Hair and thread algaes are booming!!!

[gu2high]

How to get rid of them?

One way maybe using tooth brush to do it, but it is very hard to do it on leaves. My best wish is algae eating fish. I heard American/Florida Flag fish will eat the thread algae, but I can't find it at lfs. What other fish can do the cleaning job?

 

[kaz]

I have a problem with algae and the experts say it do to the co2 that comes and goes from every directly from the fawcett water changes every week. so they recommend me to get flourish excel and since I have been dosing that they just stopped not gone away but stopped growing and expanding

 

[Hoovercat]

Kaz that's a treatment for your type of algae, not all types. Gu2high, we need the info on your tank to help determine a treatment.

Mollies and goldfish as well a SAEs will eat some of the algae but won't change the favorable growing conditions you have. Algae eating fish are NEVER the best solution to an algae outbreak. Adding chemicals is not the solution either.

 

[buttercup]

ive had the best luck with Siamese algae eaters for hair algae

 

[shayfish]

Agreed ^. SAE did a good job clearing out my hair algae (although I know that's not the indefinite solution).

 

[gu2high]

My tank has pH6.6-6.8, KH3, DIY CO2 around 12-16ppm. 4wpg lights currently but can turn off one light and lower it to 2wpg. Nitrate is between 5-10ppm. PWC 40% every week. I added few Jungle Labs Plant Care Fizz Food Tablets W/Iron in the gravel weeks ago when planting. I have heard high amount of iron will cause hair/thread algae problem. I will stop using the tablets until the algae problem is gone.

I can't find SAE in lfs either, but mollies and goldfish are abundant of course. The tank has ottos, platies, guppies, dwarf gouramis, panda cories. Will add a pleco after QT. I have also heard that gold barb is a good thread algae eater. Can anyone confirm it?

If mollies and goldfish are good at it, I will try them. Oh, no goldfish, they are plant eaters.

 

[Purrbox]

Try getting your CO2 levels above 30ppm, that will big help in getting your plants to grow better and reducing the algae growth.

 

[buttercup]

ask your local store if they can order a SAE for you becuase thats what i had to do

 

[gu2high]

The situation is worse now. How about a black out period and how long should I keep the black out without impacting plants too much?

 

[frostby]

For what it's worth

I had big trouble with similar algae when I was overdosing KNO3, due to a BAD test kit. I quit dosing NO3, and the algae slowly died back, and the plant growth even speeded up.

I've also heard that rosy barbs eat the stuff, and so do a few of my cichlids - oddly enough.

 

[punky]

I had hair algae and found out that when I dosed some more nutrients, it disappeared. I got pressurized CO2 and 4wpg though.

 

[Hoovercat]

Keeping the levels for your nutrients in the 10-1-10 (NPK) range is always the most important factor in controlling algae. Make sure CO2 is sufficient for your lighting (5-10 is sufficient for low light but with high light 25-50 is MY goal) and the algae will die off.

I would recheck your CO2 as likely your 12-16ppm is more like 5-7 which will let hair algae take hold.