What is this brown hair algea?
- Thread starter gstene
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Pod_01
Well-Known Member
Looks like GHA, green hair algae.
This algae likes nutrients that are stored in the rock like PO4 and they do like nice clean rocks and bright lights.
I never tried ref flux, it seems to work for some but my concern would be the impact on biofilm.
If you are dosing NO3 or PO4 you might want to reduce or stop.
The only way to get rid of it that I found was to remove each rock and scrub, rinse and repeat weekly and eventually it will stop growing…. You can scrub with toothbrush in the tank as well and let filter pick up the floaters.
Also consider using high quality fish and coral food so less byproducts, fillers end up in the water.
What the tank is telling you is that you don’t have enough coral mass, but lot of surfaces and bright light so pest algae is growing. You might consider getting some affordable zoas or GSP (green star polyp on independent rock) to increase your coral mass. GSP can become pest but it is better looking when compared to GHA.
You can try other fast growing corals as well and later on you can remove them.
Good luck,
This algae likes nutrients that are stored in the rock like PO4 and they do like nice clean rocks and bright lights.
I never tried ref flux, it seems to work for some but my concern would be the impact on biofilm.
If you are dosing NO3 or PO4 you might want to reduce or stop.
The only way to get rid of it that I found was to remove each rock and scrub, rinse and repeat weekly and eventually it will stop growing…. You can scrub with toothbrush in the tank as well and let filter pick up the floaters.
Also consider using high quality fish and coral food so less byproducts, fillers end up in the water.
What the tank is telling you is that you don’t have enough coral mass, but lot of surfaces and bright light so pest algae is growing. You might consider getting some affordable zoas or GSP (green star polyp on independent rock) to increase your coral mass. GSP can become pest but it is better looking when compared to GHA.
You can try other fast growing corals as well and later on you can remove them.
Good luck,
gstene
New Member
Don't sea hares love it though? It's bene in there for a week and nothing. I have a clean up crew to and it seems everything stays away from it. Also, its brown, what's up with the green part lolLooks like GHA, green hair algae.
This algae likes nutrients that are stored in the rock like PO4 and they do like nice clean rocks and bright lights.
I never tried ref flux, it seems to work for some but my concern would be the impact on biofilm.
If you are dosing NO3 or PO4 you might want to reduce or stop.
The only way to get rid of it that I found was to remove each rock and scrub, rinse and repeat weekly and eventually it will stop growing…. You can scrub with toothbrush in the tank as well and let filter pick up the floaters.
Also consider using high quality fish and coral food so less byproducts, fillers end up in the water.
What the tank is telling you is that you don’t have enough coral mass, but lot of surfaces and bright light so pest algae is growing. You might consider getting some affordable zoas or GSP (green star polyp on independent rock) to increase your coral mass. GSP can become pest but it is better looking when compared to GHA.
You can try other fast growing corals as well and later on you can remove them.
Good luck,
Lavey29
10K Club member
Have you tried getting your hands wet?
Gribbles
Active Member
I don't think your cuc will touch it when it's that long. Try to remove it manually with a brush or something (I use disposable eye lash brushes). If you stay on top of manual removal, eventually your cuc will handle it
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Exactly. Sea hares and the rest of the cuc will help maintain lower algae but aren't a substitute for aggressive manual removal. You can also spray the rock with H2O2 while you have it out of the tank to scrub. Let sit for a few minutes before adding the rock back to the tank.
Pod_01
Well-Known Member
As stated if you trim it the Sea hare might help.
In the end for me manual removal worked the best. Also adding coral mass.
If you want the GHA to be green add some iron, but I would not do that I don’t think you want to make it stronger.
Roatan Reef
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A Toothbrush, Water Changes every week or week and a half, pipe cleaning tubes, physical and manual removal works best.
Also, is OP running any phosphate remover?
Pod_01
Well-Known Member
The GHA is great at exporting it, I would not be adding any or if I did it would be minimal.
My preference is to be looking at GHA vs. Dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates likes the same environment and zero PO4 because it can outcompete GHA.
Also increasing coral mass helps with PO4.
Great point OP didn’t mention what his PO4 or NO3 value are!
I am also fan of weekly 10% water changes. Brush the algae, do water change etc… tank will look better.
I use a big baster and blow and suction the GHA out thats loose. If it wont come off I scrub it or leave it for next WC week to try again. I have gotten it down to a manageable amount. Not sure if you changed the lighting to take a photo but looks like you have alot of white light. Reduce White green and red channels if you can and reduce lighting all around. That significantly stopped mine from growing so fast... all tanks are different this is what works for me
Pod_01
Well-Known Member
Not really, you want to cover the empty rock with corals.
Currently your GHA is doing that.
You have nice light, perfect location, and based on the GHA good supply of nutrients and no corals.
Some claim that chaeto in the sump helps, it didn’t work for me I had chaeto in the sump and GHA on the rocks.
I tried explaining to GHA it should not do that but that didn’t help.
Pod_01
Well-Known Member
I tried, but no luck.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
This rock is covered with GSP and there is no algae on it:
Here is a patch that had King Midas zoa and due to crash it died back and that area is now magnet for algae:
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