i have the same mine a 4 foot 
i am getting an emerald crab and another clean up crew soon though apparently crabs help alot
i am getting an emerald crab and another clean up crew soon though apparently crabs help alot green Hair Algae
- Thread starter AC2020x
- Start date
None of your crabs or snails will eat hair algae. Sea Hare may...but that isn't a good solution...hair algae gone= starved wormy
I gave a short way to deal with it. Hair algae has to be cleaned up then starved out. There is no other way to stop it. Clean up , starvation, and prevention.
If you search these boards, this topic has come up often. And the advise that does work is the 3 basic things I suggested last paragraph.
Achieve nitrates below 10 or even lower
Keeping phosphates at 0 always
To do these two things requires what I last posted. How you choose to accomplish this task is up to you.
The clean up crews do help with stirring the sand, eating detritus, general cleaning to help maintain the tank. But it does not have a great impact on hair algae.
Once it is there you have to manually take it out...clean clean clean...=(
Then maintain parameters that will starve it out.
I gave a short way to deal with it. Hair algae has to be cleaned up then starved out. There is no other way to stop it. Clean up , starvation, and prevention.
If you search these boards, this topic has come up often. And the advise that does work is the 3 basic things I suggested last paragraph.
Achieve nitrates below 10 or even lower
Keeping phosphates at 0 always
To do these two things requires what I last posted. How you choose to accomplish this task is up to you.
The clean up crews do help with stirring the sand, eating detritus, general cleaning to help maintain the tank. But it does not have a great impact on hair algae.
Once it is there you have to manually take it out...clean clean clean...=(
Then maintain parameters that will starve it out.
will do mate i have bought a emerald crab and hopefully he will get all the bits which i cant get too
Hair algae will only grow in low alkaline enviroments even a little low is too low. Check it and you will find the answer. Add a sea hare or lettuce nudibrach to the tank to consume this algae. If you decide to keep either of the critters after they have demolished the algae just feed algae sheets to them or they will starve. Once the alk problem has been solved just do 10-15% water changes a week and this will help keep the levels in check. Make sure you are buffering your water - lets keep in mind that hair algae is self sustaining once astablished in the aquarium.
If the hair algae is on your sand bed you might try adding cerith and nassarius snails. I added 12 and 6 to my 45 and they have kept my sand bed turned up. I do not have any h/a growing on it anymore or anywhere else.
I've been battling this myself ever since my move.
I've made some progress, but cleaning is just not feasible. I've cleaned the rocks I can get to, but the huge base rocks and large rocks with coral attached I have no viable way to remove from the tank and clean.
I've got a decent clean up crew, and I have phosphate absorber, macro algae in a fuge, and weekly water changes. Seems to be helping, but it's slow going.
I've made some progress, but cleaning is just not feasible. I've cleaned the rocks I can get to, but the huge base rocks and large rocks with coral attached I have no viable way to remove from the tank and clean.
I've got a decent clean up crew, and I have phosphate absorber, macro algae in a fuge, and weekly water changes. Seems to be helping, but it's slow going.
Yah i had a few rocks like that.... just keeping it starved and pinching off what i could. It took a long while but its all gone now.
Seriously hate that stuff cause of how its a pain to fully remove it out. you are doing exactly what i would do though...starving it out...just a matter of time.
