# Brown hair algae (pics)



## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Lately I have forgot to dose my tank due to my grand parents coming and the stuff we have been doing with them. A few days ago I started to notice this algae but it wasnt until yesterday that it became a real nuisance and today it covered the micro tennellus and the few hc stems I had. Is this a type of staghorn algae caused from a lack of po4 and no3. I didnt get any noticable gsa or any bga so was this just the first sign that I caught before these to set in. I have fixed my dosing but how do I get rid of this stuff. Manually it is all tangled in my sand and I cant pull it out without pulling out my sand.

This is a 29g tank with 2X 65w cf bulbs. It only has both on if I am looking at the tank and forget to turn one off when I leave. It is only on for 8 hrs. My dosing is usually pretty high. I dose 1 ppm of po4 every other day and 5 ppm of nitrate every other day. I dose 5ml of flourish at the water change and twice during the week. Some times three times depends if I remember. I have diy co2 and dont have any bba and the plants pearl when the ferts are met so I gave up on testing the co2. I have an efficient diffusion method and I switch my 1g bottle every week and a half on average. I have a xp2 for filtration.

Is my plant mass to low, should I wait for these to grow in or add more plants. I thought these would grow in faster and I moved some plants over to my 6g nano that I have to take pictures of its starting to look better.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

First I would like to say, I really like the layout!

_How long has this tank be setup?_

I would add more plants mass, until the algae clears up. If you don't want to plant anything you can float some Hornwort, Anacharis or Duckweed. These plants are fast growers and will help soak up any extra nutrients.

Also with the wattage you have I would go with pressurized C02. If that is not an option then run only 1 bulb. I don't think that DIY can keep up with the demands of 130 watts of light. You could also add Seachem Excel for an additional carbon source.

You will need to remove as much algae as you can by hand or syphon. Even if it means removing some of your sand.

Add some algae eaters if you don't have any.


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## Avalon (Mar 7, 2005)

This crap seems to be invading a lot of tanks nowadays. I've never experienced it until this year. It grows very fast, but is easily removed. It's really soft and slimy, and when it hits the trash, you can see it's green.

I've yet to find a definitive solution on how to control it with nutrients, but the maturation & stability of the tank seem to help quite a bit. I would suggest keep pestering it and keep the water clean. Use a soft bristled brush to remove it from your plants. A toothbrush works well, and since it's so difficult to pick out by hand (it breaks apart so easily), siphon it out. I, too, look forward to what this algae thrives on and a definitive solution to eradicating it.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

This tank has been setup for over 2 years, planted for almost a year. THis planting arrangment is only two months old or less. If you look at my profile my tank had a lot of plants before I went on vacation and I lost most of my blyxa. I have floating salvinia natans. I have 2 ottos. I usually keep one bulb on for the 8 hrs. I dont have any other algae so I have a feeling this will pass with removal and time. I dont want to remove it manually because it clings to the sand and is impossible to remove without breaking apart unless I scoop out the sand. I will Attack it with a toothbrush and wait it out. I do use flourish excel a few times a week whenever I use the flourish. I am a little low and it has very little affect on this algae compared to bba and staghorn. Avalon's description is pretty accurate. It does have a little green in it but it is mostly a brown color.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Increasing flow and eliminating dead spots usually helps pick this stuff up and into the filter. Sometimes it sticks to the plants, where then you have to manually remove it. Some amano shrimp wll help break it down so that it can get into the filter easier.

-John N.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I have an xp2 so the flow is pretty good. Along with the powerhead diffusor. I try to kick it up into the filter but it clings to the sand and breaks apart and sinks back down. It wont come off without taking sand with it and then it just sinks back down. I am really considering switching this over to soil master select whenever target specialty calls me back. Thanks for the suggestions though. It seems there are no known solutions. My nano seems to have a little bit of this algae but it looks like it isnt growing much.


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## Dewmazz (Sep 6, 2005)

This $#%t ravaged my tank. It was almost impossible for me to remove at the extent that it grew. Spot dosing of excel doesn't work, 1 week blackout didn't work, physical removal didn't work. I finally tore the tank down . Under a microscope, it is single-celled filamentous non-branching algae. My only guess is cyanobacteria of some sort.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I think it went away. It slowly started to recede and all I had to do was stir up the water and my filter sucked it in. It isn't growing back so... I cant suggest a solution or a cause except to be patient.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

oops double post.


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