# how to get rid of hair algae



## eliekanbar (Sep 24, 2017)

Hi Guys just started my planted tank 3 month ago it seems i am facing the hair algae problem, any idea how to get rid of them.
i hv 2 led lights purifying lamp 36 W each, 1.2M length and One 28W red color 
i am running FX 6 fluval Canister, UV atman 9W, Chiller, and air pump 
i am not dosing anything
i have 3 siamese, red baby shrimps, neon tetra, discus 2 of them, some guppies, 2 Plecos 
here is some pics of my tank


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## mbkemp (Jul 4, 2015)

Are you referring to the black hairy algae?


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## eliekanbar (Sep 24, 2017)

yes


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

The plants in the pics you showed are non aquatic.
This is a factor.


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## mbkemp (Jul 4, 2015)

Black algae algae is commonly called bba. This stuff is generally due to fluctuations in co2 and organic matter build up

Co2 or no?

Check flow and surface exchange if no and clean. 

You can kill it with peroxide. Solve the root cause and then kill 

Excell can also work


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## eliekanbar (Sep 24, 2017)

which one is none aquatic ?


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

First and second picture.


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## buceborneo (Apr 15, 2014)

Use little bit dossing H2O2 hydrogen peroxide.

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## Epitaph (Nov 27, 2007)

Get a syringe, remove the needle, fill it up with H2O2, excel, or metricide. Turn off filter and any other circulation pump(s). Target the areas with most algae using the syringe. Wait 5 minutes and turn back on the filter/pump(s). Or you can take out the infected plants/decorations and dip it in water mixed with H202, excel, or metricide. The algae should slowly turn reddish/gray and die off.

The algae will return due to imbalance though. Probably too much light compared to amount of available nutrients or even high amount of organics(feeding too much?).


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## colinquilliam1 (Oct 9, 2017)

Epitaph said:


> Get a syringe, remove the needle, fill it up with H2O2, excel, or metricide. Turn off filter and any other circulation pump(s). Target the areas with most algae using the syringe. Wait 5 minutes and turn back on the filter/pump(s). Or you can take out the infected plants/decorations and dip it in water mixed with H202, excel, or metricide. The algae should slowly turn reddish/gray and die off.
> 
> The algae will return due to imbalance though. Probably too much light compared to amount of available nutrients or even high amount of organics(feeding too much?).


Thats probably the best way but must point out, dont mix with tap water, you must mix with distilled water but only if it nedds diluting. 6% & 3% proof are fine. If its higher than that it needs diluting 50/50 with distilled water. It converts to O2 in normal water. Other option is to buy black mollies, they will graze on it. Hope that helps.

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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

What is the status of your algae problem now? It looks to me like you had more than one kind of algae. You weren't dosing any fertilizers, so, unless the substrate is ADA aquasoil or equivalent, the plants would only have enough nutrients to grow very slowly. Without knowing more about the LED lights you had, I don't know if you had too much light. If you did, that would drive the plants to grow faster than they had nutrients available to them to support. When that happens, the plants don't do well, and that invites algae to grow on the plants. 

If this is still a problem, can to provide more details on the lights? What brand, a website link to them, etc.?


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