Attack of the Hair Algae!

logan84 · 02-08-2012, 02:15 PM

I've seen and experienced many algaes before. But hair algae is a first for me that I think I acquired from one of my moss purchases.

I do my water changes of at least 40% each weekend and my microswords are all sending out runners... but this hair algae is blowing up my mosses (assuming cause they are slow growers?). Each night I sit down with my toothbrush and twirl up and out as much as I can.

My next step is to get some phosphate absorbing media as that worked wonders in my other tank against brown algae. However I'd like a little helping hand with this... as much as I'm against it I'm thinking about waging chemical warfare on the algae just to help me get it under control during my water changes and physical removal.

It is a planted tank that houses manly inverts. Any suggestions? I feel like a total n00b. A sad total n00b. Water is clean and crystal clear. Shrimp are happy as clams. Assassin snails are assassinating other snails. Plants are growing. But the hair algae! The hair algae!!

jrman83 · 02-08-2012, 02:36 PM

Reduce lighting to half for a week or two. Killing them totally may not be necessary, but may work also. You can't do much with your inverts in there, otherwise Excel may work for you.

logan84 · 02-08-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrman83

Reduce lighting to half for a week or two. Killing them totally may not be necessary, but may work also. You can't do much with your inverts in there, otherwise Excel may work for you.

Tell me more about this Excel... please.

I read that some people dose Excel for hair algae. And I DO have some Excel on hand. But when it comes to the invert tanks I'm always so skiddish to add any chemicals... but I'd be interested in what you have to say about it.

snail · 02-09-2012, 05:14 PM

Algae never scares me... except when you mix hair algae with moss! I've never worked out how you get rid of it for good without getting rid of the moss. Never tried excel though. In low light the moss grows faster than the algae so no major problem, in higher light the algae starts to win.

jbrown5217 · 02-09-2012, 06:09 PM

I doesed flourish excel for my plants for a small amount of time to help them grow and it killed all the hair algae I had in my tank.

I also had snails in there and nothing bad happened to them.

02-08-2012, 02:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
logan84 thebigshrimpin logan84's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 100 Name: Logan M Location: Seattle, WA Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 24 Times in 24 Posts	Attack of the Hair Algae! I've seen and experienced many algaes before. But hair algae is a first for me that I think I acquired from one of my moss purchases. I do my water changes of at least 40% each weekend and my microswords are all sending out runners... but this hair algae is blowing up my mosses (assuming cause they are slow growers?). Each night I sit down with my toothbrush and twirl up and out as much as I can. My next step is to get some phosphate absorbing media as that worked wonders in my other tank against brown algae. However I'd like a little helping hand with this... as much as I'm against it I'm thinking about waging chemical warfare on the algae just to help me get it under control during my water changes and physical removal. It is a planted tank that houses manly inverts. Any suggestions? I feel like a total n00b. A sad total n00b. Water is clean and crystal clear. Shrimp are happy as clams. Assassin snails are assassinating other snails. Plants are growing. But the hair algae! The hair algae!! __________________ I like big fish tanks and I can not lie. You other brothers can't deny.

02-08-2012, 02:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
jrman83 ....has no life.... jrman83's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 9,468 Name: Ben Location: White Plains, MD My location Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,396 Times Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts	Re: Attack of the Hair Algae! Reduce lighting to half for a week or two. Killing them totally may not be necessary, but may work also. You can't do much with your inverts in there, otherwise Excel may work for you.

02-09-2012, 05:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
snail snail's Photo Gallery Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2,648 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,935 Times Said "Thanks" 363 Times Was Thanked 636 Times in 593 Posts	Re: Attack of the Hair Algae! Algae never scares me... except when you mix hair algae with moss! I've never worked out how you get rid of it for good without getting rid of the moss. Never tried excel though. In low light the moss grows faster than the algae so no major problem, in higher light the algae starts to win.

02-09-2012, 06:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
jbrown5217 No Title Needed jbrown5217's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 657 Name: Jon Location: Currently live in Nashua, NH for school, but home is in Wilbraham, MA My location Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 100 Times Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 116 Times in 110 Posts	Re: Attack of the Hair Algae! I doesed flourish excel for my plants for a small amount of time to help them grow and it killed all the hair algae I had in my tank. I also had snails in there and nothing bad happened to them. __________________

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