# Hair algae. How do I make it stop!!!



## daddyo72 (Oct 16, 2004)

I have tried black outs, phosx and much more. I also have impeccable water quality. Any suggestions? It is a 55 gallon planted catfish tank. I am using Flourish and Flourish iron. I dose 2 or 3 times a week.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Algae is caused by a nutrient imbalance. Try using the need help template located here to help us better understand your tank:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/thread3921.html

You say your water is "impeccable' so you must kow your NO3, PO4, pH, GH, KH, and CO2 levels (if you use CO2). The PhosX may have removed the PO4 from your tank. PO4 is needed in a planted tank and should not be zero. This could be the "imbalance" that is causing your hair algae problems. Without PO4 the uptake of NO3 is probably very low and may be slowing plant growth.

The only way to make hair algae stop is to get your fertilization in order. I would say something is out of whack, but cannot say what until more is know about your tank!

You can manually remove hair algae with a toothbrush. Kinda like twirling spagetti with a fork  You can also use shrimp (which may not work in a catfish tank) or other fish to help keep algae in check once it has been corrected with removal and fertilization.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I just read through another thread of yours on hair algea...did you ever find out your PO4 levels? I noticed your NO3 was 20ppm or so. That isn't too bad as long as you have some PO4 in your tank! 

Did you ever get any type of CO2 going? Even DIY would be better than nothing. 5wpg without CO2 and a possible reading of 0 ppm of PO4 would be a very probably cause of your hair algae! Get some PO4 (at least 1ppm) in that tank along with some CO2 and your hair algae woes should decrease!


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Two ways to control hair algae:
(1) remove hair algae frequently by hand, get shrimp and/or fish that eat it, and let your plants get numerous enough to slow it down. Keep nitrates up around 10 ppm and phosphate at around 1 ppm. 

(2) Bleach method: treat plants with 5% liquid bleach for 2 to 3 minutes and plant them in another tank which you know is free of the hair algae. Growing conditions in the new tank should be good because the plants will be more or less injured by the bleach. Then pour in bleach and sterilize the old tank, gravel and fixtures. Move fish through an unlit intermediate aquarium so that you don't transfer any hair algae fragments with the fish. Keep them in the intermediate aquarium for a few days, and then move them to their final, hair algae free destination.


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