# hair algae mystery



## atmmachine816 (Apr 18, 2006)

Maybe someone can help clear this up for me. 

So originally I was getting hair algae on plants, well after I bleached some and removed some it stopped growing on my plants. I then threw in some hornwort and now have 3 feet of it and growing. Now the hair algae is growing on my gravel only in the front of the tank where I don't have much plants. In the back and sides where I have plants I don't have any problems, it's just where there aren't plants. All plants are stil grwoing great but the algae is getting annoying.

It's a 5.5 gallon tank with a 10w cp bulb
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
ph 6.8
nitrates 5

DIY co2


Anybody have any idea to get rid of this? Will try to get a good pic of the tank tomorow

thanks for any help


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I sounds like you have a little clado algae problem growing on the gravel. It sort of looks like a thick ball of green thread. If it's loose strands then I stand corrected, and it is hair algae. But since Hair algae doesn't usually grow on objects then I'm believe it's clado.

Anyways, keep picking and removing it when you see it. As the tank settles in it usually goes away. You can also introduce some Seachem Excel and supplement your DIY CO2 with it. Cherry shrimp are also a good addition to any algae and clean up crew. But I'm pretty sure the excel will deter it from continued growth.

-John N.


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## atmmachine816 (Apr 18, 2006)

Ok, i'm trying to get some amano shrimp and will look into cherry shrimp too. Yes it's a small thinck ball of green. Should I do the overdose on the excel and stop the co2?

thanks


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## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

Clado needs to be manually removed. Overdoses of Excel, while maintaining CO2 seems to slow it down or stop its growth and make it softer and easier to remove.


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## atmmachine816 (Apr 18, 2006)

Do I do 3x overdose?


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## SUBORPHAN (Apr 20, 2006)

why do you choose the dangerous way of overdosing exel? simply buy a few Amano shrimps and that will solve the problem within a few days.


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## atmmachine816 (Apr 18, 2006)

Ahh I was just asking if nothing else works and if it gets worse. I'm trying to get ahold of some shrimp at the moment but have to wait some more. I'm not going to use excel yet, not unless nothing else works. Do cherry shrimp work too?


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## atmmachine816 (Apr 18, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies.

I was thinking, could it not be helping that most of the algae is growing were the hornwort shades the gravel?

thanks


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