Hair Algea

[black molly3]

what can i put in to get rid of hair algea is there arny crabs or solutions.
thanks

 

[kennygater]

what can i put in to get rid of hair algea is there arny crabs or solutions.
thanks

Green emerald crabs are best, a sea hare will clear the tank of algea but you will have to pass it on once its done because it will starve once its done. I have one at the moment as I'm getting a lot of algea latly hope this helps.

 

[Donya]

You don't have to get rid of sea hares once hair algae is gone - just give them some dried seaweed to eat as supplement, although they can eat a lot of it. They can live out their natural life expectency (which is pretty short even in the wild, usually only 1-2 years and you have to factor in that they tend to be adults when entering the trade) and grow quite large on a diet of mixed types of dried seaweeds while keeping hair algae eliminated as it periodically crops up.

EDIT: I should clarify that I'm referring to the common Dolabella species in the trade (namely Dolabella auricularia). The situation might be different for other genera such as Aplysia, but those species are not commonly used to deal with hair algae in tropical tanks.

 

[kennygater]

You don't have to get rid of sea hares once hair algae is gone - just give them some dried seaweed to eat as supplement, although they can eat a lot of it. They can live out their natural life expectency (which is pretty short even in the wild, usually only 1-2 years and you have to factor in that they tend to be adults when entering the trade) and grow quite large on a diet of mixed types of dried seaweeds while keeping hair algae eliminated as it periodically crops up.

EDIT: I should clarify that I'm referring to the common Dolabella species in the trade (namely Dolabella auricularia). The situation might be different for other genera such as Aplysia, but those species are not commonly used to deal with hair algae in tropical tanks.

Oh I didn't realize that how do you know how much to give them?

 

[woody88]

You don't have to get rid of sea hares once hair algae is gone - just give them some dried seaweed to eat as supplement, although they can eat a lot of it. They can live out their natural life expectency (which is pretty short even in the wild, usually only 1-2 years and you have to factor in that they tend to be adults when entering the trade) and grow quite large on a diet of mixed types of dried seaweeds while keeping hair algae eliminated as it periodically crops up.

EDIT: I should clarify that I'm referring to the common Dolabella species in the trade (namely Dolabella auricularia). The situation might be different for other genera such as Aplysia, but those species are not commonly used to deal with hair algae in tropical tanks.

I can confirm that, regarding the life expectancy of a sea hare. I had one from my LFS he was 1 year old [apparently]. I put him in the tank and within 2 hours had polished off a small piece of LR. Unfortunatley he lasted 3 days before he snuffed it and my water params were fine.

The problem with sea hares in my opinion is that LFS sell them to keepers to eat the algae and are returned once they've done their job, only to be bought again to enter another tank which could have completly different water params and so upsets [shocks] the hare + they don't get enough time to settle. Surely all this would severely shorten their life span if not kill them pretty quickly. [IMO]

Plus, mine got bullied by my cleaner shrimp!

 

[spadge]

agree completely woody, passed around the place until they die of old age or shock, i would look back at woodys old post on hair algae i think it just about coverd it all really http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/348012-established-marine-tanknew-owner/page__view__findpost__p__2900751__fromsearch__1, if it were me i would say a combination of factors would help, what are your current parameters by the way? i would look at using some kind of p04 and n03 remover ive just been recomended no4 p04 -x from red sea it apparently provides a bacteria defence againts phospate and nitrate but cannot be used with any other p04 remover, do you use any at present? i would ensure these are low so as not to feed the problem, i would also cut down my day light hours to reduce the growth, remove as much as the hair algae by hand and introduce a sea hare, i have no experience of these but im sure others would say they are great, after all this if you still had a problem i would remove all of the LR ensuring it never dried out and scrub away with a tooth brush getting as much out as possible.

hope this helps

 

[Donya]

Oh I didn't realize that how do you know how much to give them?

Generally as much as they'll eat, which unfortunately isn't a very informative answer. In truth, it varies a lot by animal and tank. If they eat a lot of tank-grown goodies, they may be less interested in supplements. If the tank is totally stripped bare, a good-sized Dolabella auriculara might polish off a whole sheet of dried seaweed in 1-2 days with multiple feedings. They also tend to rotate their food preferences from time to time, so it's a good idea to keep a few types of seaweed on hand and periodically switch them up. They will eat the green nori used in asian cuisine, as well as red and purple seaweeds and the occasional spirulina wafer.

I can confirm that, regarding the life expectancy of a sea hare. I had one from my LFS he was 1 year old [apparently]. I put him in the tank and within 2 hours had polished off a small piece of LR. Unfortunatley he lasted 3 days before he snuffed it and my water params were fine.

Hmmm...going from super-munching to dead in a matter of days sounds more like you had bad luck and got a shocked, ill, or injured animal. Old age causes Dolabella sea hares to slowly become disinterested in food and go through longer and longer periods of "sleeping" for ~2 months leading up to eventual stiffening of the body over a couple of days. As with many gastropods, their bodies will just slowly shut down and gradually cease growing rather than dropping dead as a doornail without warning (which is more typical of infections or serious injuries). That said, there are probably a lot of stressed and/or horribly malnourished sea hares circulating given that they tend to be shifted from one place to another rather than kept on-board for however long they live.

 

[Charl Stanhope]

what can i put in to get rid of hair algea is there arny crabs or solutions.
thanks

I had exactly the same problem as you. I tried no2,3,po4 removers but nothing helped. I need to know more in order for me to hellp youl What substrate are you using and how deep is your sandbed?when last have you changed your lights? what are your parametres like? have you had your ro/di water tested if you are using the water for top ups? Also how much flow have you got in your tank. Sorry for all the questions but itll be easier to help you if I know it>

 

[woody88]

Is there anything else that can be added to the tank to compete with the algae for trate and phos but can be easily controlled (caulerpa) ?

Or Chaetomorpha [does this require 24/7 lighting or could you get away with 12hr lighting

 

[Donya]

Is there anything else that can be added to the tank to compete with the algae for trate and phos but can be easily controlled (caulerpa) ?

Most macroalgaes will do this, Chaetomorpha and Caulerpa being the most common and easy to grow under normal conditions. A lot of people like Chaetomorpha, but I would say put it in a container/fuge/HOTB/something and make sure that it isn't allowed to mingle with other macroalgaes in the main tank. Few things are as infuriating to detangle as a Caulerpa+Chaeto ball, and it doesn't look to graceful as a Chaeto-only ball either. On the other thand, Caulerpa species tend to be more fragile, particularly where resilience to physical damage is concerned.

Or Chaetomorpha [does this require 24/7 lighting or could you get away with 12hr lighting

Macroalgae doesn't need 24/7 lighting; it will do just fine under a regular daylight scheme although it may grab more nutrients with more light. Remember that these things do live in the sea with normal lighting cycles, which makes the pervasive notion in the hobby that some macroalges require constant lighting a bit strange.

 

[woody88]

I might get a ball of cheato and just pin it in a corner in between the rock. Anything to help combat gha!

 

[kennygater]

I might get a ball of cheato and just pin it in a corner in between the rock. Anything to help combat gha!

Hi I just added a sump to my lido tank with miracal mud cheato phos remover and some calcium and its working already plus it only cost about £10 to build with stuff from b&q