GHA take over PICS ADDED

Im helping a guy clean up his tank, he has been paying a lfs 300+ a visit and they will clean the tank and 2 days later its full if green hair algae right now is a fish only but he wants to get into coral whats the best way to get rid of gha he doesnt want to spend alot of money even tho he surely has it, he wants his tank prestine first, i know his bulbs are old can that contribute? Ive never had green hair algae so im not sure on what approach to take his tank is a 95 wavefront5 parameter are

Salinity 1.023
alk 11
ph 8.2
Ammonia .5 or less
Trate 0
trite 0

 

Phosphate level?

I'm not expert but I imagine his bulbs could contribute. If he wants corals, they'll have to be replaced anyway if they're to that point.

 

Phosphate barely reads on my test kits so they are almost nonexisting, i did a 25guy gallin water change when i cleaned most of the hair algae, his rocks are covered in aptasia as well im going to be heading over there tomorrow again to check it out when i left the sand was clean but he said its the same as before.. i threw an urchin in there hoping to combat it but nope

 

run GFO reactor and or BIO pellets. limit feeding, limit lighting, Ammonia should be 0.

 

Buy some fish or snails that like to eat GHA and they will keep it check.


Go to ReefCleaners.org get the appropriate CuC.


Chitons, Nerites, and Emerald Crabs can all munch it down. They get food you get a clean tank. What could be better?

 

I have been battling the same issues in my 24g aquapod. I'm not sure how feasible it is for you , but this is what I have done for the GHA:

1. Removed all of the rocks and scrubbed them with a stiff brush in a separate container with used saltwater (left over from WC)
2. Make sure you rinse them off in new saltwater prior to putting them back in the tank
3. Get a good CUC- reefcleaners.org will build a custom crew for your needs

For the aiptasia:

1. You can treat each individual anemone with aiptasia-x or inject them with lemon juice
2. You can get a bunch of peppermint shrimp (they are natural predators)
3. Do NOT under any circumstances try to pull them off the rocks, it will only make the problem worse!

 

Is it possible that the phosphate levels are low because the GHA is consuming it? Where is he getting his water from?

 

He has a hippo tang in there, and i put an urchin in there as well, and nothing is touching it.. snails he has a few but they only stay on the glass, wont touch the hair algae... im not even sure if its hair algae as its more of a dark dark green, and more so turf like, as i pulled it out i noticed it on the rocks and everything, so at this point im not really sure what it is exactly

 

what kind of filtration is he running? Any kind of reactor?

 

He is getting is water from a RODI unit, i did test the water and it showed 0 TDS, im almost positive its low b/c of the algae but im wondering how i can combat it so i can then turn around and test it? the guy knows nothing about saltwater he just likes the way it looks : so he pays someone to come in and clean and is sick of it being so dirty so he called me... and well since he doesnt want to spend alot of money on it b/c its "dirty" i cant get him to bite on anything i suggest for example a new skimmer, he's running a CPR sump probably 10 gallons......... and thats it.. im thinking about building him a sump out of a rubbermaid container and getting a bigger skimmer in there that i have laying around.. but im not sure if he'll like that, he's a very wealthy guy.. thats what gets me..