Long hairy algae. help!!!

[WDKELLEY]

Don’t know what it is but grows fast even when I think I get it all out in a week or two it’s back with a vengeance What is it and how do I get rid of it in a planted tank b4 I knew I had it I moved some Java moss I trimmed out of tank into my bigger one now I’m starting to get it in that one as well

 

[Andy Sager]

Algae needs two things to live: light and food. You have an imbalance of them which is how the algae took hold. Check your levels of nitrate and phosphate and reducing your light hours will help control it. You may need to do more frequent water changes. I would also manually remove as much of it as possible so that it does not choke out your other plants. There are also fish that will eat it ( i.e siamese algae eaters ( SAE), bristlenose plecos, Florida flagfish, Mollies) if you have the correct setup for them. Using CO2 will also control it. The first thing however is to address why it formed and grew which is light and food. Then you can work on preventing it from coming back in force.

 

[WDKELLEY]

I keep my nitrate 10 or lower I have a normal pleco and Chinese algae eater and snails in it you say co2 will stop it ? If so how do I introduce CO2 easily and is it inexpensive if it works I’m in for anything I keep all my lights on timers and very little natural sun

 

[WDKELLEY]

I was looking at co2 tablets and a can of co2 for beginners to add to aquarium.

 

[WDKELLEY]

also was thinking of this says won’t hurt plants

 

[Andy Sager]

I keep my nitrate 10 or lower I have a normal pleco and Chinese algae eater and snails in it you say co2 will stop it ? If so how do I introduce CO2 easily and is it inexpensive if it works I’m in for anything I keep all my lights on timers and very little natural sun

The way CO2 works is it makes your other plants healthier to absorb the nutrients the algae needs to grow so that's not a cure as much as a way to prevent future outbreaks. If your Nitrates are low, check your phosphates. You have to get to the root cause of it. How many hours are the lights on?
FYI, Chinese algae eaters are not big hair algae eaters as the SAE are. Also, not all plecos will consume all kinds of algae. That's probably why the algae was able to get out of hand. I don't know what you mean by a " normal" pleco but hypostomus plecos, if that's what you have, are not usually big hair algae eaters either.

 

[Andy Sager]

also was thinking of this says won’t hurt plants View attachment 390904

You need to correct the root cause first.

 

[WDKELLEY]

Ok I’ll pick up a test to test phosphate and light is on 6 hrs at most

 

[Andy Sager]

Ok I’ll pick up a test to test phosphate and light is on 6 hrs at most

I have a sneaky suspicion that the phosphate reading is going to be high. How large is the tank, how much water do you change and how often?

 

[WDKELLEY]

The one in pic is my 10 gal it gets a 50% change when nitrates get to 15 or so about every 3mo
My other is a 75gal I go about 4mo 25% water change it has some starting in it as well

 

[Aiken Drum]

You should be doing more frequent water changes than every 3 or 4 months. You need them for more than just controlling nitrate. They are also needed for controlling phosphate, replenishing KH and other essential mineral, removing harmful organisms. There will be all sorts of imbalances in your aquarium, and the end result is things like algae growth.

While zero water change aquariums are a thing, you need to other things instead. Very low amounts of fish, heavily planted with high nutrient demand plants, dosing essential minerals etc.

I would be very suspicious of nitrate readings of 15ppm after 3 or 4 months regardless. You dont have many fish, but you also don't have a lot of plants. I would expect it to get to 15ppm in 1 or 2 weeks. What test kit are you using? I would get 2nd opinion on your water testing, and get into a much more frequent water change routine. 50% twice a week until your algae is under control, and at least 30% a week, or 50% every 2 weeks going forward.

 

[Andy Sager]

The one in pic is my 10 gal it gets a 50% change when nitrates get to 15 or so about every 3mo
My other is a 75gal I go about 4mo 25% water change it has some starting in it as well

Aiken beat me to it but I would have said the same thing but you should get that phosphate level checked just to confirm it for yourself. I know doing water changes is a pain but there is drastic differences in the health of fish kept in a no water change system and ones kept with routine weekly water changes. The ones with regular water changes grow larger, live longer and are much healthier. Think of it like doing an oil change in your car. You hate to take the time to have it done or to do it yourself but if you don't, your car will not last as long as the same one when oil changes are done routinely. The same applies to fish.