How to get rid of Maidens Hair

[smallblock]

Hey again everyone, I have a really clean tank, good params. I have zero hair algae and very little red cyano. My nitrates are zero but I know thats a lie because something has to be feeding the maidens hair. I run Carbon and GFO. I got the maidens hair from a snail shell. I didnt have the heart to kill the guy when I switched over livestock from my bros tank. I used dead rock and did a cycle when I started this tank a year ago. Maidens hair is really thick short stuff. I've actually seen it for sale as macro algae. DO NO BUY THIS STUFF. Its grips the rock so well that when you pull it off it breaks the rock. Does anyone know how to get rid of this stuff?

Here is a stock photo of what I'm dealing with.

Edit:

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Its actually really pretty stuff its just impossible to get rid of

 

[acroholic]

Dip the entire rock it is on in a 5% bleach solution for a couple hours. It will be gone, along with all life on the rock. I don't know of any grazers that will control it.

 

[smallblock]

Its on multiple rocks at this point, I think I would have to dip them all. Also Its on most of my snails now too, very frustrating. I may just have to live with it untill its 120 time and then kill all my rock and make sure I don't add any of those snails. I dont know. Have you ever had this stuff Dave?

 

[coolsurf]

Curious...would a high Mg level affect in any way such as it does with bryopsis?

 

[smallblock]

I don't think so, I've read where a few have tried it with no results

 

[acroholic]

Smallblock;676041 wrote: Its on multiple rocks at this point, I think I would have to dip them all. Also Its on most of my snails now too, very frustrating. I may just have to live with it untill its 120 time and then kill all my rock and make sure I don't add any of those snails. I dont know. Have you ever had this stuff Dave?

Never had it. One of the few Reef pests I have not had. You can kill it with bleach on your snails without hurting them, believe it or not, but if you have it all over your reef, I'd wait until you move to the 120 to treat anything. If it is as bad an infestation as you say and you can't find anything that eats it, you may have to bit the bullet and nuke the rock come move time, or replace the infested rock with clean stuff.

 

[smallblock]

how do you do the snails, do like a bleach dip? I might try dipping one rock every few days. I could stand that no big deal maybe I could get rid of the aiptaisa that way too. Its gonna be at least 6 months to a year before the 120 comes so I want to do something. Its pretty slow growing and spreading. I think I might could get away with dipping all the rocks like over 3 weeks to a month.

Edit: My main problem is I'm hesitant on placing any corals because of it. I'm scared it might choke them out of something you know. I've accumulated some good pieces and it sucks just having them sitting around.

 

[acroholic]

Smallblock;676054 wrote: how do you do the snails, do like a bleach dip? I might try dipping one rock every few days. I could stand that no big deal maybe I could get rid of the aiptaisa that way too. Its gonna be at least 6 months to a year before the 120 comes so I want to do something. Its pretty slow growing and spreading. I think I might could get away with dipping all the rocks like over 3 weeks to a month.

A bleach dip that submerges the snail would kill it. Here's the safe method:

Remove the snail(s) from the water and get it to close up inside their shell, then, holding the snail so the shell opening (aperture) is facing straight up, apply bleach using a Q-Tip to the base where the algae is attached to the shell. Hold the swab in place on the spot for 10-20 seconds, then remove any algae stem from the snail shell, dunk the snail in a separate small volume of tank water to rinse, then put the snail back into your tank. Keeping the aperture up keeps the snail rom being exposed to bleach, and the Q-Tip spot applies the bleach, keeping the snail safe as well.

 

[smallblock]

nice thanks Dave, as always very helpfull!!!

 

[lt_tweak]

foxface rabbitfish... took care of mine like its his job! but ya other than that good luck. you really cant pull it off the rock or anything, its a pita

 

[mvm]

Edit:

lt_tweak;676108 wrote: foxface rabbitfish... took care of mine like its his job!

Not maiden's hair; more likely hair algae.

 

[lt_tweak]

pretty sure it was maidens hair; three other people in the hobby confirmed. however; its not there anymore so oh well! just a fatty foxface

 

[smallblock]

Ok so here is my plan. I have a 5 gallon bucket, I filled it with RODI water, and about a cup of bleach in it. I've put several rocks with the maidens hair in the bucket about an hour ago. All of the maidens hair is turning white.

I have a small tank that I'm going to setup and recycle this rock.

I will leave the reamaining rock in my tank most of it is covered in the maidens hair.

After the rock in the bucket is recycled I'm going to remove the remaining rock and bleach it. Also remove whatever infected snails and try to clean as many as I can. I will make sure there is no maidens hair in the DT tank.

Does this sound like it will work. After seeing Gnashty's tank this weekend I'm sick about how bad my tank looks.