Green Hair Algae

6ft Midget

6ft Midget

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Hi guys. Algae has taken over.
I have taken steps to eliminate the cause.
I'd like to get an opinion on what creature I can add to my tank to eat the existing algae and any future growths.
The tank has no inhabitants at this point, only corals. Would like to start adding critters now.
Thanks.


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If it's a small tank, a Rainford's goby.
 
Thanks. It's a 4ft tank. Plenty of live rock where algae takes. I'll look into it. Thanks man.


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I've got a Rainford's and would not recommend for hair algae. They do peck at the algae, but only IMO to get at the critters that live in it. I would get a couple of emerald crabs. Also recommend attacking the problem from different angles (at the same time). Increase flow, up Mg, manual removal, and phosphate remover. Good luck.
I'm just coming out of one now.
 
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A Rainford's is too small to eliminate or even control hair algae, and actually need a big tank to forage for food, as they don't take to prepared food. I can also recommend an Emerald Crab, I would not have a tank without one.
 
@ascheff , does yours eat other food as well? Would you say you disagree with the idea that Rainford are obligate eaters of gha? I would like to keep one eventually but am waiting for algae to grow in my tank...
 
PsyXe said:
@ascheff , does yours eat other food as well? Would you say you disagree with the idea that Rainford are obligate eaters of gha? I would like to keep one eventually but am waiting for algae to grow in my tank...
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I have a Hector's Goby, which is the Rainford's close relative. It picks at rocks the whole day, and also sifts sand a bit. So I'd say in addition to filamentous algae, which is required in it's diet, it also eats small organisms in the sand and on the rocks. I've had him since March, in which time he has doubled in size, but he has never taken any frozen food. He does however eat live baby brine shrimp that I also feed daily. Because of their small size they are often recommended for nano tanks, but I actually think they need a bigger tank to support them with enough micro organisms and some algae to eat, so not a new or squeaky clean tank.
 
@ascheff - suggest you try blood worm. First some live ones (with the tanks pumps turned off) then try frozen once it takes the live (and mix dead and live during transition). Got my Rainford's eating frozen like this, and now it even eats flake. But seen many of these fading away in the LFS
 
darkmold said:
@ascheff - suggest you try blood worm. First some live ones (with the tanks pumps turned off) then try frozen once it takes the live (and mix dead and live during transition). Got my Rainford's eating frozen like this, and now it even eats flake. But seen many of these fading away in the LFS
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Thank for the suggestion. He's however in a 5ft tank with many other fish, so would be difficult to feed him without the other fish stealing the food. The tank has plenty for him to eat, and he is quite fat. He waits next to the brine shrimp feeder every evening, which I feed for my pipefishes anyway.

I've too seen some of them very thin and sickly at LFS's, which is why I usually chime in when I see them recommended for very small or new tanks.
 
5 ft tank, good enough for a juvenile sailfin imo. When I did get some GHA in the early days, the sailfin gave it no chance. Since, I never seen a strand in my tank.
Sailfin eats everything, leave everything else alone.
 
Also fine for a 4ft. I got one in a tank just short of a 4ft. Its doing well, has enough place to swim.
 
r0ckf1re said:
Also fine for a 4ft. I got one in a tank just short of a 4ft. Its doing well, has enough place to swim.
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If the GHA is gone then seaweed and algae sheets probably do the trick.
Sailfins probably
Max out at a certain size i hope- so I should be looking for a youngster is what you're saying.


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6ft Midget said:
If the GHA is gone then seaweed and algae sheets probably do the trick.
Sailfins probably
Max out at a certain size i hope- so I should be looking for a youngster is what you're saying.


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Pretty much.

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It will max out at the size of a dinner plate. Personally I wouldn't put a fish that gets as big as that in my tank. There are smaller algae eating fish that will do the job just as well.
 
ascheff said:
It will max out at the size of a dinner plate. Personally I wouldn't put a fish that gets as big as that in my tank. There are smaller algae eating fish that will do the job just as well.
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All these seem to have some sort of challenges, OP will have to choose his.

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ascheff said:
It will max out at the size of a dinner plate. Personally I wouldn't put a fish that gets as big as that in my tank. There are smaller algae eating fish that will do the job just as well.
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What other fish would you recommend? Ones that don't grow too large. I have had my tank since March but lost every fish I put in so kept it empty for 2 months because of whitespot. Only getting into fish now so I'm a fish noob. I have some lovely corals and variety of inverts but it's time to add some fishies. 2 saddleback clowns in qt for a start but lack of me changing reactor media led too an algae bloom hence the OP.


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