Treating Hair Algae

FishLover4+1 · Jun 18, 2012

my fish tank is looking for a new job: an algae tank!!!!
on saturday i gave up trying to scrub all the algae off my plants and bought interpet anti hair algae, which i dosed that day. this topic is about how it goes.

pics in a min

FishLover4+1 · Jun 18, 2012

my whole tank:
erm how do you add pics - the 'add file' option has disapeered

FishLover4+1 · Jun 21, 2012

well no-ones answered so i'll just keep going. the algae is beginning to turn a kind of deep turquoise-green. is this the anti-algae working???

heres a link to a tank that looks like mine (well the algae does anyway)as i've apparently lost the ability to put my own pics on:

http

/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=long+hair+algae&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1092&bih=514&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=RkIu9pBlol1bjM:&imgrefurl=http

/www.gwapa.org/articles/algae/&docid=AizRyvdYIdUEaM&imgurl=http

/www.gwapa.org/articles/algae/images/hair.jpg&w=500&h=323&ei=WETjT5_1HsL80QWI-tyuAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=102&vpy=163&dur=2864&hovh=180&hovw=279&tx=223&ty=125&sig=115483029315623803103&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=202&start=0&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:72

DrRob · Jun 22, 2012

If you want to add pics get a photobucket account (other image hosting sites are available) and post a link to the image there.

The picture you're saying looks like yours is filamentous algae. I was worried from your description and the rate of growth that you had blue-green algae, which looks more like this

http

/www.aquariumslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cyano.jpg

and is very different to treat.

If you can get a shot of the algae that would help.

Assuming you're onto filamentous then remove as much as you can (by hand or by twirling the toothbrush you have for your tank) and take a look at the lighting quantity and timings, CO2 levels if you're using it, and fertiliser regieme. Also worth taking a look at the flow in your tank.

If you could post some descriptions of what you've got with those factors then that might help us help out.

If it's blue green algae, we're onto a different conversation, as it's not really algae.

FishLover4+1 · Jun 22, 2012

oh its not blue-green algae. just really long green hair algae. i think the light is on too long, but i cant put it on any later cause of school and when my dad comes up to send me to bed he likes to look at them. i suggested to my mum getting a timer and she tried to think of excuses.

DrRob · Jun 22, 2012

They're really not all that expensive. If it's in your bedroom you may want to splash out for a digital one (I paid around £7 for mine) as the mechanical ones can make a tiny amount of noise, but they're only about £4.

FishLover4+1 · Jul 1, 2012

after my 3rd dose of medication absolutely nothing has happened, except the algae changing colour some more. hopefully the medication should work otherwise what should i do???

tribalbrit · Jul 2, 2012

reduce your lighting to 5 or 6 hours max. and buy a timer you can get them for a couple of quid if you shop about. B and Q, wilko's or Ikea are usually cheap.

FishLover4+1 · Jul 6, 2012

ok thanks will do

lets just hope it goes away!!!! :crazy:

FishLover4+1 · Jul 12, 2012

reduced the lighting period to about 9 hours and still nothing is happening. would fertilizing my plants help???

snowflake311 · Jul 19, 2012

I had this algea too. God I have had it all over the years lucky me.

You need to manually remove as much as you can try to too let any float around your tank. Cut infected plants and remove. Raise the light up high if you can this will help lower the light intensity. Get a timer for the light set it for only 7 hours of light. Then clean the tank more often. Rinse your filter out once a week with tank water. Keep things nice and clean. You could try adding a all around fert like Flourish once a week after a WC. Dose as directed.

Just keep manually removing it and keep doing your WC and less light. If you are on top of it the algae will go away. Find the cause of the algae and fix the problem and the algae will be gone for good. Killing it will not make if go away.

Light is the main caused of this algae. Also weak flow. I found this algae does not like water movement So increase water circulation in the areas with the algae will help a lot.