# Green Hair Algae is Getting Out of control



## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

I have a 90 gallon heavily planted tank that was purring along just fine and then a few months ago started to develop green hair algae (grows from the leaves of some plants much more than others). The tank has been going for over a year.

Some basic information:


3 96 Watt Power compacts (50/50 daylight bulbs) suspended about 4 inches over uncovered top. 12 hours of lights-on.

Co2 Injection using ph Controller. Controller set to 6.5. ph closer to 6.8-7.0. Two Aquarium Guild CO2 reactors.

UV Sterilizer set to run when the lights are off.

Temperature about 77-79 F. provided by undergravel heat coils and Azoo 300watt heater.

Eheim 2226 and Eheim 2222 Cannister filters.

3 inches of Eco Complete substrate.

Fish:


6 Ottos
12 Cardinal Tetras
10 Rummy Nose Tetras
6 Candy Cane Tetras
3 SAEs
3 Yoyo Loaches
4 small clown loaches.

I do 30% water changes 2 times a week.

The problem may have started when I tried adding liquid fertilizer supplements. I stopped adding suplements when the algae got bad.

I have no measurable Nitrates or phosphates or potassium.

The plants are growing and reproducing but have a yellowish tinge to the leaves which is why I started fertilizing in the first place.

Any suggestions?


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

From the algae finder it looks more like the fuzz algae than the green thread.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

mbrant said:


> I have a 90 gallon heavily planted tank that was purring along just fine and then a few months ago started to develop green hair algae (grows from the leaves of some plants much more than others). The tank has been going for over a year.
> 
> Some basic information:
> 
> ...


I'm actually at war with this issue aswell and trying to figure
out the cause.
Is your water hard?
Whats your parimeters?

For now cut back on your hours of photosythensis to 7 hours intill we figure out the problem


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

I was a bit surprised but I just tested hardness and 

KH= 10
GH=17.

I have an R/O unit, but I haven't used RO water on this tank in many months (obviously). 

Does the high hardness explain why it's been difficult to get the ph down to my target (6.4-6.5)? I seem 'stuck' at 6.8.

Should I start using RO water on my water changes?

Might this explain my problems?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You can't just select a "target" pH and expect the controller to make the water have enough CO2. You need to use a drop checker, with known 4dKH distilled or DI water in it to set the bubble rate so you have about 30 ppm of CO2 in the water. Then when it is stabilized at that value, measure the tank water pH and set the controller to that pH. Now, the controller will keep the concentration at about 30 ppm, unless something changes in the water - KH drops or rises or tannins lower the pH, for example. So, you really need to recheck the water with the drop checker every few days to be sure you are still keeping th ppm of CO2 where it belongs. Don't use RO water unless you are keeping some fish that absolutely have to have soft water, or if you are growing plants that absolutely have to have soft water. Otherwise you just add one more variable to the water parameters that has to be kept stable.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

hoppycalif said:


> You can't just select a "target" pH and expect the controller to make the water have enough CO2. You need to use a drop checker, with known 4dKH distilled or DI water in it to set the bubble rate so you have about 30 ppm of CO2 in the water. Then when it is stabilized at that value, measure the tank water pH and set the controller to that pH. Now, the controller will keep the concentration at about 30 ppm, unless something changes in the water - KH drops or rises or tannins lower the pH, for example. So, you really need to recheck the water with the drop checker every few days to be sure you are still keeping th ppm of CO2 where it belongs. Don't use RO water unless you are keeping some fish that absolutely have to have soft water, or if you are growing plants that absolutely have to have soft water. Otherwise you just add one more variable to the water parameters that has to be kept stable.


Do you need to measure the CO2? I have a chart from the Optimum Aquarium that shows you can determine the correct CO2 content by comparing the KH to the PH. Is this not correct?


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

Wow! Where did you get the Optimum Aquarium from? I bought that when it first came out for about $6. The current prices are incredible.

It is valauble now for its historical value. I am not sure that it ever made any sense for the average hobbyist. The Germans did stand this Hobby on its ear when they started with the light and chemical dosing. That was a long time ago and I think that the book was published to ride that crest.

The info in Optimum Aquarium is interesting but just do not get too confident in it. I just saw, recently, that someone referred to it but I cannot remember why.

You are being given the best and most recent advice about pH and drop checkers.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Thanks.

I've been fighting the good fight for many years. I bought my copy of the Optimum Aquarium when it was available. I've even got the VHS tape around here somewhere.

I will get the drop checker set up. Thanks for the guidance Cliff, HoppyCalif, and Mr. Fish.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Any suggestions for how to get rid of it? I've got some Amano Shrimp on order. Anything else?

I'm most puzzled by how the algae is flourishing in the absence of Phosphates and Nitrates. Any ideas on that?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

mbrant said:


> Any suggestions for how to get rid of it? I've got some Amano Shrimp on order. Anything else?
> 
> I'm most puzzled by how the algae is flourishing in the absence of Phosphates and Nitrates. Any ideas on that?


Nitrates and Phosphates are not a cause of algae. That has been demonstrated many times. Algae require very little in the way of nutrients, far less than plants require. Primarily they require light. Then, to signal the spores to start growing a crop of algae they rely on detecting small amounts of ammonia in the water or wildly fluctuating concentrations of CO2 in the water, plus probably several other conditions differing for various algae.

Having stable CO2 concentration day after day, plus having lots of growing plants to consume any small ammonia surges almost instantly are things that deter algae from blooming.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Well, Clearly I've had my head buried in the sand.

Does this mean that I could/should start fertilizing the tank? I'm scheduled to replenish the substrate fertilizer now and I've discontinued adding the liquid fertilizer.

If I add these, will it encourage the algae?


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

mbrant said:


> I was a bit surprised but I just tested hardness and
> 
> KH= 10
> GH=17.
> ...


Your water is about the same as mine...
I seem to be stuck at a PH of 6.8 aswell...
Dont use RO water, I would just suggest keeping an eye on your drop checker,
cut down lighting from 7-8 hours, start dosing NPK and use flourish Excell. Once you find
a good balance you should be good.... If its not the fuzz algae that you can twirl a toothpick
around to take off then you need to manually remove the leave as to it will not be cured and slowly die.... Most likely BBA


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## tropism (Jul 21, 2006)

mbrant said:


> I bought my copy of the Optimum Aquarium when it was available. I've even got the VHS tape around here somewhere.


:high5:
Ha! Me too!! I bought mine probably 15 years ago (just checked it and it says 1st Edition, 1986). I thought I was the only one... I actually recorded it to a DVD recently so I can keep it around without it degrading any more. Funny how advanced some of the stuff still seems and yet how dated other stuff is.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

^ I never heard about those as to I was born in 86 haha.... But whats so great about em?


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Mr. Fish said:


> ^ I never heard about those as to I was born in 86 haha.... But whats so great about em?


Hopefully others will jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Optimuum Aquarium was the first book detailing the science of planted tanks. The authors spent time in the field taking measurements and studying the ecology of the native plant locations and then went back and systematically tested these observations in a lab-like environment. checking the impact of each component (such as adding CO2) using a controlled approach.

They then went on to identify/design components and fertilizers to create conditions in the aquarium that matched those in nature.

The book was the author's attempt to bring their technical observations into a practical approach for 'regular' people.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

I purchased and installed the Red Sea drop checker. According to it, I have the correct amount of CO2.

Based on the suggestions made here, I put in substrate fertilizer plugs and added fertilizers into the water column. The goal is to get the plants to outgrow the algae. 

Is this right?

I dropped the hours of light to 7 from 10. Should I put it back?

I've also ordered some Amano shirmp for the tank (30).


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

mbrant said:


> I purchased and installed the Red Sea drop checker. According to it, I have the correct amount of CO2.
> 
> Based on the suggestions made here, I put in substrate fertilizer plugs and added fertilizers into the water column. The goal is to get the plants to outgrow the algae.
> 
> ...


Did you use 4 dKH distilled or deionized water in the red sea drop checker, and not tank or tap water?


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

I followed the Red Sea kit's instructions which said to use aquarium water. I have distilled water available if you think that is needed.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Any drop checker, with tank water in it, will read the pH of the tank water. If you want the pH of the tank water, the best way to determine that is just to use the pH test kit. But, if you use water that you know contains nothing that effects the alkalinity or the acidity other than carbonates and CO2, and you know the KH of that water, the pH and KH of that water tell you the ppm of CO2 in the water with the best accuracy you can get without spending a lot of money. Read the sticky thread in the DIY forum about drop checkers and you can how to use it.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Thanks Hoppy,

I read the article, made me a big batch of 4 degree distilled water and put the CO2 indicator back into the tank.

Next up, it reads as needing more CO2. I use two power CO2 reactors and it just doesn't want to increase the CO2. Do you have a tip on how I can get the CO2 count higher?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

In my opinion an external reactor, like those shown in the DIY sticky, is the most reliable method for injecting CO2 into the water. If you don't want it in the canister filter return line you can use a powerhead in the tank to pump water through the reactor and back to the tank. With a big tank I know that getting enough CO2 into the water is a challenge, and it is a challenge to get adequate water circulation throughout the tank so all plants are supplied with adequate CO2. The use of a powerhead and external reactor both adds more CO2 without putting a lot of equipment in the tank, and it adds more water circulation.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but with good lighting and CO2, you're going to need to get your nitrates and phosphates above zero. If you don't the plant growth will stall and give the algae another chance...


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Laith said:


> Not sure if this was already mentioned, but with good lighting and CO2, you're going to need to get your nitrates and phosphates above zero. If you don't the plant growth will stall and give the algae another chance...


I'm working on that. In the meantime it feels like I'm losing the battle with the algae.


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## mbrant (Jul 24, 2006)

Follow up:

This story has a happy ending!

Following the excellent advice I received in this thread, I found out that there were two major problems:

1) Too much CO2 - The ideal ph is 6.9 for my tank.
2) Nitrates were too high.

Some of the other nutrients were a bit low but those were the big things.

I now have my tank on a 10 hour light cycle and the plants are looking great! All fertilizers are in the target range and the algae eating critters are doing a good job. I also started adding Flourish Excel about a month ago and it seems to have had a signfiicantly positive impact too.

I have some follow-up questions.

1) a couple of my plants, most noticeably the Giant Anubias still gets covered with dark blackish spots. Although there are less than before, it is still mostly covers the leaf. Any ideas what this is and what I can do about it?

2) I have Red tiger lillies that have a beautiful rich color right away, including the newest leaves. I have Rotala and Ludwegia that only develop the bright colors at about the top 3-4 inches of the tank. The lower leaves range from green to yellow but the top develops a dark red color. Is there something I can do to encourage color development on the whole plant?

I tried searching for these but wasn't successful. If this has been answered already, a link would be great.

Thanks again for the help.

-Mike


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

I remember reading this earlier - glad things are looking up!

1) Probably GDA - my Anubias came down w/ that too - I lost a leaf or two, but snails & Otos have (slowly) cleaned up most of it. Also - things seemed to go better once my Anubias had grown a lot of new roots (it's sticking out of a piece of drift wood - looks like a Banyon tree now w/ prop roots reaching down).

2) More light = more color (and more problems). Unless you train them to grow sideways, right under the lights, all you can do to promote color is see that nothing shades the plants that show color. Spread the cuttings out, don't let them get too bushy.


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