Hair algae

[robtaylor76]

What are some things i can do to control hair algae in my aquarium It is all over the place?

[Typical Tony]

What are some things i can do to control hair algae in my aquarium It is all over the place?

from my experience hair algae is the worst, very hard to get rid off. ive never managed to fully rid off it away but did prevent it from spreading.

first off, cut off everything that has the algae on it. in my case it was all over my java moss, so i torn off about a goftball sized portion of it that was infected. next double-dosed the infected area with seachem excel, lower the amount of light-time. finally get some shrimps, i prefer amano, to control a possible outbreak.

[robtaylor76]

Will the shrimp eat the hair algae

[Brackish_Zygote]

I tried for years to get it out of my pond. Nothing ever worked. The poisons killed most of the algae, but the dead leftovers just provided MORE nutrients for the living left overs. I tried manually removing the algae, but the roots were in too deep on everything that I couldn't remove more than what would tear off. I finally settled with a bunch of goldfish, pond snails, and as of today two large plecos, and some plants. I've actually come to really enjoy the algae since it carpets over the liner, and makes everything look more natural.

I haven't had the opportunity yet to deal with an outbreak in a smaller tank, but so far, between all the plants I have, the Amano shrimp, and the ottos, what little I do have in my tank stays mowed down.

If you are looking to completely eradicate it, however, go with what bettalover said to do.

[robtaylor76]

Here is some pictures of it taking over

[Dr. Awkward]

That stuff on the rock looks like clado. Think of how cool it would look if the whole rock was covered!

You might try some floating plants to pull out some of the extra nutrients. Then there's the willow branch idea that I still haven't tried yet but I hear it works well. You can also try hydrogen peroxide. When I tried that I turned off my filter and used a syringe to squirt it around the algae. It turned neon pink and died, but some of my stem plants also died.

[robtaylor76]

what is the willow branch idea never heard of it

[Dr. Awkward]

You find a willow tree, cut off a branch that is long enough so you can you can bury the clipped end in the substrate while the leafy end sticks out the top in the air. Trim any leaves that would end up under water and stick it in the tank. It's supposed to root fast and start removing nutrients. You only want to keep it in the tank for a few days or your plants will suffer.

Most people do it to get rid of green water but it seems like it should work for other algae. I'd still manually remove as much algae as possible before you do it because the willow branch won't kill what you have. A few days of low nutrient water might give you enough time to get your levels back in check and cut your photo period so the algae doesn't come back.

[robtaylor76]

Thanks for the information

[goby 1]

i have some goodieds i was given at a plant meeting that got rid of the worst hair algae issue you have ever seen. by the time i put them in there it should have been a total tear down, but in about a week and a half 90% of the algae was gone. i can find out what type they are and mine are prego so i should have some available soon.(i forgot the name of them, i suck at names)

[robtaylor76]

I have never heard of them before do they get that big when full grown

[goby 1]

full grown they are about 3.5-4" you only leave them in there to combat the algae then i moved them to another tank. they will nibble on certain plants after all the algae is gone that is why i moved them. btw they are really pretty as well with yellow and white trimmed black fins and a grayish spotted body.

[alta678]

Goby, can you post the full name of this fish or a picture? Where did you get yours?

[robtaylor76]

Yeh i would love to see of picture of what they look like and thanks again for all the information you gave.

[FishDaddy]

i had this in one of my tanks. I took all the plants out and dipped them in a 3% bleach solution for a few minutes and then rinsed really well. I cropped the leaves with the worst of it (my crypts had it the worst) and then put the plants back in. I turned out the lights except for an hour or two a day for about a week, and it's pretty much gone. I watch for signs of it, and lower feeding or lighting if I think it's coming back

[rod24]

Hey Goby
Did you ever figure ou the name?? I have a bad case in my 75 gl now. Need soem help.. Don't really want to tear it down.....

[TxAquaGardens]

Hey Luis,

The fish goby are talking about are Ameca Spendens and yes they are very good at algae control, however...they also think they are little cichlids and will try to terrorize and take over any community tank.

I have nine right now in their own 20 and three of the females are gravid so we should be having babies anytime now. When they do I'll be moving them to a bigger tank.

The Amecas are wonderful little fish and i would recommend them to anyone who likes livebearers...they are also either extinct in the wild or at least on the endangered list. A little conservation by keeping them as well.:)

FYI, I also noticed your stocklist in your sig, some of the fishes you have, the neons, rasboras, and zebras are schooling fish and are much happier in larger groups, say at least five and 7-12 are even better. They get somewhat nervous and phobic with less friends. With the size of your tank you should be able to add some more of all of those with no trouble, esp since they are all so small.

[DragonShiryu]

You might try a couple of black mollies, believe it or not. In my experience mollies love to pick at hair algae. Of course, this will not rid you of the problem entirely. The best thing to do is to cut or wind the hair algae off manually. Otherwise, you could try a blackout period.

[catfishbi]

reduce light and water change helps alot :D

[Sollo]

I'll swap you your hair algae for my black beard....

We had that before and just kept pulling and cutting and pulling and water changes and changing the light settings and then... it was gone. Then we left the tank alone for awhile (few months) and jeesh, now we have black beard growing over 60 percent of our plants and going nuts! :confused:

[Typical Tony]

I'll swap you your hair algae for my black beard....

We had that before and just kept pulling and cutting and pulling and water changes and changing the light settings and then... it was gone. Then we left the tank alone for awhile (few months) and jeesh, now we have black beard growing over 60 percent of our plants and going nuts! :confused:

get lots of hornworts and floating plants(red root floaters, frogbits, duckweed, silvia min) and lessen the lighting schedule (about 8hrs a day).. they will absorb all the nutrients and starve the algae.

took me about 2 weeks to get rid of my black beard infestation.

[rolloffhill]

Bumping up the co2 is helping clear mine out. I actually added MORE light and co2...Still only running 8 hours though.