Hair Algae - How To Control Hair Algae

Yep hair algae, do you have them? Well if you're just starting out and you aren't quite sure how to set up a balanced marine system then chances are you will have hair algae soon enough. Hobbyists have been dealing with them since.....well probably from the beginning. They're tough and they spread like wildfire. No corner is safe from them. So lets pond them into oblivion shall we?

We start by asking the question,"Why are they spreading like amd all over?". Well hair algae or any plant life need three things to survive. Water, light and nutrients. Well its a tank so water's a given, its mainly nutrients and light for us hobbyists. So the two nutrients that hair algae really needs to thrive are :-

• Nitrates (NO3)
• Phosphates (PO4)

Unfortunately, both are always present in an aquarium on some level. Anything organic that is breaking down in the aquarium is a source of NO3 and PO4. Thats a lot of stuff. Fish waste, detritus, shrimp molts and the list goes on. We can't stop fish waste and detritus from happening but we can prevent them from rotting in our tanks. We do this by maintaining a clean tank, change your water regularly and siphon out any crap and dirt that you find.

Water changes also get exports nitrates and phosphates directly. A 50 percent water change will remove 50% nitrates and phosphates and so on and so forth. So check your water with a test kit and perform the necessary water changes. Do not perform too large a water change as the sudden change in chemistry may shock your livestock. Nothing more than 50% a day. While you're cleaning out your tank be sure to remove as much hair algae as you can as well. I know its a tough job but it needs to be done. Take out your live rock and scrub them off if you need too.

While water changes export phosphates, a quick feeding or two will see PO4 levels rise again. Fortunately for us there are such things as phosphate removers and i swear by them. Simply put the directed amount per gallon into an area that gets a lot of water flow and wait. I you put the correct amount, i promise you phosphate levels will be zero in no more than two days. And it keeps it that way until th media is finally exhausted. Just replace it and you're all set.

As we're looking for ways to import less nutrients into our system, we should also stop feeding our livestock so much. Feed your fish once every two or three days. Seems like a little but they will get by just fine trust me. And besides, this is only a temporary measure. We should also look at the water we use during water changes. If you're using treated tap water you may find that it already has some amount of NO3 and PO4 in it. Most reefers tackle this problem by buying a RO/DI water unit as the water that is produced is nutrient free.

There are a few fishes and invertebrates that can help with the war against hair algae. Turbo snails are probably the best. The others include nerite, trochus and a few others. Hermit crabs are known to eat hair algae along with herbivorous fishes such as tangs and lawnmower blennies. It is important to put too much hope in these algae eaters as they won't solve the problem completely. They are merely there to help turn the tide in your favour.

We look at your lighting system next. Red light really helps the growth rate of all algae so it is important to ensure that your bulbs are of the color spectrum and that they're not too old as well. This is because bulbs tend to shift spectrum slowly as they age. We might not be able to see it with the naked eye but they do emit some amount of red light.

Last but not least, stay away from algae removers like algaefix, algone and all the other brands. To find out why, visit my guide, algaecide.