Help me Solve Hair Algae Problem

[JDogg]

Well I am relying on the combined Knowledge of the entire Planted Forum here... I am at a loss...

4 day blackout did nothing for hair algae problem...in fact I think it grew better in the dark 8O

i will post test results later as i just did post-blackout water change...

75 gallon tank
4x 32 watt T8 bulbs
DIY (averaging 55-60 ppm CO2) will post current test results after tank has run for a while after pwc...

Dosing
Macros and Micros alternate days (these are weekly totals which are broken up into three does each unless otherwise noted)

1 tsp Flourish Trace (once on pwc day)
3/4 tsp CSM+B
1/4 tsp KH2PO4
2 1/2 tsp KNO3
1 tsp KSO4
i also have flourish tabs under all my swords and 50/50 mix eco complete substrate

i have read that hair algae may be from excess Fe, but I have see "experts" claim that is rubbish.

Does anyone see any problems with my dosing?

I have considered that it my be a flow problem, so i made a crude map of my tank with a RED Xs marking the areas where the hair algae grows.
*NOTE: the powerhead on the right diffuses my DIY CO2

Does anyone see a problem here?

EDIT: First to put the above diagram into some perspective...

RIGHT SIDE OF TANK

MIDDLE OF TANK

LEFT SIDE OF TANK

WHOLE TANK

As Promised here are current test results...

PO4= 5 ppm (should probably cut back a little on that :?)
PH= 7.0
KH= 13 degrees
so...CO2= 39 ppm (it has been about 4 hours since pwc...)
GH= 20 degrees 8O
NO3= 30 ppm
Ammonia= 0 ppm
Nitrite= 0 ppm

HERE is a link to what my city says i am putting into my tank with each pwc.

ok some pictures... make sure i REALLY DO have hair algae not something else like the start of BBA

Obviously the bubbles are FALSE pearling from the PWC

 

[JDogg]

hummm... lots of looks but no comments... well PH is 6.8 this morrning

so... with my KH of 13 i get 61.8 ppm

 

[joannde]

Sorry JDogg - wish I knew how to help, but I'm strictly low maintainence low lights. My "solution" to hair algae was a pair of long finned rosy barbs LOL - the hair algae was gone in 3 days (and I had a pretty bad case of it).

 

[JDogg]

Sorry JDogg - wish I knew how to help, but I'm strictly low maintainence low lights. My "solution" to hair algae was a pair of long finned rosy barbs LOL - the hair algae was gone in 3 days (and I had a pretty bad case of it).

i may need to go that route... my problem is i am pretty much stocked to the mass already... not to mention that it is a SA themed tank and all the fish i have seen suggested to not fit my scheme...

 

[physicsdude]

I am battling hair algae right now myself. First, it was limited as just BBA, then it morphed, almost overnight, into red algae. I used hydrogen peroxide, and cleaned off some, but I still lost my prized anubia nana. Currently, I am dosing CO2 via Excel, with Flourish and Tetra's FloraPride. It seems to have stopped its growth for now. That and some apple snails seem to like to braze on the algae.

I dosed alot of FloraPride, which is essentially an iron supplement. Thinking that was causing my problems with the BBA, I added carbon to the filter to clean the water from the "excess iron". Bad idea- the algae changed to red overnight.

All to often, algae is caused by high nutrients in the water. Have you checked your phosphates? They may be a little high. The nitrates may be a little high too to cause algae. You could try adding some alage eating shrimp, flower shrimp, or some fish that eat algae, like farlowellas or SAE. That's just an idea...

I don't think a DIY system is sufficient with such a big tank. Perhaps you might want to consider a pressurized CO2 set-up. I'm not sure but Excel may/may not be enough for the tank either.

This is just my opinion, but I think that running a powerhead next to the swords and stargrass may have an effect too. Whenever I have run a powerhead, the plants seem to be adversely affected. But maybe thats just me.

 

[JDogg]

I am battling hair algae right now myself. First, it was limited as just BBA, then it morphed, almost overnight, into red algae. I used hydrogen peroxide, and cleaned off some, but I still lost my prized anubia nana. Currently, I am dosing CO2 via Excel, with Flourish and Tetra's FloraPride. It seems to have stopped its growth for now. That and some apple snails seem to like to braze on the algae.

I dosed alot of FloraPride, which is essentially an iron supplement. Thinking that was causing my problems with the BBA, I added carbon to the filter to clean the water from the "excess iron". Bad idea- the algae changed to red overnight.

All to often, algae is caused by high nutrients in the water. Have you checked your phosphates? They may be a little high.

see post with test results above... phosphates (PO4) are kind of high, i will not dose them more this week and next week after pwc will cut PO4 dose in half again ( i had originally raised it as i was noticing spot algae on glass)

The nitrates may be a little high too to cause algae.

NO3 (nitrates) are only 30 ppm, that is just fine as far as i know...i had just dose 2/3 of my weekly dosing due to just coming out of pwc, midweek and doing extra, post blackout pwc)

You could try adding some alage eating shrimp,

i would love too... but my rams like them too much

flower shrimp, or some fish that eat algae, like farlowellas or SAE. That's just an idea...

I don't think a DIY system is sufficient with such a big tank. Perhaps you might want to consider a pressurized CO2 set-up. I'm not sure but Excel may/may not be enough for the tank either.

i am sure pressurized is in my futur, but have not been able to set aside the money yet...everytime i start something happens... i need a crown on my tooth, hail damage, X-mas... DONATIONS ARE WELCOME THOUGH

This is just my opinion, but I think that running a powerhead next to the swords and stargrass may have an effect too. Whenever I have run a powerhead, the plants seem to be adversely affected. But maybe thats just me.

i need the circulation though... otherwise i get deficiencies showing up in the stagnant pockets :?

 

[JRagg]

It may just be me, but that doesn't look like hair algae to me. That looks like BBA or possibly Staghorn. It's grey, not green (from the pictures).

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another thing to mention, if using Excel or HP to spot dose the problems, the algae will turn red when it's dying.

 

[JDogg]

Another thing to mention, if using Excel or HP to spot dose the problems, the algae will turn red when it's dying.

the idea that it might be BBA occured to me... i tryed spot treating with excel, no effect...i was kind of conservative on account of the vals...

 

[Zezmo]

That looks like common staghorn type algae. Definately not BBA, and "Hair Algae" is green. Nutrients and CO2 will keep it from coming back.
To get rid of it, remove as much as you can, then spot treat with Excel.

 

[JDogg]

That looks like common staghorn type algae. Definately not BBA, and "Hair Algae" is green. Nutrients and CO2 will keep it from coming back.
To get rid of it, remove as much as you can, then spot treat with Excel.

you can see my dosing in the first post... does it look ok?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's my dosing for my 75G:
3/4tsp KNO3 3x weekly
3/16tsp KH2PO4 3x weekly
1/4tsp K2SO4 3x weekly
1/4tsp CSM+B 3x weekly

Also, my lighting is a bit higher than yours as well, so you may not need to dose as much, but your dosings are pretty low if only dosed 2x weekly. Might try upping them a little bit for a couple weeks, to see how things go.

 

[7Enigma]

Just wanted to further agree with the last couple of posts saying that it definitely is NOT traditional hair algae. Every one of those pics looks just like staghorn to me. I have found it grows in high dissolved organics (i.e. the water is not very clean). I have a pretty heavily planted tank and there are many nooks where mulm builds up. It gets kicked up during cleaning and can really cause havoc with algae (especially GW) as it rots in the water column. I say high organics in the water because I've had it grow on non-living objects. Most notably my temperature probe had 2" of staghorn on it the other day. My other plants were virtually untouched, but I happened to look at the probe after a water change and noticed it all hanging off. That to me tells me it doesn't necessarily have to be a nutrient deficiency, but rather it could be either from a wound on a plant leaf, or high dissolved organics in the water.

Nothing I've found will eat it, but it can be readily killed with spot peroxide treatment. If you can get rid of the infected areas without too much chopping of the plant that is the best method. I've battled it, and still have some in the tank. My anubias seems to be the most consistently affected, but due to the slow growing I just peroxide the leaves and it dies and the leaf heals.

If it was on any fast grower, I'd clip it.

 

[JDogg]

Just wanted to further agree with the last couple of posts saying that it definitely is NOT traditional hair algae. Every one of those pics looks just like staghorn to me. I have found it grows in high dissolved organics (i.e. the water is not very clean). I have a pretty heavily planted tank and there are many nooks where mulm builds up. It gets kicked up during cleaning and can really cause havoc with algae (especially GW) as it rots in the water column. I say high organics in the water because I've had it grow on non-living objects. Most notably my temperature probe had 2" of staghorn on it the other day. My other plants were virtually untouched, but I happened to look at the probe after a water change and noticed it all hanging off. That to me tells me it doesn't necessarily have to be a nutrient deficiency, but rather it could be either from a wound on a plant leaf, or high dissolved organics in the water.

Nothing I've found will eat it, but it can be readily killed with spot peroxide treatment. If you can get rid of the infected areas without too much chopping of the plant that is the best method. I've battled it, and still have some in the tank. My anubias seems to be the most consistently affected, but due to the slow growing I just peroxide the leaves and it dies and the leaf heals.

If it was on any fast grower, I'd clip it.

makes some sense since 90% of it is in flow from powerhead and there are always dead leaves stuck to the intake (i clean them out daily but i get more...)