# Hair Algae Control Question



## swilcoxen (Mar 17, 2007)

I'll start by saying I'm new to this forum. I have a few questions regarding Hair Algae. Let's begin with my aquarium specs:


75 Gallon Planted
78 degree water temp

Currently:
Running injected CO2
10 ppm nitrates
0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrite
7.8 degrees GH
5 degrees KH
6.8 PH
.3 ppm Iron
.5 ppm Phosphates


The problem began a month back before I had setup my CO2 system and began testing for all of the nutrients listed above. During that time I was (stupidly) running 260 watts of 6700K compact fluorescent for 10 hours each day. I had an outbreak of BGA (cynobacteria) and what I believe to be hair algae. After doing some reading I realized my problem was too much light in conjunction with no CO2. Nitrates at the time were in the 0 to 5 ppm range. 

To remedey the problem I purchased and installed a CO2 system and dialed it into approximately 23 ppm of CO2 (increased my KH to 5 degrees from 2 degrees using baking soda and then ran CO2 until PH was at an average of 6.8 ). I cut the lights back to 130 Watts for 5 hours followed by 260 watts for another five hours. I bought test kits for Iron and Phosphates and found my phosphates were in an appropriate range (EI suggested range) and Iron was virtually non-existent. This was about a week ago. In conjunction with this I did a major water change and cleaned out as much of the algae as I could. Following the water change I began dosing Flourish Excel (followed instructions on the bottle for initial dose and subsequent daily doses). I've been dosing Flourish Nitrogen to bring my nitrates up to 10 ppm and Flourish Iron to bring my Iron levels up to .3 ppm. I will be doing 40-50% water changes at the end of each week. 

My plant growth has improved. The BGA is gone and does not seem to be returning. The hair algae growth has slowed, but not stopped entirely. I have 3 ottos and about three dozen nerite snails in the tank. 

At this point I'm wondering if I should simply add more algae eating fish to my tank of if there is something else I can do to retard the growth of the hair algae. I understand that some degree of algae is virtually unavoidable, but I still have more growth than I'd like. 

Any thoughts? 

Thanks in advance for any tips you can provide!


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Welcome to APC!

I think you can crank down your lights by an hour (9 hours total). Also, double dose the daily dose of excel, and watch the hair algae disappear. 

Also, remember that the pH and KH relationship is a rough estimate at best. So you might not be getting as much CO2 dissolved as you think. That's why I always crank it one or two bubble counts more. 

Are you also dosing anything for traces such as Seachem Flourish or Plantex? How are the plants looking, any sort of noticeable deficiencies?

-John N.


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## swilcoxen (Mar 17, 2007)

Thanks for the insight John. I'll knock the lights off by an hour and see how that turns out. In doing some reading on the Barr Report last night I read an nice article about the PH/HK relationship. I went ahead and loaded up my drop checker with 4 dKH water and hope that this will give me a more accurate reading. Either way, I've got it running a little over two bubbles per second so I'm sure CO2 levels are good. I don't turn it off overnight, so when the lights come on the tank should have ample CO2 dissolved in the water. 

I have not been dosing trace elements (excepting Iron). I'd say the plants look good, minus the algae cover. In retrospect I should have probably planted the tank a bit heavier. Either way, my water sprite is growing like a weed, growth of my rotala indica has really picked up, and my wisteria is a nice bright green color and growing at a modest rate. On the negative side, my hair grass isn't doing so well because it gets completely covered in algae (at least that's my hypothesis) and doesn't receive the light it needs. My a. crispus seems a bit week, but it's seemed a bit week ever since I got it. The algae isn't helping much. I was going to cut off the more damaged looking leaves, but that isn't going to leave me with much. Maybe I should pull them altogether.


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