Wanted: Hair Algae Control

[FishD]

Beginning to break out with algae, looking to buy any snails or saltwater herbivores. Or could someone redirect me to a good store/dealer?

[Darbex]

Aldaefix works great

[semper]

Yellow tang.

Although some choose to ignore hair algae.

Both of mine ate it, when I had it

It hasn't came back

[bikeguru]

Raise you magnesium up to 1600 or even 1700. Hair algae will be gone in less than a week.

[johnnymisty]

Fox face worked for me fishland has a good selection and good prices to

[crack-a-lacked reefer]

http://houston.craigslist.org/for/2898352769.html

try this guy. his name is Brian and has a ton of lefties, zebras and jade hermits. great size hermits and same price as if you bought online.

[beaver-man]

where is your location, I have some snails that will help

[Darbex]

IMO snails don't do anything for hair. Urchins and primarily rock boring or pincushion are the best. Lawnmower bennies are decent. But if it's really bad I would do algaefix and get some urchins. Algaefix will knock it out quick and the urchins will keep it in check in the long run.

[beaver-man]

ok mr darbex, but isnt the REAL fix going to be to remove the excess nutrients CAUSING the algal bloom to begin with???

[Darbex]

You are correct that would be the fix but as you can see I said how to keep it in check not to completely keep it from happening. Snails aren't a fix either they just help control it but I was staring from my experience snails don't work that well. I have tons of ceriths, nerites and such but didn't make a dent. When I added urchins I could see a difference but I was impatient and went with algaefix which got the hair to a manageable level and I am now letting the urchins do the rest.

[Darbex]

If you want a fix then that may take some time you would have to check if it's your water, your feeding habits, death of corals/fish, and so on. Or you can take the lazy way like many of reef keepers do and use the following for a long-term solution which isnt really a fix. You can do algaefix continuously (which I wouldn't do IMO b/c I don't like using chemicals for long periods of time), GFO, Carbon, and/or bio-pellets. I do the last three as my long-term solution.

[FishD]

Im gonna take your advice on the AlgaeFix, but i noticed its for freshwater ponds/aquariums any special precautions when using it with saltwater?

[johnnymisty]

There is a marine algaefix you just gotta find it