is this hair algae or some type of moss???

[Magnum Man76 190]

I have hair algae in another tank, and it gets “stringy” this came in on the American frogbit, and is not stringing out, stays curled up, wooly looking… thoughts as to what is actually is???

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

I always found this link helpful when trying to ID and treat algae.

Algae in the Planted Aquarium-- Guitarfish

 

[Magnum Man76 190]

it does look
like a loose marimo ball… it was intermingled in the frogbit roots… thoughts on this??? is it really a problem???

 

[Magnum Man76 190]

Google Search

 

[GaryE36 34]

I hate that stuff. Wait til a filter picks it up and stops working from the clog.

I see it in local rivers at this time of the season, when I kayak. It forms dense mats over plants, probably fed by agricultural fert run off or cow wastes far upriver. It gains as the plants die back from the shortening days. In my tanks, I battle the stuff, pretty well as suggested above. Manual removal and ruthless composting of infested plants.... It likes to grab onto emergent plant roots, which get trimmed to remove it. It's a never ending chore.

The tanks in question get 30-40% water changes weekly, and each have low fish populations and two good filters each. The two worst ones (it's in 5 of my 50 tanks and hasn't spread over a long time) both get an hour or less of window sunlight daily. It seems to like that. It also only grows in tanks with moving water.

It's been worse this year, and I'm wondering if it will fall back when the natural light period falls with the seasons. I hope so.

 

[Magnum Man76 190]

could this type of algae actually be helpful in a fry raising tank??? or maybe as twisted and tangled as it is, has more danger as a fish trap, than as cover for young fish??? I’ve never had it here, so really know little about it…

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

could this type of algae actually be helpful in a fry raising tank??? or maybe as twisted and tangled as it is, has more danger as a fish trap, than as cover for young fish???

Ok for fry IME but not for the youngest fry/wigglers/ days old.
I always kept very small amounts of Java moss in fry and breeding tanks to offer shelter and food.
For the youngest I keep only strands as young fry could get trapped in larger masses.
Once a couple weeks old and better at swimming larger amounts were safe.
I always though beneficial organisms were found in plants for fry.

 

[GaryE36 34]

could this type of algae actually be helpful in a fry raising tank??? or maybe as twisted and tangled as it is, has more danger as a fish trap, than as cover for young fish??? I’ve never had it here, so really know little about it…

When it first appeared here, I tried that. It was as good as any other surface, but the problem was spreading it. It is such nasty stuff in a tank.

Yesterday when the predicted storm moved off shore and the sun came out, we went kayaking. As usual, I drifted over the now shallow autumn river, looking at plants. Where that algae had formed, it killed everything it enveloped. The water wasn't cold yet, but all plants but Vallisneria had succumbed to the shortening days (maybe this should be posted in the 3 seasons outdoor tank thread you have). The water was crystal clear and the sun was getting in, but only that algae stood where 3 weeks ago there were diverse underwater jungles. Where the flow was faster, Vallisneria was thriving still, but where it slowed, that stuff choked it.

It forms such a thick mat I can't see it playing a positive role in an aquarium. To me, as someone who has seem more types of algae than I would have thought possible, this is a bad one.

 

[Back in the fold]

I’ve had that stuff plenty of times . I’m always glad when I get a plant that doesn’t die on me .