Filter Emergency

[LionessN3cubs]

I posted the other night that I lost one of my platies...had a strand of something hanging off of her.


Tonight I go to clean the tank and noticed the biowheel wasn't spinning (all dried out UGH) so I pulled the cartridge out to swish it and its positively COVERED in green hairy stuff.

Anyone know what this stuff is, is it bad bad..and how do I fix it? I dont want to lose more fish

 

[LauraFrog]

Hair algae. Horrible. I hate the stuff.
The best thing to do is to feed a bit less, reduce any plant ferts you're putting in the tank and leave the lights on for less hours. It's impossible to get rid of it, but you can reduce its growth. It usually grows pretty slowly, so if you cut it back every few days you should be alright.

 

[minxfishy]

Pull as much of it off as you can, then do some good water changes to reduce the amount of spores left in the water - hard to get rid of, but can be kept under control I believe (touch wood not had it yet!)