i was thinking about getting a green nudibranch to help try to slow this hair algae outbreak i am having but my question that i havent seemed to find an answer to is will he make a quick meal for my flame hawk he is rather aggressive, i have had a few flame hawks and he is by far the most aggressive i have had so am i buying him an expensive meal or not????
rangerfan
yes all the lawnmower blennies i have seen at the LFS seem rather large and i also have a orange stripe shrimp goby or randalls shrimp goby or whatever you want to call him but he is probably 2 inches at the most the hawk fish already pesters him all the time and i was afraid a lawnmower blenny might go after him also.
The people know it just takes time. People care, there are a lot of Q's to get to. Take a deep breath and let it out. I had a hawk fish. I would say that it would be ok. Do you have any Turbo Snails they will help and Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit will help to. I would say the nudibranch would be ok. and more Q just ask.
i have about 50 dwarf blue legs in the tank and and about 5 margarita snails the rest of them are now deceased thanks to the hawkfish i am going to go the the LFS manana to get some turbos i dont care if the nudibranch dies as long as he puts a solid dent in the hair algae before he goes they are only $7.00 i just dont want him to get eaten im thinking about moving the flame hawk to my other tank because i am tired of him reaking havoc on all my janitors and my shrimp goby and i figured if i take out the main source of nitrates maybe it will help slow down the algae so the janitors can clean up also am i right in my thinking that the lawn mower blenny would pester my shrimp goby or no????
I assume you are talking about a lettuce Nudi? I have seen them do well in other peoples tanks but no so much in mine. I think a hawk would make a meal out of one. they don't have a lot to them and who knows what defense they have. For hair algae i always recommend a Sally Lightfoot or zebra hermits. they really do well on the hair. tangs also do a good job.
Rottie's hit on the reason I was hesitant to answer.Loverotties said:
I don't know a lot about Nudi's, other than the fact that they don't really do well in aquariums. From what I understand, marine biologists don't know a lot about these guys either. More importantly, what they eat. In even an established tank, they seem to last about 6 months. Research suggests that this is about how long it takes them to starve to death.
I've also heard that due to the fact that they have NO skeletal structure and quite flexible internal ?organs?, they are capable of bending/sliding/oozing into some very tight spots, and are well known for getting into PH/pumps/overflows/plumbing/etc.
So while I don't know a whole lot, what I DO know leads me to suggest NOT getting a nudi.
I was more on-board with the Lawnmower blenny idea...as he's done wonder's for my tank's algae. Maybe ask your LFS if they can get you a smaller one. Or let you just *BORROW* a bigger one. Let him chomp away, and take him back when all's well.
The best answer to this question, may not be one you want to hear, but is best for the tank. You need to do whatever you have to do to determine the SOURCE of the hair algae. I'd do a search on here for "Hair Algae". you'll find TONS of threads...all with the same advice repeated (in detail). Hair algae is either caused by a lack of nutrient exporting, or by adding rock that came from a system that had a lack of nutrient exporting.
Getting ANY critter to eat it now, is just putting a band-aid on the problem. And in few weeks/months, you'll have the same outbreak again.
Sorry I didn't respond when I first saw this, but didn't really want to jump on the "Don't Buy critter X" band-wagon. General rules that apply to a specific critter, may not apply in ALL cases.
Anyways...hope this helps, and if you have more questions, please fire away!
also, in the future...if you notice you're thread isn't getting any responses...please allow a good bit of time (as everyone on here has their own specialties...and someone who knows the answer might take a while to get to it).
If after a day or so, you don't see any responses, you can just reply with the word "BUMP". This means to bump your thread back up to the top of the queue.
You'll notice this gives much better results than getting frustrated.
If after a day or so, you don't see any responses, you can just reply with the word "BUMP". This means to bump your thread back up to the top of the queue.
You'll notice this gives much better results than getting frustrated.
skeety you have been a great help thak you very much i have searched this forum many times about hair algae that is why i have never posted a thread about the algae problem specifically i just dont understand exactly where the problem is coming from the tank has been setup for about a year and i never had these problems until about 3 months ago and now it is bad everyone seems to have the same resoponse that i guess the main source of the algae is phosphates so i have been upgrading on water changes if i can it is hard because i hate carrying the water up three flights of stairs to my apartment i have been using a sea chem phosphate remover beads in my hang on filter for a while but they never seem to stop taking out phosphates i quit putting anything in my tank except for food no more dt's no more chem additives and i have been dissolving my food in a glass of tank water but the algae doesnt stop nothing seems to help i have read that you shouldnt put the rocks directly on the substrate mine are is that true and i have a bio wheel does that hurt i try to skim as much as possible but the sea clone 100 is an everyday headache the tank only has two fish the hawk and the shrimp goby i used to have more but they mysteriously dissapeared i think due to the hawk fish i will try to post all the parameters of my tank manana to see if you have any extra insight
I HAD it...for about two weeks. hahaharangerfan said:
you heard right!
(need to move it to the PAST occupants on my web-page...sorry)
also...I'm kind of strapped for time right now...I'll try to post more on the hair algae later. In the mean time, hopefully someone else will chime in!
Rangerfan,
Lettuce nudis are kind of sensitive, and it was my experience that they require very good water parameters to survive. I had a few nitrates and mine simply fell apart. I'm not sure if it was due to the water parameters, but mine did not survive very long at all.
How long have you had your lights? I've read that people start to experience algae outbreaks if their lights are outdated. If I'm not mistaken, lights are good for about a year (give or take) and you mentioned that your tank has been set up for a year. Some people replace the lights or change the amount of time the lights are on and the algae goes away.
Lettuce nudis are kind of sensitive, and it was my experience that they require very good water parameters to survive. I had a few nitrates and mine simply fell apart. I'm not sure if it was due to the water parameters, but mine did not survive very long at all.
How long have you had your lights? I've read that people start to experience algae outbreaks if their lights are outdated. If I'm not mistaken, lights are good for about a year (give or take) and you mentioned that your tank has been set up for a year. Some people replace the lights or change the amount of time the lights are on and the algae goes away.
I was thinking the same thing with the lights. Mine went bad around 11 months, mix that with some tap water, and it was a hair algae mess. I cleaned it up by changing the bulbs, buying an RODI unit, and a big cleanup crew (hermits, astreas, ceriths, bumblebees). I currently have about 1 hermit/per gal and at least 2 snails/gal. The only hair algae I have is a little bit on the powerhead and I see no reason to clean that off.
I would not recommend the lettuce nudibranch. They can take little current and in my opinion do not do well in captivity. Are you using RO/DI water? If not, that is a must. Also, you need to find the source of what is causing the algae. Mexican turbos are great for hair algae but they need cooler temps or will not live long in our tanks. I know it is expensive but a good skimmer is in order for you too. I found out the hard way in this hobby that it is best to buy the best equipment right up front. Do not skimp on cheap equipment that does not work well. Another suggestion I would make is to get a Phosban reactor. Don't use those beads or whatever it is you are using they can leach phospates right back into the water column after they have absorbed all of them. That coud be another culprit. Use a Phosban reactor with ROWAphos. Continue with water changes usuing RO/DI water. Get a good skimmer. The Seaclone is like not having any skimmer at all.
Just my .02
Just my .02
I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. If it's pulling out ANY skimmate, then it's better than nothing. I'll leave it at that.sally said:
very well done!rangerfan said:
now...as to the hair algae...
couple questions:
1. The phosphate removal beads you're using. You change them frequently, right? If you leave them in for a long time, they'll start leaking phosphate's BACK into the system.
2. How much Live Rock do you have? If you have at least 1lb per gallon, remove the bio-wheel. These are a nitrate factory. Also no help with the hair algae.
3. about the LR, where did you get it? From a friends system? If so, give me some history on that. If not, disregard.
4. You say you've been having a hair algae problem for 3 months. What's the tanks history prior to that? How long has it been up? How long have you been adding stuff? (and what?)
5. What is your water change schedule, and please describe your water change routine.
When you answer, maybe we'll have a better idea what's causing this.
Not trying to bump heads here at all but not everyone CAN go out and get the best equipment available the first time out. Unfortunately, too many people just decide one day that they want to set up a saltwater aquarium and head to the LFS to do it. And as most of us know, the LFS isnt exactly the best place to get good equipment/advice. If you can walk into a LFS and easily drop $3000+ on a system then yes, youre probably going to get more attention from store personel and are more likely to get a better balanced system.
On the other hand, I think there are other things involved here. For example, I have a 30g with an ASM skimmer on it rated for a tank 5x its size and my algae is getting worse (PO4 0, NO2 0, NO3 0, NH3 0, and stable for over a month). Our little glass oceans are extreemly complex. There can be many undetectable/overlooked reasons for one outcome. I think skeety is on the right track trying to learn as much about other factors as possible. I dont think there's anything "as simple as that" in our hobby and adding another piece of expensive equipment isnt always going to be the answer.
Education. Learning as much as possible about the factors which contribute to a relationships balance will bring you closer to solving a problem.
(btw, I completely agree that a good skimmer will benefit an algae problem)
On the other hand, I think there are other things involved here. For example, I have a 30g with an ASM skimmer on it rated for a tank 5x its size and my algae is getting worse (PO4 0, NO2 0, NO3 0, NH3 0, and stable for over a month). Our little glass oceans are extreemly complex. There can be many undetectable/overlooked reasons for one outcome. I think skeety is on the right track trying to learn as much about other factors as possible. I dont think there's anything "as simple as that" in our hobby and adding another piece of expensive equipment isnt always going to be the answer.
Education. Learning as much as possible about the factors which contribute to a relationships balance will bring you closer to solving a problem.
(btw, I completely agree that a good skimmer will benefit an algae problem)
I also want to add that I didnt mean this post in the tone that it came off as. I realized after re-reading mine and sally's posts, I sound "snappy". The first time I read your post sally, I think I misinterpreted some of what you said. I appologize if I sound like a prick, that was not my intention at all.
skeety to answer your questions
1. yes i take them out once a week
2. ihave about 25 lbs in the 30 gallon tank
3. go tthe LR at my LFS
4. yes about one year i moved the tank about 6 months ago from lubbock to dallas that is about 5 hours if you are unfamiliar with texas no my water got contaminated in the move and i had about 15 gallons of original tank water for this 30 gallon tank so i put all the live stock in there and would add 5 gallons of clean saltwater every 4 to 5 days until i got the tank back to normal but the algae didnt start to appear until about 2 months after re setting up the system i used new substrate and nothing changed the tank has less live stock in no than it did then i lost a clown goby shortly after the mmove and a pistol shrimp an emrald crab and a bicolor blenny the only one i ever got out was the clown goby as the rest were never seen again shortly after the move. i change 5 gallons out every week, i work in a pharmaceutical lab so i use the DI water form here out of a commmercial DI system that fills a closet and has a UV on the system the water comes out at -19 megohms about as clean as you can get so i am pretty sure it isnt that i use pre mixed slat water form the LFS could that be it
and what about having my LR directly on the substrate???
1. yes i take them out once a week
2. ihave about 25 lbs in the 30 gallon tank
3. go tthe LR at my LFS
4. yes about one year i moved the tank about 6 months ago from lubbock to dallas that is about 5 hours if you are unfamiliar with texas no my water got contaminated in the move and i had about 15 gallons of original tank water for this 30 gallon tank so i put all the live stock in there and would add 5 gallons of clean saltwater every 4 to 5 days until i got the tank back to normal but the algae didnt start to appear until about 2 months after re setting up the system i used new substrate and nothing changed the tank has less live stock in no than it did then i lost a clown goby shortly after the mmove and a pistol shrimp an emrald crab and a bicolor blenny the only one i ever got out was the clown goby as the rest were never seen again shortly after the move. i change 5 gallons out every week, i work in a pharmaceutical lab so i use the DI water form here out of a commmercial DI system that fills a closet and has a UV on the system the water comes out at -19 megohms about as clean as you can get so i am pretty sure it isnt that i use pre mixed slat water form the LFS could that be it
and what about having my LR directly on the substrate???
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