Hair algae, how to eradicate?

[Mixer]

I have some hair algae that has started to grow in my planted 10G. I have a HOB filter and DIY Co2. What is the best way to get rid of this?

 

[Rosenweiss]

If you're dosing Co2, you shouldn't have any algae problems. However, if you're dosing, but not dosing enough, you'll cause them.

You may be dosing too little. I'm not sure what your dosage should be exactly though, maybe mfd and fort will chime in on that.

 

[fort384]

Hair algae is probably not all that closely related to your co2 injection. What kind of light do you have, what kind of plants do you have, and what fertilizers are you dosing?

 

[Mixer]

I have 36 watts of 6500K fluorescent light. I have rotala, anacharis, anubias, and a couple of crypts.

I am not dosing with any fertilizer.

 

[fort384]

Ok, with that much lighting on a 10gal, I would bet you need to dose. You are bottoming out on something. Do you have a nitrate test kit? What is it reading?

 

[Mixer]

Ok so about twenty four hours ago I did a 50% PWC with parameters at:
Ph 7.6
Ammonia < .25 (only a very slight greenish hue)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

So now th tests are:
Ph 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate ~ 20ppm

Tank is stocked with 2 gold gourami, and about 6 ghost shrimp. I know that is a bit small for the gourami, but I had to move them from the other tank as they were killing other fish.

As I stated before, this is a DIY Co2 setup so there is no way to adjust it, but I did put on a fluval Co2 20 diffuser, which I don't really like. When I had a regular air stone on it I think I was getting better results, as I could see the PH level come down to about 6.4 with the stone and it is not dropping at all with this new one.

Today I have kept all lights off In the room and tank to try and help against the algae.

Here is a pic.

 

[fort384]

That will help to an extent, but it would eradicate it.

Do you know what level of CO2 injection you are achieving?

Also, how long per day are you lighting the tank?

 

[Mixer]

I do not know what level of co2 I am getting. Normally would light the tank about 12 hours.

 

[fort384]

Ok, that would be a good place to start. Reduce your photoperiod to 8 hours a day.

With CO2, it is important to know what ppm you are achieving. You can check by measuring your pH and KH.

 

[Mixer]

I need to buy a kh kit, do you know a good online resource?

 

[fort384]

google shopping will probably find you the cheapest one.