Algae Burst!

[jay]

Hello Nano Gang!

I went away on a Business trip for the mth and returned home to see my setup with an algae burst. (Just when I thought I could trust family with my tank.) Turns out the light was left on for extended periods..... grrrr

What can I do to get rid of it all?

I have a 46gallon tank... FOLR

I also run a Skimmer and Carbon Filter and a UV Filter.

Thx in advance!
Jay

 

[KidNano]

1. What kind of algae is it? Depending on what kind it is you might want to pull the rock out and scrub it.
2. IF it's a FOLWR then you could get a way with leaving the lights off for a couple of days or just shorten the light cycle dramatically.
Good Luck.

 

[jay]

it's just normal green algae, but all of my LR... can I pick up an invert that would take care of the problem?

I 4got to mention... setup is about 1 1/2 old.
(not sure if that makes a difference)

thx,
J

 

[skipm]

I would go with the lights off and shortened photoperiod. Also make sure that you are limiting the nutrients put in the tank by feeding cautiously.

 

[jay]

Thanks Nano Gang!

 

[rescuediver19]

Hey, Im having the same problem with my tank and it has gotten pretty bad with green hair algae. All my nutrient levels are low and I do regular (weekly 5 gal) changes in my 12g aquapod. I have corals so I'm hesitant to lower the lighting schedule without any advice. I have seperate timers for my blue and white lights... any suggestions? Also how many hermit crabs / snails would u recommend?

 

[KidNano]

Hey, Im having the same problem with my tank and it has gotten pretty bad with green hair algae. All my nutrient levels are low and I do regular (weekly 5 gal) changes in my 12g aquapod. I have corals so I'm hesitant to lower the lighting schedule without any advice. I have seperate timers for my blue and white lights... any suggestions? Also how many hermit crabs / snails would u recommend?

hermit crabs and snails I don't think will take care of hair algae. I had 3 hermits and 3-4 snails in my 12 gallon and they kept my rock spotless. 2 Hermits would probably be plenty with a few snails.

If it is indeed hair algae then take your rocks out and start scrubbing. I'm starting to get a little bit on my LR and it's becoming a problem. I'm probably going to through out the Rocks where it's growing before it spreads to others. no matter how much I scrubb and pull at it.... I just can't get it all and it comes back.

What kind of salt and water are you using?

 

[skipm]

I was able to get some hermits from my LFS that ate hair algae but I don't know their scientific name so you can find them, they were sold as Cortez reef hermits. They are pretty plain looking and are not real big, about 1/2"-3/4" in diameter. I will try to get a scientific name the next time I go back to that store.

 

[KidNano]

I was able to get some hermits from my LFS that ate hair algae but I don't know their scientific name so you can find them, they were sold as Cortez reef hermits. They are pretty plain looking and are not real big, about 1/2"-3/4" in diameter. I will try to get a scientific name the next time I go back to that store.

That would be awesome. Thanks. I'll try to find them under the Cortez Reef Hermits. What was their coloring like?

 

[skipm]

Like I said they are pretty plain, tannish to brown in color with no real significant markings that I have seen.

 

[Ritsuko N]

I think you got a lot of options here depending on some variables.

First take the rock out and scrub as much of the algae off as you can. Don't know what your clean up crew looks like but you might want to add a few snails and a lot more hermits. Herbivore fish will also help too as well. This of course is dependent upon how much of a bioload you already have of course. If you got too heavy of a bioload to handle another fish maybe look at a Sea Hare temporarily in the tank until you got a handle on the problem. I would get stingy with the food and keep feedings to minimum while dealing with the algae issue, no sense in fueling the algae growth unneccessarily. Shortening the photo period would also help too since you said you have no corals. Just make sure your filtration system and your skimmer are up to the task of removing the nutrients that will be created as the algae dies off.

Excessive lighting can be a major mitigating factor in an algae bloom but its rarely the the only cause...