hair algae

[panboy]

so weeks ago i had a water wysteria that had a really bad case of hair algae. it was all over. at first i did not know what it was so it was like that in the tank for a couple weeks.

i then figured out to do a bleach bath, and after soaking it in good clean water for a day all the algae looked dead, and the plant was ready to go back into the tank.

well i guess since i left it with the algae in the tank for so long, that it spread to the other tanks.

its not on a amazon sword and a crypt.


i could just do the bleach dip, but its a hassle to replant them, and plus it harms them alot. i was wondering if instead of doing a bleach dip if i could just buy an algae remover that worked for hair algae.

 

[modernhamlet]

If you have room, add a Siamese Algae Eater.

Apparently Rosy barbs may eat hair algae too.

Chemicals should be a last resort.

 

[panboy]

yeah i reallyt dont want to add chemicals.

but i also dont want to add another fish, considering i have my 3 otos, and will be getting an algae eating pleco soon.

 

[Bol]

Keep in mind that chemicals (or algae eating fish, to a point) will only be a temporary solution. If conditions are ripe for algae, you're going to get algae again after using the chems.

Keeping algae away will most likely require finding a balance between light, carbon, and other nutrients. That can be tough to do, and will probably take some time.

 

[panboy]

well i heard hair algae will only grow if its already on a plant. i'm not usre what im gonna go. blah

oh and i dont use carbon. by the way.......

but how do you all keep your algae down, i have low light and about 10 plants, well maybe 8 now

 

[Bol]

Well, that's a tough one to answer, since algae is "all about" balance, but if I had to pick one recommendation for keeping algae down, I'd have to say "keep nitrate levels low". Which usually means feeding less. More frequent water changes might help, too.

Also, just for info, I've seen people with "plantless" tanks, that had hair algae in them. So, I don't think it's a case of "it only grows if it's already there". Could be wrong.


p.s. Just to avoid possible confusion, when I said "carbon" in my previous post, I meant carbon dioxide (and/or other organic carbon, like Flourish Excel). I didn't mean activated carbon in the filter.


edit: do you happen to use any fertilizers?

 

[panboy]

i used it once, like maybe a month ago, and then stopped once i saw the hair algae

 

[tstenback]

If you dont want to add chemicals which i think is a good decision then you have 2 choices. Get rid of the plants or try to find a natural way to get rid of the problem. The best start would be to break up the time your lights are on. Keep a fees hours midday where your lights are off. Algae need the continuous light to thrive and if you dont give it continuous light it will die back. Also you need to up your water chnages to get rid of the elements that create the conditions for good algae growth (nitrates and Phosphates mainly). Get yourself fish that will eat hair algae as suggested by modernhamlet. These guys will clean your tank in a hurry and they are one of the few fish that will eat hair algae. your otos may eat it if there is no other food source available but that is not likely in an established tank. You could even manually pull the stuff off by rolling it up in a filter brush or something like that to give the treatment a head start. HTH

 

[panboy]

i might get a saimese algae eater, because i do haev lots of room.

but im afraid that then afterwards i wont have enough algae produced in my tank for all my algae eaters.

i would have 3 otos, a siamese algae eater, and then a pleco, but i could get a non algae eating pleco like zebra i think, that its wood and stuff....

 

[tstenback]

hey. No problem there are all kinds of things these guys eat. Algae wafers, shrimp pellets sinking pellets of various types, blanched (steamed or boiled)veggies of all kinds specially cucumber. Mine love a piece of cucumber. Besides if you have algae in the tank now there will certainly be algea in there all the time but just not enough to make it ugly looking as your cleanup crew will keep it in check for you. HTH