks just for it to be just as bad as before. It is also growing over my corals and chokeing some of them. / And for my biocube i have recently gotten some Aiptasia, the little brown anemones they are stinging my coral, how can i get rid of them? I know there is some kind of shrimp that eats them is that the best way to get rid of them? and Should i get a sea hair for the hair algae? Also note that on both tanks I have 0 phosphates,nitrate,nitrite,ammonia.

drhuddleston1s · Post by **drhuddleston1s** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:32 am

Peppermint shrimp are supposed to eat Aiptasia or Gerwin usually has joes juice that kills them and is reef safe. As far as the hair algae how is your algae cleaning crew? Tuxedo urchins work well for mowing down algae.

Scott Allen · Post by **Scott Allen** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:07 pm

Gerwin usually gets Butterfly fish that will eat aiptasia, they starve after the aiptasia is gone... but definitely do the job!! Peppermint shrimp will also eat aiptasia.

As far as hair algae. You really need to find the source. Even with untraceable amounts of nitrate and phosphate there is still both locally in the system or the hair wouldn't grow. Chances are the hair is consuming the N and P faster than you can test for it. It's very common and it's why algae scrubbers are so effective...

Is your sump clean? How much are you feeding? Is there enough flow in your tank to keep water moving around the rocks? All these questions need to be answered to really get a handle on the cause. A good clean up crew will help knock it back. But until you figure out why its growing you won't fix the problem.

Likely causes are:
overfeeding
lack of regular water changes
detritus build up in the mechanical filters / on rocks
dirty sump causing high N/P levels (you can't test because as you noted the hair is growing very fast eating these levels back down)

Nitrate and phospate should be limited enough in the system to keep the hair from growing. Then you can do a 3-5 day total black out to kill off the remaining strands. If none of this works you may be dealing with Bryopsis. Which is a whole other monster!!

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:00 pm

How hard is it to get the rock out that has the GHA on it? If if is easy, I've got a sure fire way to kill it fast, but some will scoff at the idea. Hydrogen peroxide. I had red hair algae that I could not get rid of. I tried a ton of things--no feeding for a week, lights out for 3 days, AZ-NO3 (which is awesome btw), water changes, Algae fix--and nothing touched it. I was to the point of breaking down the tank. I didn't know what else to do, but someone on another board directed me to a site about using H2O2. It works. You can use it two ways--systemically, or spot treat. I tried dosing the system but didn't have really any results. Tank volume and flow was too much for any prolonged contact. I then drained 20g out of my tank and then spot treated each rock in a bucket with tank water and H2O2. Within 3 days 90% of the RHA was dying and within a week it was gone.

If you are interested in more specifics let me know and I will tell you or pass along the link to the other forum.

Scott is right however, the root cause of ANY alage is excess nutrients. Get those under control and nuisence alages will go away.

Post by **Gerwin** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:06 pm

before you know it there will be no need for me with good responses like above,
I would emphasize :
use GFO (reduces phosphates), evaluate lighting (time and type),reduce nutrient input

Gz28 · Post by **Gz28** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:55 am

Thanks guys. very good advice! I grow alot of macro algae in my refuge with a deep sand bed and i have never cleaned it I am thinking that may be where it is comming from, I am going to clean it out really good my next water change, and see if that does the trick. I am also wondering if maybe some of the chalupera is releasing some of the nutrients back into the water also. I have seen some of it get gooey from time to time and i try my best to pull it out when it gets like that. I wish i could get all of it out and only have the cheato but you leave one little piece of that stuff and it takes over again in no time.
I will pick up some GFO from our Favorite LFS store too when i get paid. I quit using the stuff for about 4-6 months now also because my finances became tigher and i could not afford to run it all of the time. that is probabally another factor that led to my problem.

Lancelot22 · Post by **Lancelot22** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:55 am

I'm confident which my personal locks plankton began because of the LFS's 18 parts per million RO water (it was 6-8 months back) I've since purchased a Coralife RO/DI (and also have already been monitoring filter systems, I am at 1ppm at this time). I have been enduring your hair plankton(its regarding 1/2"-1" higher and about 50% coverage in my 20L Saltwater as well as my 55 FOWLR) wishing which constant dosing as well as drinking water changes might repair it but which seems to be an extended pursuit than I'd would rather endure.

I bought some Chem Marin Quit Locks Plankton as well as Red Sea's Aiptasia-X (each through Sea Website) and am planning on administering the next day. I have organization coming Tuesday as well as would really like my personal Fifty five in the family room as well as my personal 20L looking its best. I know i am performing near, otherwise too near, but you my friends are my personal resource with regard to real advice

The actual 20L is actually my main concern becuase i've coral inside...and just Two seafood. In this "operation" i am thinking about placing my personal FlameHawk within the FOWLR (he is a money grubbing seafood, i believe he is able to manage this) as well as departing the Yellow-colored Watchmen inside(he or she does not trouble anybody). I am considering just temprorily moving the actual coral to different spots in the container till i recieve the hair plankton wiped out, by the way...

I've:
Red Goinapora(Blossom Container)
Fresh mushrooms
Xenia (which has partially grown around the cup)
Blastomusso Welsi
Purple Zoas( One nest after some locks alga on that )
1 nest of Crimson Acans
2 feather feather dusters
One tube earthworm(Red-colored)

All of these i have had for 6 mos. plus. The Blasto, Acan and Gionapora show substantial growth/encrusting. The actual tube earthworm I have had to maneuver several times within hope the Aiptasia would sitng it.

Eventough I'm on a brief quest, I'm on a long pursuit. I will have it looking as good as I can with regard to company, however i do want to fix this long term. Should I begin a 3rd generation to move the barrier in order to as i neat and give a better refuge towards the 20L?
Among the finest my Barrier to outlive...HELP PLEASE!

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:51 am

Sorry, but what??? Your post makes no sense.

Gz28 · Post by **Gz28** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 2:26 am

Yeah i cant make sense out of that post either, sorry.
update: I got my sea hare today when i put him in the tank the very instant he touched the sand he started eating. LOL

Chef Steve · Post by **Chef Steve** » Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:16 pm

I have also read that you can use the store concentration of h202 and use a syringe of some sort of tube and spot kill apstasia with it as well. Although you have to be quick and accurate cause they will hide. I believe it actually melts them. I cant seem to find the article to link it. It should be noted though that doing an in tank treatment takes precautions. The residue can be harmful on other coral and adding too much can raise the ph i believe. If the aipstasia problem is too bad i would take gerwins advice and take out rock and soak it in fresh water. Osmosis with make them take on water and eventually burst.

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:10 am

When I used H2O2 to treat my tank, the few Aptasia I have seemed to have cared less. The peroxide didn't seem to faze them at all. The great thing about H2O2 is that it dissociates into H2O and O2. However, before it breaks down, it IS a potent oxidizer. As stated, precaution must be used when treating with it.

Chef Steve · Post by **Chef Steve** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:52 pm

Agreed bluwtr. The guy in article I read was basically spot feeding with it. Stated that it could be difficult cause they will retract. Said some it worked 75 percent of time. But actually getting the dose in exact spot should prove difficult. I'm thinking of trying this option since copper banded butterfly was obliterated by my scopes tang and peppermint shrimp is mia.

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:42 am

Chef let me know how it works for you. I have tried peppermints several times and my numbers go down, but my damn 6-line keep eating them!

He will be leaving the tank soon I believe. I don't have very many--only about 6 or so (that I can see), but would like to send them to hell as well.

Chef Steve · Post by **Chef Steve** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:01 pm

They method of treatment is similar to Aipstasia X. Here is a video that shows a way to get rid of aipstasia. H2o2 is a little bit different from what I have read. Mainly being that if you are treating aipstasia close to any expensive coral you have to be extra cautious with the chalk like substance it creates, as it can settle on your coral and harm them as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... d8LnGr5GGI

FishyStuff.net

Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia

Re: Hair algae, and Aiptasia