# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Hair algae!



## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

Ok here's the deal, I have a 29g tank with 55wcf and an ahuypply reflector recently added, I dose kent botanica liquid fert w/ weekly 5gal water change. After I added the 55w cf and did a water change, I noticed the water got cloudy and a biofilm appeared. The plants liked the light and exhibited good growth and the red stem plants I had turned a deep red color. The cloudiness and biofilm remained until the next water change 1 week later, in which I added no ferts. I had to remove a bunch of java moss that was tied to some driftwood b/c it had become a giant ball of algae, and I also noticed the hair algae on the leaves of my red stem plant and in amongst the egeria najans. The top layers of the najans is turning yellow with green only on the new growth, but they are a nice green in the shaded areas. The top portion of the najans is also expelling tiny bubbles from what seems to be little rootlets at a fast rate, but no pearling on the leaves. The growth of my stem plants seem to be telling me that they are healthy, but they are the only ones affected by the hair algae, whereas the anubias, sword, java fern, crypts, and bolbitis don't have any at all. I am very confused because the tank seems to be telling me two different things. Should I up the ferts? Try CO2? More frequent/Larger W/C's? This Algae is A very unsightly blight on an otherwise beautifully developing planted tank.


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## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

please help?


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

i think with 55watts ahs over a 29 gallon is enough light to need co2. i have found that hair algae usually shows up when a tank needs co2. you might want to add some more nitrates to your tank, because too low nitrates can also cause algae. 

so, if i were you, right now, i would add diy co2, then i would manually remove as much hair algae you can, then i would test for no3 (if you have a kit) and bump it up to at least 10ppm.


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## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

DIY added, will post results, Thanks Russell.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

no problem. be sure to manually remove as much algae as you can with combs and your hands.


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## javalee (May 8, 2006)

Amano shrimps wiped out my hair algae problem completely plus they eat dying plant matter which keeps my tank clean. Also fun to watch!


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## newmang (Sep 22, 2003)

Two words: Rosy Barbs


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## MyraVan (Feb 13, 2005)

Yup, rosy barbs keep one of my tanks completely free from hair algae. They also pick at the brown algae, but don't eat enough of it to keep the leaves clean. I think I need some otos for that.

I've heard livebearers also love hair algae, but haven't tried that yet.


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## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

Ok, about 3 hours after getting my DIY CO2 to work (lotsa leaks) All the plants started pearling real nice, It looks like the algae has stopped growing. I also added some ghost shrimp and a bushy nose pleco. When I did a nitrate test, I had Zero! this surprised me because the tank is fairly heavily stocked and I feed them well. So, I measured my tap water and there was about 5-10ppm nitrate in there, so I did a 30% w/c. It now appears that I have branch algae growing on my bolbitis, anubias, and crypts. This stuff is hard to remove and is making my bolbitis look like a fuzzball. Anyone have any manual removal techniques for it, and what is the best method/product to dose nitrates?


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## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

Well I went and got 4 long finned rosy barbs and these guys are amazing! They immediately went after the hair algae and they are even eating the Black Brush algae that I thought was Impossible to remove. They are also much better looking than Chinese algae eaters and IMO are doing a much better job with the algae. Thanks for the tip on the barbs guys, you saved my tank!


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

So what other fish are in the tank with the rosy barbs? How are they acting toward your other fish?


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## rgrycki (Jun 13, 2005)

There are some juvenile angels (~4" tall) and some head n' tail light tetras. when I first put the barbs in they did nip at their tankmates, but they seem to have settled down, and now they only look interested in the others if they are really close.


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