# About Hair Algae



## Justikanz (Nov 4, 2005)

Allow me to post this new thread on something you guys might not want to read and advise... again...  

But the previous hair algae thread is really getting long... 

After I switch my lighting to T5HO, I begin to see hair algae in my tanks... However, they will appear and then disappear mysteriously after a couple of days... only to reappear again. I assume this is due to my shrimps...

I have 2 tanks with this problem, in my 4footer (48" x 24" x 24"), I have some yamatop shrimps and 2 Florida Flag Fish. It is a CO2 enriched tank but my dosing (Seachem nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, flourish, flourish trace and iron) had, unfortunately, been irregular. The algae started appearing after I switched from 220W PL to 216W T5HO. Recently, I reduced the lighting to 108W, alternating between 10,000K and 6700K daily. The hair algae will still appear and for these 2 days, the strands look longer... I had stopped the nitrate dosage as I noticed some fish had died inside the tank and my fish were feeding on them as I only find bones at the end of the day...

In my 2footer (24" x 16" x 18"), I will dose Seachem excel, phosphorus and sometimes flourish and flourish trace... Lighting is 48W T5HO. Hair algae is appearing since I started planting. The strands are now getting longer and more green. I have cherry shrimps in this tank, along with bristlenose and Endler's livebearers.

Both tanks are heavily planted.

So, I want to know, what causes hair algae? What encourages their growth? Is hair algae growth normal and expected in a planted tank? How to stop their growth or reduce their growth (if their growth is expected)?... etc... Any help is deeply appreciated!


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Almost all types of algea are caused by some sort of deficiency...CO2, NO3, PO4, etc. If you have an algae issue, one of the above will be low or will have been low to make the algae grow. Unfortunately with algae, once you see it, it is usually too late. You will have to manually remove it via removing the affected plants or trimming them.

I would say by replacing your CF with T-5's you have increased the intensity of lighting even if the wattage did not increase. Did you increase your CO2 addition and dosing when you increased your lights? If not that is more than likely the cause of your algae. 

Stopping the nitrates could also cause a "heavily planted" tank to become deficient on NO3 very fast at those light levels. THe plant growth will slow and algae will appear. 

Of course, this assumes you are using CO2. You don't mention it but with those light levels and the higher intensity of T-5s you need to be using CO2.


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## Justikanz (Nov 4, 2005)

*Thanks!*

Thanks for the info! Guess I have to understand more on dosing, which is not my best subject in Aquatic Plant Keeping 101.


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