Black hair alge

[maestromad]

Ok after all the drama with my betta is now over I can focus on my other tank.
I'm having a major issue with black hair algae.
Any ideas on how to get rid of it - I try rubbing it off but it just comes back!
I have an 8 hour light period and the tank does get some natural light.
I dose with flourish excel and every couple of weeks root tabs.
This darn stuff is everywhere!

 

[Rivercats]

What size is your tank? What type lights do you have and how long do you leave them on? Do you use any ferts for your plants? Need more info before being able to help.

 

[maestromad]

It's a 110L tank with two T5 bulbs.

I use excel and root tabs once a month. It has a 8 hour lighting period

 

[aqua_chem]

T5 or T5HO? How tall is the tank?

 

[Rivercats]

For starters cut your photoperiod down to 6 hours daily. Do you dose Excel daily or once a month?

 

[maestromad]

I dose weekly with excel, I'm not sure of the exact bulb. It's an interpret tropical daylight 24" 18w the tank is 18" high and the bulbs about 2" above

 

[Rivercats]

Are you dosing any ferts at all?

 

[maestromad]

Nothing other than flourish excel and once a month root tabs for my crypts

 

[dragonfisher33]

i would get some algae eaters, such as otos, to clean up the algae. my otos have been taking care of my tank for the past 6 months to the point that i don't even drop the food in the tank anymore. they just eat off from the algae

 

[Rivercats]

Nothing other than flourish excel and once a month root tabs for my crypts

I would suggest dosing Excel daily, cutting your photoperiod down to 6 hours at least until the algae issue is cleared up, and getting some ferts for your plants. Something along the lines of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive used as directed 1-2x a week, and also API Leaf Zone for added iron and potassium.

The only algae eater that I know of that eats BBA is the Siamese Algae Eater. The problem with them is that as they mature they tend to lose interest in algae and have been know to also eat tender leaf stem plants. Oto's don't eat BBA. No snail that I know of eats BBA and Amano shrimp may pick at it.

You can spot treat BBA with either Excel or Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. You pull up 2-3ml of either Excel or Peroxide to every 10 gallons of tank water in a syringe and slowly squirt the BBA as close to it as you can get. If you have alot of it in the tank you will have to treat an area each day until it's all treated as you can only use the above dosage safely 1x per day. If you use Peroxide turn off your filter and lights for 15-20 minutes during treatment. The BBA will begin to die off usually within 24 hours. It will turn white, pink, or red when it begins to die.

 

[maestromad]

Thanks rivercats! Ill get ordering tonight and start dosing the excel.
As for getting sae's no fear there. I'm happy with my little ottos and not doing anything to upset them!!

Edit. Is the flourish comprehensive just the normal flourish??

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah it say Flourish in big letters on the top and then comprehensive suppliment on the next line down.

 

[maestromad]

Fab i thought it was that one! They are on order

 

[maestromad]

Right I've tried the reduced light and fertilisers and the horrid stuff isn't shifting!
I was contemplating a uv steriliser does anyone have any advice or experience they can share??

 

[Rivercats]

A UV sterilizer is only good for green water algae blooms or bacterial blooms. It won't do anything for other types of algae.

 

[maestromad]

Any more suggestions on how to shift the black algae on the plants and decor. The glass gets its fair share of the green stuff mind!

 

[Beefy88]

If you do everything river cats said you will be fine especially the h2o2 spot treating + regular dosing regime + reduce photoperiod

 

[Rivercats]

What is your nitrate readings?

Have you tried doing a split photoperiod?

 

[Borderlesscott]

I've had many battles with BBA, the only way I finally seemed to get it under control was by upping my dose of easycarbo to the highest possible dose, after treating the spots of BBA with hydrogen peroxide for 2 weeks. I also added 2 true Siamese algae eaters - they went crazy on it, honestly couldn't believe they would do as much damage to it as they did, I also changed my 2 T5 to Arcadia's Plant Pro bulbs, 5 months clean and counting!

 

[Shoots2002]

Man i had this problem 10 days ago ...i was going crazy from those little green and black hair stuff,, i tried everything from decreasing hours of light to scrubbing by hand...they were coming back very easy and quickly,,,i like to let you know what i did but you might read from other members here is chemicals are dangerous and don't use it....i used this product and like magic in 7 days all types of algae were vanished..they dissolves like sugar or salt...and now after 10 or more days my plants have a very shinny green color and in the end here is the best chemical i ever used in 10 years of this hobby..i wish you can get it.