All About Hair Algae | Causes, Preventions, How to Get Rid of Green Hair Algae or Bryopsis

[@BrockLeonard]

Shout out to my wife for filming this while I cleaned 🥰

[@ohno316]

Once a month? My tank is fairly new,like 2 months old with a pair of clownfish, hardly any brown algae(diatoms) but noticed today green hair algae I do a 10% water change every week without fail I use natural sea water from a good source I was happy to see green instead of brown,now I'm lost and confused Don't tangs eat green algae? Because I want it to grow so I can eventually buy an expensive yellow tang,my favourite fish pretty much Help me somebody I use RODI water only too as a top up

[@BrockLeonard]

@@ohno316 tangs will LOVE that green algae

[@purplefirefish1363]

Your videos are awesome, Brock! I’ve just started my very first reef tank about 3 months ago and I find myself constantly watching your vids to educate myself on potential fish and corals. Such an informative channel! You help a lot of people with teaching, brother. Thank you.

[@jasonjoeljacop9486]

You seriously deserve more subscribers 🙂

[@BrockLeonard]

Thank you Jason!! Get your friends to sub 😁❤️

[@nitrojunki4249]

Wow what a great video I feel like a pro now at hair algae I can't wait to get started

[@jimmyservantez3924]

I appreciate all your videos. Thank you so much!!

[@BrockLeonard]

Dude! Thanks for that. And thank you for watching em’

[@juanjimenez6281]

Happy New Year, Brock. Thank you for these very informative videos. :)

[@BrockLeonard]

Happy new year Juan! Thank you for always coming out to watch! Means a lot ☺️

[@pjshooter6]

Flow is a huge misconception with hair algae!. If you've ever been to a rocky coastline in Florida or the gulf coast, you will see a ton of hair algae growing with the surf breaking on the rocks! Prime area to find large hermits and turbo snails!. Hair algae has no issue growing in high flow. Just look at algae covered powerheads as an in tank example. I thing it actually prefers higher flow

[@Armymp427]

Thanks for yet another informative video Brock, you should do one on Cyano Algea too.

[@BrockLeonard]

Ooooo great idea!!

[@jackstone6843]

I just done exactly what you said not to do, scrubbed it with a brush and it was floating all over the tank 🤦🏼‍♂️wish I watched this before hand

[@helwrj28]

Thanks for the video! Break down the algae growing. How much of a water change do you do monthly? Is Poly filter reusable?

[@karennation3580]

Your video's are the best! You cover all aspects! I have probably been spreding it by scrubbing rocks in the tank! I do take them out sometimes and will always from here on out! I also kept reading low po3 when it was probably bound up in the algae like you said!

[@BrockLeonard]

So happy I could help you Karen ☺️

[@melódic_breeze_VIIIV]

I would most definitely stop taking your rocks out and scrubbing them, my friend was doing this and actually made matters worse because he was scrubbing off all the beneficial bacteria and biofilm that helps fight against algae

[@josetufino2613]

It was so satisfying to see that hair algae get vacuum out of the tank .

[@BrockLeonard]

Right??? Thanks for watching!

[@josetufino2613]

@@BrockLeonard yup & im a new subscriber really liking the “all about”

[@drewt1]

@@BrockLeonard what brand siphon do you use?

[@BrockLeonard]

@@drewt1 python

[@aaronfoss8956]

That is a powerful siphon. Wish my hair algae would fall off as easy as what was shown in the video.

[@BrockLeonard]

It’s a python!

[@themaineadventure4687]

Another helpful video Brock. Thanks

[@BrockLeonard]

Thank you for watching 😊

[@ginaleebennett6099]

Thank you this have been very helpful

[@cowboyjoe2005]

Is RODI water OK to?

[@salsreef5196]

Awesome video brock 🙏

[@BrockLeonard]

THANKS FOR WATCHING 😁

[@salsreef5196]

@@BrockLeonard anytime bro stay safe🙏

[@andrewconfer8053]

Very informative, straight to the point, very great video. 👍

[@BrockLeonard]

So glad I could help!

[@jonathanreich9694]

Thank you for this video. Very informative!! I am having algae issue and I am also having an issue with diatoms at the same time. Any suggestions on the diatom issue?

[@Jman-bq8ov]

What levels do you keep your nitrate and phosphate? Ty

[@devynellis9056]

Hey would a cleaner shrimp be good for hair algae

[@sagemodejg2111]

Water change once a month?

[@sixfootfourwarrior]

Excellent video

[@Arborpress]

Brock is the man !!

[@BrockLeonard]

Thanks for always coming to watch 😁

[@derekgladden5200]

What would you recommend for shorter turf algae removal?

[@BrockLeonard]

Once I cannot get it off with my hands or siphon, I resort to an urchin to take care of the job

[@Bmc_Bullies]

I had a bad hair algae problem about a week ago. I used to forget to turn my light off. It was so bad I couldn’t see anything. Went to my local pet shop and bought 5 turbo snails and emerald crabs. They cleaned my tank so fast it’s crazy. I tried to record it with time lapse but it didn’t work out. Also did a water change.

[@BrockLeonard]

I tell ya, those turbo snails and eat some algae! 😂

[@philooch]

My emerald crab is not even touching my hair algae :/

[@Bmc_Bullies]

@@philooch that’s strange, the ones I get from my pet shop always get the job done.

[@andreas9181]

@@philooch they like bubble algae more

[@saltyseacaptain2257]

I recently had an unexpected critter join my clean up crew. I picked up an orange linckia starfish and to my surprise it devoured all the hair algea in my tank. Easily one of my favorite animals in the tank now lol

[@BrockLeonard]

Yessss!! They can knock out some algae!

[@kimburnard3604]

My HA doesn’t suction off like that it’s really stuck on

[@dlm1949]

What filter did you say was the best?poly?

[@ashleighward1368]

Another brill vid great recording aswell😊

[@michellluna5039]

what is poly filter? is that a certain product or is that just a common name? can you direct me to a product please.

[@quikq17]

Hey Brock, do you have any “All About” videos for the Porcelain Crab? I didn’t see anything.

[@numberkidtheprimenumberfan1979]

0:12 HAIR ALGAE 6:08 8:43 6:09 8:55

[@Messier87_M87]

Hi Brock, do you have any experience with dosing Vibrant in a mature reef tank for hair algae?

[@4Vio4]

love this video! what do you recommend i do to help my hairgrass? the hair algae is growing all over it and i cant get it to come off with my siphon.i did spot treatment with hydrogen peroxide and im gonna do more water changes... its really bad.

[@nataliex909]

Is filter floss good enough if you don’t have space for a poly filter?

[@BrockLeonard]

It will definitely help!

[@AbsoluteZero6714]

Brock, congrats on getting married! :) Unrelated to this video but the Hawaii aquarium ban has gone official and looks like it will be this way for the indefinite future. Until aquacultured / Captive Bred specimens are available in large enough numbers and affordable enough for most people, looks like we’ll be saying goodbye to Yellow, Kole, Lavender, Achilles, and a couple others for now! :( For Zebrasoma Tangs I’d suggest you tell the fish store to start importing more Purples and Scopas for the meantime!

[@borisgarcia817]

Hair algae is good resource of food for inverters but is bad because the levels is ph probably are to high or to low

[@BrockLeonard]

Right on the money!

[@elizabethwatson71]

Hi ‘wife’! So here is my problem…I have a new tank (less than 1 year old) I think my lights are set too high..the top sides of my rocks are turning green. On the other hand I have corals that are photosynthetic. I have had one person suggest that could be an “ugly phase” that all tanks go through Second, my hubs has hair algae…bad… his thank in newer than mine. He will not make the effort to get it out. Who is right here. I absolutely will not allow anything from his tank touch my tank. If we must share a tool at usually gets dunked in bleach water for a few minutes then dried completely. I really REALLY don’t want the hair algae to transfer to my tank. Am I being excessive? Help Lastly…the product you recommended, who makes if? Or can you send a pic of what the box looks like? I use a refugium, where would I put it? Thanks for any answers you can give me.

[@jasonlilly6112]

Great video

[@mucusman7511]

Can we have a tour of your personal tanks like the one in this video?

[@BrockLeonard]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ-Yd396oNVnfLM

[@BrockLeonard]

Of course! This is my most recent one. I plan to do more in the future

[@mucusman7511]

@@BrockLeonard wow that's awesome I aspire to have one as filled in and nice as your tank one day. What was the initial rock scape like ,Just some large pieces of reef rock or was in a glued together structure?

[@LoulouChien-i9d]

I have those. Kind of algea. And I leave then in it. They are good. For. The fish and. My aquarium and. They are. Just beautiful I leave the. Ocean. Like it suppose to be

[@BrockLeonard]

Exactly!!

[@sseeaahhaawwkkssrule975]

Thanks Brock

[@BrockLeonard]

Thanks for always coming by to watch!!

[@spencerherrick9392]

Brock are you using a python brand hose for removing? That's what I have and I'm just worried about plugging it up on the sink end.

[@BrockLeonard]

It is the python!

[@GoGoGoGoGoGoGoGoGo]

Any beginner wrasse care for me any beginner wrasse would do

[@BrockLeonard]

Poly-Bio-Marine Filter PAD 4 X 8 www.amazon.com/dp/B00025664C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_5tt9FbCH00503

[@GoGoGoGoGoGoGoGoGo]

Thank you

[@ibeatits]

How do you start the siphon with the hose if you removed the siphon part?

[@BrockLeonard]

I normally start the siphon, and remove it siphon from the tube underwater in order to not lose the water flow

[@MohamadRazie]

Why my hair algea more turf? I can't simply siphon it up like yours 😅 Here my parameter PO4-0.01, NO2-0.0, NO3-23..seeking your advise.. 🙏 Tq...

[@BrockLeonard]

With it being more like turf, I would get some hermits and snails to help eat it

[@steveherbert9575]

Your hair algae comes off so easily. Mine is really stuck to rocks. It never comes off like yours. I have to take my rocks out and scrub them vigorously with a toothbrush.

[@littletonpark6326]

how many waterchanges can you do in a week?

[@BrockLeonard]

It depends on how much you are taking out. We usually recommend doing 20% water change once a month or a 10% every other week. If you are trying to fight a spike in one of your levels, once a week would be sufficient. I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than that.

[@leeverink32]

i wish i could just suck it out. I can lift my rocks of the bottom so stuck are they to it!.

[@axolotlmafia]

I lost a Torch coral because a patch of this hair algae settled on it. I felt so horrible, my poor coral, but I'm grateful it was the only one. I just have a Nano reef tank, but I love it to bits. Could you kindly explain to me if it's okay to take the live rock out of the water and scrub it off in a bucket of salt water to remove hair algae? I'm so worried I'll harm the little creatures living in the live rock.

[@BrockLeonard]

It's a last resort solution. I'd rather recommend getting some hermit crabs and snails to go in there and naturally clean up the algae for you. Also during the water changes, try to suck out as much as your can, and let the clean up crew do the rest. Even urchins or certain fish like lawnmower blennies can clean it up for you.

[@axolotlmafia]

@@BrockLeonard Thank you, I do have a Starry Blenny, and several Hermit Crabs that have lived happily in the tank for several years. I'm a little bit worried about putting in a Lawn Mower Blenny and they end up battling. My tank is focused on a few fish, one Skunk Shrimp, several anemones, a few Candy Cane corals. Do you think the Lawn Mower and Starry could get along? My Starry is best friends with my Shark Nose Goby.

[@medaigle8]

Are those green star polyps you have all over the tank? They look great!

[@BrockLeonard]

YES!!!

[@piranhalegify]

Would a Sea Hare wipe out a hair algae outbreak?

[@ulrichsd]

I'm a Vibrant convert after my bubble algae outbreak. My tank has never been cleaner.

[@marcelrodriguez2067]

I threw my bottle of vibrant away after it tanked my nutrients ans caused dinos.

[@ulrichsd]

@@marcelrodriguez2067 I think it is a balance of dosing... It is the only thing that helped my year long bubble algae outbreak. I tried manual removal, emeralds crabs, it is the only thing that worked. I may stitch to half dose every few weeks long term.

[@semaphor3]

Vibrant wiped out some of my high end zoas, and my nutrients were not bottomed out - will be never use it again

[@PepeCoinMania]

realistically you can't remove most algae like that because they are very stick to the rocks, its not that easy. cyanobacteria can be removed like that not hair algae

[@melódic_breeze_VIIIV]

I know this is an old video but I've just came across it. A couple of issues I have with the methods shown in your video, never have I been to just syphon hair algae up like that without having to pull on it, was that patch ready to die or something? Also the hair algae I have isn't growing long to grab a significant amount, just when I think I have a good clump I pull on it and it's as if most of it just stays put and I only get a few small strands it's super frustrating. You also mentioned the level of light, my Radions are at 30% power and any lower my LPS and NEM'S close up and die or the NEM'S start detaching and get sucked up into the powerheads. At what stage in a reef aquarium can you actually not worry about level of light as most reefers have SPS that simply cannot go below 50% or more light intensity. It seems that a lot of natural methods could also cause you other issues in relation to corals and fish health.

[@BrockLeonard]

Yeah cleaning other clients tanks over the years, it seems like hair algae grows in a lot of different fashions. I was lucky with the kind that grew in my tank cause it was so easy to pull off. Not all is like that. For tanks that we couldn’t get all of it off, we usually had to resort to putting an invert in that could clean it up naturally. Whether that’s was an urchin, turbo snails, or even a slug. Having those int here to eat the algae will allow you to raise that lighting power up.

[@melódic_breeze_VIIIV]

@@BrockLeonard thanks for the reply man really appreciate it. I currently have 2 tuxedo urchins but they've become quite lazy, I'm not sure if urchins take a break from hoovering up because they were really going to town at first. My LFS has currently got a monster sea hare which I may pick up this week. I do weekly 10% water changes and after todays change I tested my parameters which are sitting at 10 for nitrate and 0.025 for phos which is the lowest count on my Nyos test kit so it's either genuinely low or the GHA is absorbing it quicker than I can test. I'll try the sea hare first before considering chemical action like NOPOX or Vibrant.

[@BrockLeonard]

@@melódic_breeze_VIIIV sounds like a solid plan. I feel like I’m dealing with the same issue on my Halloween urchin. Used to be a beast but now only eats my tang’s dry seaweed 😂 just an fyi on the sea hare’s, once they run out of algae in the tank it’s usually best to take em out unless you can supplement their diet with more. They’re bad about perishing once out of natural hair algae.

[@bobbiesueleonard61]

Great video!!

[@abdelrahmankhalil6156]

I need help with dinos

[@nickpino7774]

For my Dinos I ran my uv, tried stirring it up at night while running my protein skimmer cleaned my socks first thing in the morning while feeding more to up my nitrates try n keep 1.0

[@Dhern216]

Whats the best tang for algae? Or snails/crabs im new to the hobby thanks

[@BrockLeonard]

Any kind of snails and hermits are good for hair algae. Turbo snails are one of my favorite but they can be bulldozers at times and knock stuff over. Really any tang is good for eating hair algae. I currently have a tomini tang in the tank with the algae and they keep it very clean.

[@meadows5917]

Vibrant Aquarium Cleaner for Marine works very well as well.

[@BrockLeonard]

Thanks for sharing this man!

[@DamedFilms]

i wouldnt say its a false reading ....... its just the hair algae is cleaning ur tank by sucking up the nutrients... I don't mind some hair algae in my tank.... Just more filtering power

[@Slayyyter_bitxh]

My hair algea will not come off the rocks no matter how hard I vacuum

[@BrockLeonard]

Get some snails and urchins in there also hermit crrabs are good about eating it

[@mike-lp6gn]

cool

[@BrockLeonard]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@BTMaverick707]

Clowns always get soo pissed when you put your hands in ''Their Tank.

[@Arborpress]

My female will intentionally go for the wrist and under side of my arm

[@BTMaverick707]

@@Arborpress lol she knows the weak spot. My Blizzards Clown whips me with her tail.

[@BrockLeonard]

When they catch that forearms and pinch it, my gosh it’ll hurt 😂 they will die protecting their territory

[@opethmike]

Brock Leonard. Or.... Brock Lesnar? HMMMM???

[@jxmorgan2009]

Batlling dinos right now 😞

[@BrockLeonard]

Oof those can be annoying! Definitely got to do a video on those soon. Send me a message, I’d love to help you out more.

[@jxmorgan2009]

@@BrockLeonard Thank you so much! I watch all your videos. Youve been so helpful in choosing tankmates, and ive taken your water change routine with me too. I will message you.

[@Cholita.1979]

….. oops. I guess I shouldn’t brush anymore

[@Sec_coach]

Stop doing these immense cleanup crews they die off and do nothing It makes no sense