# Hello to you all



## priceless (May 9, 2013)

Can any body tell me the best way to rid my live rock from long hair algie:fish-in-bowl:


----------



## phil_pl (Apr 10, 2009)

In my tank, I added hermits and snails until the algae was under control. I ended up with about a dozen blue leg hermits, 3 nasarious snails, 2 Mexican turbo snails, and 12 or so astria snails in a 29gal tank. I have recently noticed a small increase in the amount of hair algae, I believe this is only happening because the hermits grew and couldn't find shells so they killed snails for their shells. So with a few more snails it should stay under control


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

What's your phosphate level?They are the largest contibutor to algae.


----------



## priceless (May 9, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I have snails, hermit crabs. My phosphate and nitrate levels are 0 . Don't know what causing algae to grow


----------



## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

It could be Bryopsis, which is a clean water algae. Bla k the tank out for 3 days, this will kill it off. You can also raise your Magnesium, using Kent Mag Tech, to 1600. There is supposedly something in the Tech that helps kill it off.


----------



## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

hermits and snails are good but I use siamese algae eater. i have 2 in mine tank and it took care of mine and I cut back on the light to 8 hours a day


----------



## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

rtmaston said:


> hermits and snails are good but I use siamese algae eater. i have 2 in mine tank and it took care of mine and I cut back on the light to 8 hours a day


Dude, your killin me here. This is SALT WATER.


----------



## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

priceless said:


> Thanks for the info. I have snails, hermit crabs. My phosphate and nitrate levels are 0 . Don't know what causing algae to grow


Nuisance Algae frustrates me too! Hair algae looks like fuzzy hair...each piece is a single wispy strand. Bryopsis looks like a plant...similar to a fern. In my experience, it's not difficult to tell them apart, and I have. 

In reference to common Hair Algae, it's possible the phosphates and nitrates are 0 because the nuisance algae is consuming them...."Circle of Life". Theoretically, if you remove the algae, the nutrients will go up and the algae will return....just more "Circle of Life". I know it's not the immediate fix you may be looking for (it wasn't for me)...but as coralbandit said, the only true way to control nuisance algae is to eliminate it's food source- excess nutrients. Keep in mind though, that many marine critters require trace amounts of phosphates and nitrates to thrive...this is something I learned the hard way. I successfully starved the nuisance algae...and a couple corals too. I had to find a happy medium. Also, if your lighting cycle is excessive and/or if your bulbs are old, that could also be promoting excess nuisance algae growth. Mine was and mine were.

In reference to the more stubborn and dreadful Bryopsis Algae, much of the same holds true. And respectfully, I would not classify Bryopsis as a "clean water algae". It's photosynthetic and feeds off the same nutrients as common Hair Algae...it simply utilizes light and nutrients more efficiently. With that, lights out for 3 days will not kill Bryopsis. Neither will scrubbing or boiling rocks. Kents Mag Tech is the way to go but it's not as simple as raising your mag levels to 1600...there is a lot more to it than that so seeking guidance from someone with actual experience managing Bryosis in a Coral Reef System is wise. HEALTHY Nudibrachs that have been properly captured and handled will contribute greatly to follow-up control but are not usually the best option for initial treatment unless it's caught early. There are other marine critters that will eat Bryopsis but not many. I have an Orange Spotted Blenny that's eating it in a fellow reefers tank now, however his own Bicolored Blenny wouldn't touch it.

Hope that helps.


----------



## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

rtmaston said:


> hermits and snails are good but I use siamese algae eater. i have 2 in mine tank and it took care of mine and I cut back on the light to 8 hours a day


There are several algae eating fish that work great for algae control. This holds true for both freshwater and saltwater tanks. Great suggestion!


----------

