Green hair: good for The Joker, not for a reef tank

[PJs_Bucket_List]

My problem is pretty obvious from the post title. GHA, mostly of the short bristly variety, is spreading all over my rock, with a few small patches of the longer stuff. Other than a couple solitary rocks, I can't take the rock work apart or remove it from the tank. I know, another newbie mistake, but all I can do now is deal with it as it is. I have some astrea snails, and there are a few blue legged hermit crabs in there somewhere. Just got a tail spot blenny, but I don't know if GHA is on his menu. Any suggestions or advice for getting rid of this? Thanks in advance!

 

[shanepike]

Are you sure it's GHA and not bryopsis?

bryopsis - Google Suche

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

Are you sure it's GHA and not bryopsis?

bryopsis - Google Suche

Not entirely sure, no, but from what I've read about bryopsis, now I'm praying it's GHA (already sure I have some patches of it)! What do I do for bryopsis?

 

[shanepike]

Here's what's worked for me to eradicate GHA in three different tanks:

• Get your phosphates under control - removes the food that the GHA requires in order to grow
• Mexican turbo snails (and maybe pincushion/tuxedo urchin) - just absolutely decimates the long pieces that nothing else will touch
• Scarlet hermits - eats the smaller filaments that the big guys leave behind
• Regular CUC - eats the GHA when it's still tiny, before it can get a foothold

What (and how many) of each depends on the specifics of your tank.

Bryopsis is a whole different story, so you need to figure out which it is. Here are some threads that will probably be useful: https://www.google.com/search?q=bryopsis+site:atlantareefclub.org

 

[ecoreefguy]

Was rock cured before you started? Might be a lot more coming if rock is leeching

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

Yes, the rock was cured. I already know I need better filtration (no sump, hob filter), maybe a skimmer would help?

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

Regarding the CuC suggestions, would my tank be big enough for an urchin? Given that my current filtration isn't all that great, I don't like the idea of dumping chemicals in the water. I'd prefer a more natural remedy, and the new little critter to look after would be awesome.

 

[Cook]

Manual removal is unfortunately the best way to control it. My tank stubbornly continues to grow GHA though it has moderated over time.

 

[AWarnick]

The urchin will do wonders. What is your lighting intensity like? Other than that monitor Phosphates and Nitrates and let us know what those numbers look like. In a lot of cases you might find them low but the algae is living off of something.

 

[AWarnick]

The Blue Tuxedo Urchin has been great in my aquarium and I have a hard time finding any algae in my tank now (other than Calcareous)