Help! Hair algae and reddish-brown splinter creatures in my tank!

[FrostyKevin]

Ok, so I found my source of nitrates in my tank, and it's the tap water. So, for the last two weeks, I've been changing the water, and the nitrate level dropped. However, it is too late. There is hair algae growth everywhere! And I also noticed some copepods and these very tiny splinter-like things that move around.

First off, I'm about to nuke my tank with saltwater algaefix to get rid of the hair algae because my turbo snail doesn't seem to eat them or eat them fast enough.

Second, what are those splinter creatures? They are too small for any of my cameras to catch.

And third, this is a new nano tank, about 2 gallons.

 

[Reef Breeders]

This is just part of the cycle. Nitrates are the last part, along with hair algae and pods. Your tap water probably is not the problem, hair algae feeds on light, water, c02, and phosphates, not nitrates. The splinter creatures are copepods. Nuking the algae wont do anything but kill corals, just let the cycle take its coarse. Give it 2 weeks to a month more before you take such durastic actions.

 

[FrostyKevin]

Ok, thanks! And will the algae go away on its own?

 

[Reef Breeders]

Yes, all part of a cycle.