Beard/black hair/brush/red algae

[Misty]

I think it's brush algae actually, which as I understand, is red algae. Still with me on this??
I have it...little blackish tufts popping up everywhere and a layer of lighter beard(??) algae all over my plants and wood. As neat as it looks all swaying in the current, I don't want it.

Is there any way of getting rid of it short of using copper or yanking it all out for a good bleach?

I have some Tetra Algae Control but would that hurt any of my plants? I didn't know so I haven't used it.
I've heard that adding an iron based fertilizer could help, is this true and does anybody know of a good one if it is.

Thank you

[biggin]

Look for someone who will eat it....

Flag Fish
Ameca Splendens
Mollies will nibble on it as well.

Some say Ottos or SAE but I have not had good luck with this....

[Misty]

My Gouramis are giving it a good go too but maybe once the big boys get in there, they'll help out.

Thanks for the idea!

[Misty]

OK, that's not working!

Would a blackout help and if so, how would I go about that? Anything I need to turn off besides the lights?

[bra8ndy8]

just the lights......I would do 4-5 days, that worked for me.....and I also have 2 fish called flying fox....I think......something fox....hehe, and they are alage gobblers!!!

[biggin]

What else is in the tank.... if you have other plants the black out will not be good for them...

[Misty]

I do, I have a ton of plants in there. They're all covered with different algae. Two kinds of algae have invaded, as far as I can tell) but for some reason it looked better today than it did even yesterday. I won't go as far as saying the algae has stopped growing but the water looked more clear or something.

I've read everything from blackouts or pumping up the CO2 (or turning it off for awhile) to adding more fertilizer (or skipping ferts for a bit). That would be why I'm at a standstill, I have no idea what to believe or do next.

[Misty]

Came back to describe the algaes

One is all over everything. It's green and looks a bit like short hairs, or fuzz, almost like okra hair if you've ever seen that. It's on the wood, plants, glass and even growing on the CO2 thingy...which is why I didn't turn it up when I read that bit.

The second one is the Black Brush algae I think. It's clumps of black spiky algae hairs, mostly growing on the edges of plants and the wood.

[Travis_Conklin]

Misty take a look at this link it has helped me out alot in the past....http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=9

[Misty]

Thank you! I spent over an hour there last night and never saw that.

[bra8ndy8]

whoops I forgot u have plants.....don't listen to me!! sorry...

[REYREY]

I have the same problem... I have increase the EXCELL from SeaChem..and the hairy algae is fading away....

[Misty]

Ok...that's kind of what I want to hear.

I've heard Excell mentioned a few times but I don't know what it is, could you explain it to me?

Thank you

[biggin]

I have had bad luck with Excel....especially some of the low light plants.

It is liquid Co2

[Misty]

Blake,

The red ramshorn snails I got from you are eating the the Fuzz and the Black Brush algae. I watched the developements of one snail today as he ate his way along the edge of an Amazon Sword leaf. Tonight, not 30 minutes after the lights went out, I had a flashlight in there looking for Cory eggs and there were 8 snails on the same plant alone.
I'd only seen about 4 snails up to that point and had no idea there were that many in there but nonetheless, they're happily eating through it.

I'm glad I went real light on the salt earlier!

[biggin]

So in a couple weeks your question is going to be how do I get rid of the snails?

[bra8ndy8]

Just put a loach in there!

[Misty]

No, lol...
I'll just let the loach after them and keep putting some back into the tank they were in.

The ones in still in the 10g got a lettuce leaf the other day since any hint of algae is annihilated before it even looks like algae and now I have egg patches all over the place again!roflmao