Hair Algae

[Cheadle Chick]

Hi Everyone!

Ok so I'm a complete aquarium rookie but I'm doing my best. Anyhow I was just wondering what I could do to get rid of a really bad infestation of hair algae? it's all over my plants and rocks, it's just disgusting. I actually went in last weekend and "harvested" what I could but it seems to be coming back. I also got some of those fish that are supposed to eat the algae (flying foxes?). Will they be enough?

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

WELCOME TO AA!

well.. hate to break you the news but flying foxes don't really eat algae all that well. How much lighting do you have in your tank.

 

[Purrbox]

From the Plants Neet Help Sticky:

~Plant(s) affected?
~Tank size/volume?
~Lighting/wpg?
~Do you inject CO2? If so do you know the level?
~What do pH, KH, PO4, NH3 and/or NO3 test kits say?
~Dosing? What/how much/how often?
~Heavily, moderately, or lightly planted?
~Fish stock?
~Tank Location (near windows - in direct sunlight)?
~How long has tank been set up?

Answering these questions will greatly help in figuring out how to get rid of your algae problem.

 

[Cheadle Chick]

The plants that seem to be most affected is the mondo grass.
My tank size is 10gallon (plan to move to a 20 gallon once I finish moving)
I don't know exactly what kind of lights mine are but they were fairly expensive and specially made for plants (full spectrum lights).
I don't inject CO2 but perhaps I should? I was considering it.
Also I know I'm bad but I don't monitor levels in my tank or do any dosing (I have no idea about it actually, but I"m willing to learn). Although I do add a plant fertilizer to the water (it's liquid and supply's mostly iron, but I can't remember the name).
I would say my tank is moderately planted.
In my tank I have 2 gourami's, a clown loach, a flying fox, plecostomus, 2 zebra danio's, 2 long finned tetras and 1 german blue ram. Plus a ton of little snails that came on the plants (the clown loach seems to be taking care of them).
The tank is located next to a window but not in direct sunlight and it has been set up since September.
Other than the algae everything seems to be really happy and doing well.

 

[Guest]

get a Siamese algae eater.. those things are hair algae killers!!!

 

[jcarlilesiu]

well its a nutrient imbalance that is causing the hair algae, however i don't know how to tell you to correct it, because i am having problems with the same thing. My girlfriend likes it, says it makes it look more natural with some hair algae on the drift wood and such, but my plants are suffering as some of them are covered in it.

p.s. if you intend on keeping your clown loach, i don't think a 20 gal will be large enough... however you have time they grow extremely slow

 

[rich311k]

Hw many watts are the bulbs?

 

[Purrbox]

If you have test kits, go ahead and test to see where you're at. If you don't, take a sample of water to the LFS and ask them to test it. Make sure that it gets tested for at least Nitrate and Phosphate.

I would strongly recommend getting some test kits if you don't have them, as it's very difficult to manage a planted tank without them. Letting NO3 and PO4 get out of balance is one of the leading causes of algae. Don't even think about injecting CO2 unless you are willing to acquire a KH and PH test kit. The liquid reagent kits are much more accurate than the dipstrips.

 

[czcz]

The plants that seem to be most affected is the mondo grass.

Unfortunately, Mondo grass is not aquatic. Try replacing it with a light appropriate aquatic plant.

 

[Cheadle Chick]

Ok thanks everyone for the great advice! It looks like I've got quite a bit of learning to do. I'm going to go and check out some of the other topics on CO2, nutrients etc.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

get a Siamese algae eater.. those things are hair algae killers!!!

Not in a 10Gal. Perhaps in a 20Gal. but best to address the problem which is more then likely lighting or Co2 related (most likely Co2)

 

[Guest]

get a Siamese algae eater.. those things are hair algae killers!!!

Not in a 10Gal. Perhaps in a 20Gal. but best to address the problem which is more then likely lighting or Co2 related (most likely Co2)

i bought a small SAE for my 10 gallon and he tore up that hair algae.. there is NONE left and believe me it is everywhere. YOu can always sell it back if it gets to big or move it to a larger tank. At least it helps get it under control until you find the source.

 

[Cheadle Chick]

Oh hey! Those are what I bought last week! I thought they were called flying foxes. Hopefully I'll start to notice a difference in the amount of algae in my tank. How big do these guys get?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Flying Foxes and SAE are easy to confuse. There is a couple threads going here regarding them.

Yes, selling them back to a fish store is an option, but once you do the thread algae comes back. so it is best to address the problem, if you want to add a cleanup crew that's fine, but consider they will have to be returned and the bioload may suffer.