# Possible Hair Algae, Need ID and Advice



## pnKroK (Jan 4, 2006)

Howdy everyone.

Just wondering if I could get a little help with a little algae problem that I'm having.

Please see the pictures below for the algae that I'm having trouble with.

Here's the tank specs:

20gal tank
65watts of light for about 8hrs
no CO2 (i had a diy reactor but i'm getting lazy, i'll probably hook it up again real soon)

What else do you want to know?
I haven't checked my parameters for a long time, because I figured things are going ok. My plants are healthy and fish are acting more than happy, so why would I need to check water parameters?? Bad idea eh??

Regardless. I never had an algae problem until I decided to add some low/ground cover type plants to my tank. I added a plant and I can't remember the name of it, but it looked like glosso, but it didn't lie flat like glosso. It would grow up in loonng strands. I was able to trim it and whatnot to keep it low. IT was really nice actually. Anyway...I never bleach dipped my plants or anything like that (I love learning lessons the hard way...can't you tell?). Now I have this algae problem that doesn't want to go away. I'm not too sure what I can do to help treat it. None of my fish seem to want to eat it (I have SAE, penguin cory's, clown loach, and a bristle nose pleco).
I bought two Amano shrimp the other day and they don't seem too excited about eating the algae either. And its hard to find my shrimp now...i think the clown loaches might have had a nice snack!!
If shrimp are the solution to this problem, I could move the loaches to another tank, but maybe thats not the solution?

I think the algae that I have is hair aglae, and from what I've read its nearly impossible to get rid of. I've read that I'm probably better off tearing down the tank and sterilizing everything and starting over. I could do that, but I'd like to try to get rid of it by other means before tearing it down.

If you need to know anything regarding my tank to help analyze the situation, please ask and I'll do my best to help provide more info.

Thanks!


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## spdskr (Apr 24, 2006)

That is some nasty hair algae you have there. I have been able to knock out this type of algae by manually removing it at least weekly and upping my Phosphorus dosing (please don't get carried away with this or you are likely to create a new algae problem like green spot). I never had success with any fish, snail, or shrimp consuming this type of hair algae. Proper fertilization is what has worked for me. Please keep us posted on the fight.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Phosphate dosing will not cause green spot algae, but will usually get rid of it. Phosphate doesn't cause any algae as far as I know.

Using that much light and no CO2 or Excel is an invitation to algae to move in and take over. Ditto, using that much light and not doing regular fertilizing.


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## pnKroK (Jan 4, 2006)

*so...the solution?*

Well...
So...for the algae that I have now. I should manually remove it?

And to keep it from growing I should use CO2 and phosphates?

I'll get to work on that now and see what I can come up with.

Thanks


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## 247Plants (Mar 23, 2006)

An easy way to remove a lot of the hair algae is to use a cheap toothbrush and "swirl" it like pasta.....that should help to manually remove a lot and I heard that excel dosing works at removing hair algae although it was recommended at 3x normal dosage, I wouldnt recommend that with the shrimp in there but others have had sucess with this method.


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