hair algae

[fishman888888]

Need assistance, things have been going pretty good but hair algae has started to grow quickly

Tank: 125 gal planted

Lights:
2 x 36" current satellite +
+
2 x 24" current satellite +

Run time is 6 hours for the past 2-3 weeks ...
6 hours straight though. Would staggering the light times help?

Ferts: dry ferts, dosing with pps pro system.
I hadnt been having issues, but im wondering if i should adjust my measurements.

Im an idiot, i dont have a test for phosphates...

Should i cut down on the csm+b?

I tried that toothbrush spinning thing but the hairs arent long enough

I dont use my pressurized co2 .. its a pain... i need to get a new airline. The other one kept having issues.

Anyways been just dosing with metricide.
Using 60ml/day @ the moment

Thanks for any help

 

[fishman888888]

pic

Just a pic of the tank (if it helps)
Some plants i cant id

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Can you get a close-up photo of the algae?

 

[Mebbid]

Do you have any sort of carbon at all for the tank?

 

[fishman888888]

I hooked the pressurized co2 back up
And use the metricide

 

[scarthell]

I had hair algae growing for about a week and then I:

1. Removed it manually with a new toothbrush
2. Split my CO2 and Lighting time down the middle so it shuts for an hour after 4 hours of on time. Reduced time to 9 total hours down from 12.
3. Reduced fert dosing to 1 time a week for Flourish and Trace (2 total doses per week instead of 4)
4. I also stopped using tap water and switched to RO/DI - which is probably what did the trick.

This worked for me, no more hair algae issues, but my lace leaf and other plants have slowed growth.


I am only running one light fixture (same as yours just the 48") on my 55 gallon and it is covered. Never had anything bigger so I cant say if you have too much light, but it certainly sounds like you do.

Thats a good looking tank btw. I love the rainbow fish. Which plants were you having trouble identifying?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Brookster123]

Get a phosphate test, get up to 3-4ppm. What's the flow like??

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[fishman888888]

Flow is good. The co2 gets sucked into an ac110 and pushes the water towards the centre of the tank
Where the bulk of my plants are concentrated.

I dosed a second dose of metricide at night the past 2 nights. Added the
Pressurized co2 during lighting periods, i turn it on 30 mins before like i used to. I also added 6 sae's
And they are voracious.

Hair algae is 95% eliminated in the past few days.

Im thinking its the sae's
But theres also no new growth of hair algae

Plants are loving it, stem plants no longer tangled or stuck at weird angles trapped in hair algae