Hairy plants!

[Deano]

Over the last few weeks there had been this brownish stuff growing on my plants...looks kind of like hair.

Any ideas as to what this could be?

And how do i get rid of it?

 

[Cian McLiam]

What you are seeing is algae, brown hair algae or black beard algae.
This kind of algae is not so dependant on light and so is very hard to get rid of. I have had success with it in the past by changing 10% of the water every two days, and test your water for phosphates if you can. Also test your tap water, some water sources are high in phosphates before you even add it to the tank so algae can thrive. Phosphates are a product of the waste produced by fish, fish food and plants decaying so tank maintenance and water hygiene are the place to start.
I have used phosphate absorbing resins with good results in the past, API Phoszorb being one I have used again and again. With this kind of algae, fish that would usually eat lower form plants can be unreliable. I had a Gibbiceps Plec that loved the stuff but Siamese Algae eaters are the only fish that eat it as a preference (Thanks CFC!).

Ken

 

[Deano]

Is there a kind of fish i can get which would eat this kind of algae?

I have a pleco but he wont touch it

 

[Alien_spawn]

Siamese Algae Eaters are known to eat this type of algae, I have a simliar problem and have ordered some at my LFS. Be aware though there are a lot of look a likes which will either not do the job or only eat the algae when they are young.

Here's a link to help you ID the correct fish


http/www.bettastarz.com/sae.htm

 

[Deano]

Thanks for the link...going to my lfs tomorrow to see if they have got a SAE