Best inverts for hair algae? If any?

[jayteerq]

I have a bunch of patches of hair algae all over my aquascape. I have 2 emerald crabs 20 hermit crabs and 1 tang but they don’t seem to do anything to the hair algae!! Any recommendations?

 

[scooterh928]

Tuxedo urchin

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Manually remove and siphon it out and see if your CUC keeps it in check.

 

[jayteerq]

Tuxedo urchin

Ugh I have 2 and never seen it touch the hair algae

 

[jayteerq]

Manually remove and siphon it out and see if your CUC keeps it in check.

I tried to manually pinch it then siphon but it’s too short for me to grab and it’s wicked attached lol

 

[scooterh928]

Yeah mine either lol just what a lot of folks suggest

 

[dangles]

Tuxedo urchin

I second this. Tuxedo or pincushion. They are algae eating MONSTERS. Yes they will also pick up and carry off loose frags and knock stuff over that isn't secured, but it's a small price to pay for the work they do. Just glue stuff down

 

[jayteerq]

I second this. Tuxedo or pincushion. They are algae eating MONSTERS. Yes they will also pick up and carry off loose frags and knock stuff over that isn't secured, but it's a small price to pay for the work they do. Just glue stuff down

I have 2 they do nothing lolz as you can see this guys not even at the hair algae lol

 

[dangles]

I have 2 they do nothing lolz as you can see this guys not even at the hair algae lol

Hmm. Not sure about that

And isn't that turf algae?

 

[Lavey29]

Looks more like a turf type algae. My tank has a few patches here and there also. I just see it as part of an overall healthy ecosystem in my tank. Cleaners or grazers can nibble if they want. Doesn't bother my corals and I think it makes the overall tank look more like a natural reef too.

 

[jayteerq]

Hmm. Not sure about that

And isn't that turf algae?

Oops!! Didn’t know!! lol thanks!

Looks more like a turf type algae. My tank has a few patches here and there also. I just see it as part of an overall healthy ecosystem in my tank. Cleaners or grazers can nibble if they want. Doesn't bother my corals and I think it makes the overall tank look more like a natural reef too.

You know what you just gave me a new outlook on it. Thank you! That’s a nice way of looking at it

 

[dangles]

If it starts to be come more of a problem, maybe try adding another urchin or two. It might just be that they haven't gone after it because there's plenty of other food around

 

[Lavey29]

If it starts to be come more of a problem, maybe try adding another urchin or two. It might just be that they haven't gone after it because there's plenty of other food around

You can also hand place them right in the middle of the patch and make them nibble their way out

 

[Lavey29]

Oops!! Didn’t know!! lol thanks!

You know what you just gave me a new outlook on it. Thank you! That’s a nice way of looking at it

It's kind of why GSP looks good in tanks swaying in the current in the right areas too.

 

[dakoop]

Urchin vote

 

[Northern Flicker]

Molly (not an invert but can be kept in small tanks)

 

[deome]

Just spent 4 months battling GHA. I tried an urchin, but it disappeared within a week, but not before scratching up my glass (urchins often take bits of sand with them while they're working the glass).

If you're asking for invert help, right now I'm in the "moar snails = moar better" camp. I spent maybe $200 over the summer buying every kind of snail my LFS had available, going for diversity over particular species. I've heard "_____ snails don't eat algae once it's long/stringy/established," but in my opinion the snails will dislodge algae just by moving around. Snails aren't a silver bullet though; their job is to keep algae from establishing itself on new surfaces.

But if you're open to all solutions, I'd recommend looking at your lighting spectrums and schedule (if it keeps coming back), or just going in there with a stiff-bristle brush and manually scrubbing it off the rock. Yeah, I know a lot of people also use a siphon, but I just fish the algae out of the overflow weir once it settles there after floating around.

Tactics just depend on whether it's a few local patches or an entire system outbreak. For local patches, I recommend a stiff brush. For long term battles like I just went through, lighting, snails, GFO, and a lot of scrubbing.

 

[Purpletang92]

You need a rock boring urchin, they will clean that rock off to the white meat lol. They are a lot more aggressive algae eaters just not pretty looking like the others, I have one and my rocks are super clean.