Some Hair algae advice please!!!

[lzb3]

I recently took my 100 gallon tank down and moved it to another room in anticipation of getting Mike's 300 gallon . When we made the move, we put most of the LR in a huge bucket of SW with some powerheads to re-cure. Earlier this summer we had a HUGE nitrate spike. During that time the hair algae started growing and nearly took over the tank . The rock that had polyps, mushrooms, and corals growing on them went back into the tank when we set it back up.

This is the question...how do I get my corals into the 300 when it gets here without spreading this hair algae all over the place? We have FAR less than we used to , but there is still enough around to be a problem. I can't really scrub the rock or boil it b/c of the corals. Will an iodine dip kill the algae? Do I risk it and pu the rock in the tank anyway or do I ditch the corals and start over?

The perfect answer I guess would be to somehow get rid of the stuff before I move the rock, but it has been VERY difficult to do. I would almost rather try to frag the corals (mainly softies) and re-cure the rock than to risk spreading this stuff to my DREAM tank!

I fave a PB tang and a lawnmower blenny...they work hard on it but can't get it all...I also have a foxface in another tank that I will put in the 300 when I get it set up!

Please lend any advice or suggestions...I need your input!

Thanks a bunch ya'll!

Elizabeth

[CAT]

I have astrea snails. They always mow the stuff right down. One guy has figured out to climb over and into the return pipe from the refugium where the hair algae gets long, and he strips it bare.

I don't think the turbos do as good a job. This is a pic of the ones I have -they're grey and only grow to about 1 inch wide at the base.

http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/st...id=230712_5464

hth

[lzb3]

I have some Astreas but only a few. The rest are Turbos....thanks for your input...maybe I should get some more!

Elizabeth

[Geoff]

what will you use for nutrient export? refugium and skimmer? i agree with the snails for now and the small stuff that shows up, but i like the refug with a lot of macro to steal the nutrients from the hair in the display.

G~

[lzb3]

Hey Geoff...I currently have a sump/refug with grape calerpa in it. It really doesn't seem to help much I guess because the hair algae is taking the nitrients so the calerpa really doesn't grow that well. I wish I could reverse that process.....maybe add more calerpa?

Let me know!

Elizabeth

BTW...thanks for the help.

[Jimbo]

Cerith snails are awsome, don't fall down. They don't eat like some of the others. But constantly toil away. Small urchins are supposed to do a great job on hair algea. If you feed lightly and skim vigorously the nutrients should be taken up. Do you run your refugium on an opposite light cycle from the main tank? You might want to introduce some other types of macro algea into your refugium and / or increase your light level, more flow from the main tank/sump to the refugium can also help in the nutrient uptake. You want your refugium to strip the nutrients out of the water.

Hair algea can be a pain, it collects cr*p and feeds upon it. Once it's gone and your refugium is stuffed with macro algea it should not return.

[mikeMersot]

I definately wouldnt ditch the rock if it has corals on it, or even without for that matter. Get rid of your nutirents and you will be rid of the hair. Ditching the rock probably wouldnt get rid of the problem anyway, since something in the tank is bound to have algae on it, even if you cant see it.