Can't get rid of Green Hair Algae--- HELP!

My BioCube is being overtaken by Green Hair Algae and I can't seem to do anything about it. I tested phosphates and nitrate, which is apparently the two things that encourage the algae to grow.... Well: my phosphates are testing at about 0 and so are my nitrates, so I did research and apparently the algae can "lock" up all those levels so they test at zero, but are actually quite high.... I don't overfeed, I'm trying to cut back on lighting (without stressing my corals) and still have algae spreading like wildfire... I only use RO/DI water for topoffs and I honestly don't know what else to do! Is there a critter that will eat all this junk for me? (not a lawnmower blenny... no more of those- he killed my mandarin and then commited suicide) Anybody have any ideas?

The key to fighting hair algae is nutrient control. They are spreading throughout your tanks like wildfire because there's an abundant amount of food for them to consume. Not to mention the fact that they are photosynthetic and your tank has a lighting system.

Take out your pumps, protein skimmer and every other mechanical item you have in your tank and clean them all. Remove as much uneaten food, fish waste and detritus from your tank as possible. While battling green hair algae it is important that you lower your feedings. Fish food and fish waste contribute greatly to phosphates and nitrates.

nitty wrote:

The key to fighting hair algae is nutrient control. They are spreading throughout your tanks like wildfire because there's an abundant amount of food for them to consume. Not to mention the fact that they are photosynthetic and your tank has a lighting system.

Take out your pumps, protein skimmer and every other mechanical item you have in your tank and clean them all. Remove as much uneaten food, fish waste and detritus from your tank as possible. While battling green hair algae it is important that you lower your feedings. Fish food and fish waste contribute greatly to phosphates and nitrates.

to read this full article, http://hubpages.com/hub/Hair-Algae

I am dealing with it in my salt tank as well. I have cut the lighting back, cut the feedings back, Doing regular water changes and to help reduce the algae i get a glass of fresh water and a glass that is empty, and started picking the algae out. The way this is done is you pick a clump put the clump in the empty glass and rinse your fingers in the fresh water glass b4 going back in for another pinch. You do not want any to float around in the tank because it can reattach else were and start a new clump of algae. this is a quick way to reduce the appearance of the algae but if you do not get your levels down it will keep coming back. hop this helps some,(if you still have this problem ) good luck!

Man.. its been aLOOONG TIME,WADUP YALL.
anywayz to get to biz, you asked if there were things that eat hair algae? yup. i was havin a prob with it after getting some new rocks and needing new bulbs, had a cyano outbreak at the same time....if you dont have any id def recommend some astrea snails, stay small so they can get almost everywhere. They wont tackle the long hair but they will keep the short algae that you cant got or dont see to a minimum. i have about 7 in my 55 along with my big zebra turbo. I also picked up a sea bunny(cuz they stay fairly small) and i aquired a longspine urchin. i did also get a lawnmower blenny but all the blennies are algae eaters so you dont have to get a lawnmower specifically, they just do a good job. ironically my spotted mandarin runs my tank lol and he's in there with a maroon and a pink bar goby/tiger pistol. emerald crabs are also algae eaters. If youve reduced your nutrients in the water, and your lighting is fine and youve cleaned your equip.(skimmer filter/ replace media) then just pick up what i call an algae cleaner crew and just stay on top of it. Once you get the levels down in your tank and basically stop feeding the algae, it wont take long b-4 its gone.

if you have HA you have nitrates the reason it tests 0 is because the Algae is consuming it. like said above you need to find out where its coming from. what kind of filtration are you using?

Why get rid of it? It's excellent nutrient export.

popebosephus wrote:

Why get rid of it? It's excellent nutrient export.

Because it takes over and starts to look really bad. It grows up through your corals and everything. I am just winning the battle over it in my tank and it looks so much better.

wildbeanerz wrote:

popebosephus wrote:

Why get rid of it? It's excellent nutrient export.

Because it takes over and starts to look really bad. It grows up through your corals and everything. I am just winning the battle over it in my tank and it looks so much better.

tell them what you did!

I only run my lights from about 3pm until 10pm now (did have them on from 6:30 am-10pm)....removed the dirty cartridges from my HOB filter (now have nothing in there except some LR rubble) and continue doing 10% one week and 25% the next week water changes with a siphon hose that I pluch the algae and suction it out as I am exporting my dirty water.

I have a few cell phone pics that I might put up later.

wildbeanerz wrote:

I only run my lights from about 3pm until 10pm now (did have them on from 6:30 am-10pm)....removed the dirty cartridges from my HOB filter (now have nothing in there except some LR rubble) and continue doing 10% one week and 25% the next week water changes with a siphon hose that I pluch the algae and suction it out as I am exporting my dirty water.

I have a few cell phone pics that I might put up later.

awesome! you stopped feeding the HA I knew it would work!!
looking forward to the new pics:)

cwhip wrote:

wildbeanerz wrote:

I only run my lights from about 3pm until 10pm now (did have them on from 6:30 am-10pm)....removed the dirty cartridges from my HOB filter (now have nothing in there except some LR rubble) and continue doing 10% one week and 25% the next week water changes with a siphon hose that I pluch the algae and suction it out as I am exporting my dirty water.

I have a few cell phone pics that I might put up later.

awesome! you stopped feeding the HA I knew it would work!!
looking forward to the new pics:)

that will def cause algae growth. having your lights on from 6 am to 10 is waaayy tooo long. my light are on for about 11 hrs which is still alot, but i like looking at my tank alot lol but mine run from 1230-11 pm but thats cuz of my work schedule lol

Yep. Live & learn. :) Nobody is home until 3PM so there is not a need for them to be on. I just got in the habit of turning them on when I woke up and now I just have the kids do it when they get home from school.

thats good, get them into it early lol my 4 yr old knows just about everything in there. yea im lazy so i got one of those surge protectors with the timers on it.

Long time no talk Juice. glad to see u back.

KMX wrote:

Long time no talk Juice. glad to see u back.

maaann...lol all ima say is, its all new, from the tank to the addres lol but im back! gonna be posting some pics n stuff soon. the site looks great btw too!