Green Hair Algae
 

I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for critters that work best for controlling green hair algae. I was thinking a blenny of some kind and some blue leg hermit crabs. Any other ideas?? All my tanks details are below.

blue tuxido urchin and a sea hair will work. I was also told a lettuce nudibranch will work too. Double check that though.

HTH

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Or a lawnmower blennie. Various snails will also help.

I vote for sea hare.. I had some bad hair algae and my sea hare got rid of it all.... I'd try one of those first.. JMO.

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IMO lawnmower blennie's are a better investment. After the algea is gone a sea hare could starve to death, while a lawnmower will tend to eat the same foods as other fish in the tank. Plus they're more exiting to watch.

If you don't have an RO/DI unit, it's a good investment as well.

I have never heard of too many success stories with Lawnmower Blennies and hair algae, and them getting rid of it all. I guess depending on how much hair algae you have he may or may not go after it.

You can always sell your sea hare afterwards or lend him out, etc...

I always wanted a bicolour blenny because to be honest they are a lot more visually apealing, will these have the same effect as a lawnmower blenny? Thanks for all the advice so far, and please keep it coming.

A bicolor blenny will not touch your hair algae.. I have had 2 and neither of them went near it... but they are not known to eat hair algae.

I read somewhere that sea hairs are hard to keep is that true?

I've had 2 sea hares now and both I lost within a very short span of getting them..... I didn't find them easy to keep...but anything to get rid of that nasty stuff....good luck, and if you find a sure thing let me know! I also have a Bi color and a lawnmower....the lawnmower checks it out but hasn't done much, the Bi color doesn't bother with it...

I tried both sea hares and lawnmower blenny. Sea hares do not last long. Both died within a month or so. As for the lawnmower blenny, I did not have a chance to see if it works as my open brain took it for dinner. I came back one evening and found the tail part of the blenny sticking out from the open-brain's mouth :frown:

I found Chem-Marin for Hair algae (got it from Big Als) worked well.

I've had one sea hare and it lived for quite some time.. now it was my fault that it didn't live longer... got stuck in the powerhead intake. :eek:

Yes I know... stupid me hah... but when I did have it, it went through hair algae like there's no tomorrow. I plan on picking another up very soon as they just seem to keep the tank spotless.

I have a sea hair given to me by willow after he used him. I had him for 2 months then lent him out for a month or so and now I have him back again. No probs keeping him at all. They do a good job on the hair algea. And when you run out of hair algea just weight down some nori and they will eat that.

hth

These things work on hair algae, but will they eat macro algae?

I'm also looking for something to get rid of the hair, but i dont want it to eat my strange and unusual macro i have growing on some excellent peices of live rock. I have lots of hair growing on my sand, which is the biggest PITA.

I would try a type of nudibranch. Sea hares too if they were so friggin ugly.


-Diana

No they won't eat your macro algea. I have 3 different types of macro and no probs. IME

I never noticed that they were ugly. lol. jk. His nickname is Mr. Snotty

some urchins work well too.