Hair Algae Has Appeared In 'stable' Tank

[ZoddyZod]

Hello,

I have a very lightly planted tank (1 java fern, 1 moss ball and about 2 pint glasses worth of java moss). The tank has been up and running for 8 months with 8hrs of light time each day. Over the past couple of months I have started to have problems with hair algae that seems to have co-incided with dosing TPN+ (only about 5ml per week) and it's growing over the java moss (looks like a spiders web from a cheap b-movie). I've been removing this weekly by wrapping it around a toothbrush but it keeps growing back. It only grows on the moss and because of this it's quite difficult to get all of it out.

Is there a product that will kill off the hair algae, or is the TPN+ dosing causing it because there aren't enough plants to abosrb the nutrients?

I've little to no idea about planted tanks so any advice will be useful!

cheers

 

[bricko]

Flourish Excel works a treat on hair algae for me in the past. What WPG are you running at? Maybe try reducing the TPN+ dosing. What ltr is your tank?

 

[ZoddyZod]

Flourish Excel works a treat on hair algae for me in the past. What WPG are you running at? Maybe try reducing the TPN+ dosing. What ltr is your tank?

I've reduced the TPN+ to 5ml every two weeks now. I only started adding in the hope that it would make the moss look healthier (it grows lots but is not the vibrant green I have seen in others tanks).

I've got 2x20w T8's and it's a 125l

 

[bricko]

I use Easy life frofito fertilizer daily (4 squirts from adispenser daily / aprox 2ml) along with twice weekly doses of Flourish Trace and Excel and have no hair algae whatsoever now. Recommends 10ml per 100ltr weekly but I find daily dosing is better and there is less chance of an algea outbreak due to excess nutrients, just my oppinion but seems to work for me.

 

[bricko]

Flourish Excel works a treat on hair algae for me in the past. What WPG are you running at? Maybe try reducing the TPN+ dosing. What ltr is your tank?

I've reduced the TPN+ to 5ml every two weeks now. I only started adding in the hope that it would make the moss look healthier (it grows lots but is not the vibrant green I have seen in others tanks).

I've got 2x20w T8's and it's a 125l

you are quite low light so I'm not sure the vibrant green colours are as easy to attain / maintain but I think you can cut back you rdosing and dose daily instead of weekly / biweekly. Wont dissapear overnight but it will get a balance in your tank eventually with a bit of trial and error.

 

[ZoddyZod]

you are quite low light so I'm not sure the vibrant green colours are as easy to attain / maintain but I think you can cut back you rdosing and dose daily instead of weekly / biweekly. Wont dissapear overnight but it will get a balance in your tank eventually with a bit of trial and error.

ok thanks, I guess I'll have to play with it a bit. Failing that I'll invest in some flourish excel.

 

[RadaR]

Algae appearing is nothing to do with overdosing ferts and it's nothing to do with the nutrients not being in a ratio (that is, if the nutrient isn't lacking). For example, you could have 20ppm of NO3 and 5ppm of PO4, it wouldn't matter as long as they weren't limiting factors.
This algae is due to Co2, or lack of it rather. Your lighting is too high compared to the carbon levels in the tank.

 

[ZoddyZod]

This algae is due to Co2, or lack of it rather. Your lighting is too high compared to the carbon levels in the tank.

If that's the case, what would you recommend that I alter? The lights are only on for 8hrs a day. The tank had been hair algae free for 6 months previously and the only change was the addition of TPN.

 

[Truck]

Drop the lighting down to 6 hours, and increase circulation, it should shift it.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Drop the lighting down to 6 hours, and increase circulation, it should shift it.

OK, I'll drop the lighting, but I already run an internal and external filter so there's lots of circulation......in fact the algae mainly grows where the flow is greatest.

 

[Truck]

What filters are you running and how big is the tank?

 

[ZoddyZod]

What filters are you running and how big is the tank?

Fluval U3 internal (600 LPH rated) and Fluval 305 External (1000 LPH rated) in a 125L tank

 

[Truck]

The algae must be due to a lack of CO2 in that case, so dropping the lighting will help, a 3 day black out should shift most of it, and maybe play with flow a bit to try and get it into the algae festered areas.

 

[ZoddyZod]

The algae must be due to a lack of CO2 in that case, so dropping the lighting will help, a 3 day black out should shift most of it, and maybe play with flow a bit to try and get it into the algae festered areas.

OK, the flow currently directs around and directly into clumps of jave moss.....where the hair algae is anchored. The algae is growing nowhere else but in the direct current.

 

[Truck]

It wont hurt to try, try the black out and drop the lighting, and re root flow to avoid any obstructions if possible.