FishProfiles.com Message Forums

My war on hair algae is still being fought. I’ve tired the following:

Turn off lights for a few hours a day creating a ‘rest period”.

Manually remove the hair algae. This is a real pain. Plus, it cover half of my substrate and I lose gravel every time I try to get it out of the substrate

Added fast growing plants such as Hornwort. Not sure how well this is working, the Hornwort in some places is covered with the algae.

Keep plants well feed, but not adding nitrates or phosphate

Regular water changes to keep nitrates down

The hair algae is now shorter, no really long strands. But, it’s still covers about half of my plants and half of the substrate. It’s now fuzzy hair algae.
My tank is a 46 gal. bowfront. Lighting is a Coralife power compact fluorescent 96 watts, about 2 watts/gal.

While the algae are shorter is there any hope of getting rid of it completely? I have been give two techniques – one I found in a thread on the net the other is from my LFS.

On the net I found a thread that discusses the use of Flourish Excel. The technique is to double dose the tank every day for about a week. This apparently kills the algae. The down side is that I have young Panda Corys n the tank and I’m concerned this might affect them.

My LFS suggested adding Florida Flag Fish since they will eat the algae. I’m not really attracted to this fish and I’m already at the limit for this tank.

Please any advice of words of hope will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Eric

moved ya to general FW from General marine...might get some answers here

Well part of the problem may be the 2wpg with no co2 source. Anytime you have 2wpg or without co2 you run the increased risk of algae issues of all types. That's why the florish excel is being suggested. It's a form of liquid carbon and allows the plants to make more use of the light energy you're giving them, without it the other life forms (algae) put the energy to use.
[link=this site]http://www.vectrapoint.com/main/manual/bm36.html" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link] also mentions the co2 issue.
How long has the war been going on?

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

Get the American Flagfish... If you think they aren't colorful, then you obviously haven't seen a male vying for the attention of a female. They are quite possibly the best algae eater in the hobby as well (move over Bristlenoses and SAEs!).

I bought a trio of them because I had this nasty, almost mossy-type, algae growing all over my plants, and they ate all of it within two weeks.

Watching the male flare at the females and trying to get their attention is really funny too.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Wow. Jordanella floridae eats thread algae???

If I'd have known that I wouldn't have got the SAEs in 1999.

Mind you, the SAEs I bought did a fantastic job ... NUKED every last trace of thread algae in the aquarium. Ate it all up within about a week.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

My flagfish didn't eat any of my BBA. The male is quite pretty. They get nice spangles, and for a US native fish, are nice looking.

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

A plethora of livebearers feed on hair algae, as do SAEs and several species of common ornamental (or otherwise) shrimp.

I had a mess of hair algae like you describe, and the Flourish Excel knocked it right out. Even at double dose, it shouldn't hurt your baby corys, but if youre really worried about it, just use the normal dose every other day. While it does act as a carbon source to help your plants grow faster and thus use up more nutrients and starving the algae, there's something about Excel that just plain kills most types of algae (though it doesn't seem to work so well on green water, my current problem).

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

My Flag fish worked for a while but after a while the algae came back... Shrimp did awesome things for my tank tho!

A plethora of livebearers feed on hair algae, as do SAEs and several species of common ornamental (or otherwise) shrimp.

Hmm. I knew quite a few Poeciliids were algal grazers (and Limia species used to be used for the purpose before being displaced by Bristlenose Plecs) but I didn't realise they would eat thread algae. Does this include the Limia species by any chance? Only quite a few of these are very underrated, including Limia nigrofasciata. Would this also apply to some of the rarer livebearers such as Girardinus falcatus, Girardinus metallics and friends? Because if it does, there's another compelling reason to go and hunt down these under-rated and all too rare livebearers.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

my pleco loves the hair alge just get some type of pleco they love the hair alge.

Turn off lights for a few hours a day creating a ‘rest period”.

It's not a rest period. It's interupting and stalling photosynthesis.
Plants need a few hours of light to build up a head of steam and really get the photosynthesis going. You are probably depriving them of light just when they need it most.

Keep plants well feed, but not adding nitrates or phosphate

Are you sure the plants are well fed then ? Nitrates and phosphate are the 2 most important "plant food".

Regular water changes to keep nitrates down

Down to what ? Do you know you're levels for NO3 and PO4 ?
Can you post them. The myth that Nitrates and Phosphate causes algae is just that a myth.Not having enough Nitrate and phosphate for plants to prosper will cause algae.

It's sound like the classic mistake. You are making all these changes, less light,less nutrients, more water changes to fight algae and ignoring plant growth. The plants are suffering the algae is winning.Focus on growing the plants not trying to kill the algae.

Check Nitrates and Phosphate. Make sure Nitrate kept above 10ppm and phosphate 1ppm - always.

If not using Co2 - pack with plants and stop water changes. Just top up evaporation. Keep Nitrates and Phosphate at above levels , keep GH at 3 degress or higher.

If you take the Excel route do normal weekly or 2 weekly water changes. Keep on top of the nutrients.


Last edited by bensaf at 18-Aug-2005 08:15

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

hair algae= siamese flying foxes, as long as there not to much other algae in the tank -theyll get to it.