Green Hair Algae

Green hair algae if left unchecked, can really become a problem in your reef. It grows fast and loves high intensity light. Finding and eliminating the causes can become a bit of a chore.

There are several things you can do to keep it under control, but finding the source is what you should really be doing. A lot easier said than done.

Run a protein skimmer all the time. The better skimmers are expensive but they are worth it in the long run. So many people buy a cheap skimmer and soon regret it. This is one piece of equipment that you should consider as essential for a reef aquarium.

A good skimmer that is set up properly will remove a lot of excess waste material and nutrients. Algae can’t use nutrients if they are not present.

Make sure your skimmer is large enough for your tank. Manufacturers usually over rate their skimmers capacity. Always go bigger if you are in doubt.

Decrease your lighting time if you see an outbreak of green hair algae. It needs light to flourish. If you cut back on the amount of time your lights are on, it cannot grow as much.

Perform your water changes more often than normal. When I see an outbreak starting I change the water once or even twice a week. By doing this you will be removing waste and nutrients, plus you are adding the needed trace elements back into your tank.

The main thing is to be consistent with your water changes. It’s easy to become lazy when it comes to regular maintenance. You should keep a log and enter your tank parameters, water changes, and everything else that you do to your tank. I will add a section on reef tank logs soon.

Stop adding any supplements especially anything with iron in it. This algae loves iron.

Add more variety to your cleanup crew. Many herbivores are great for this type of control. Hermit crabs eat hair algae for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Test your makeup water to make sure your RO or RO/DI unit is working properly. They do require you to change filters on a regular schedule.

If you have a sump with a refugium, add some macroalgae to it. Macroalgae will use up a lot of the nutrients that are present in your tank.

Cut down on the amount of food you are feeding. Uneaten food is a great source of nutrients. If you are using frozen food, thaw it out in a small container (cup) with pure water. Then rinse it in pure water before adding it to your tank. Frozen food is usually high in phosphates so rinsing it a few times will help remove most of the phosphates.

Lastly, you can use manual removal if there is a lot of it.

If you follow the above steps, hopefully green hair algae will not become a problem for your reef aquarium.