# algae(hair,brush staghorn i dunno.)and wallichii def....



## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

can somebody help me identify this algae ? so I can start researching on it...before i thought it was staghorn...



















and my wallichii was growing already nicely last week... when it got a bit taller it started looking weird... any tips ? im dosing pps pro since day 1.


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## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

nitrates - less then 10ppm

co2 36-54 ppm. (kh 3, ph 6.2-6.4)


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Unless you are using a drop checker, with known KH distilled or DI water in it, you can't be sure how much CO2 you have in the water. You could have only 10 ppm or less and still get those KH and pH measurements. If you have a high light intensity you must have around 20 or more ppm of CO2 to keep up with the plant growth. I also think your nitrate level is low, but I distrust test kits so much it is hard to say for sure.


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## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

yup low nitrates... im trying to do the pps thing .. keeping the nitrates a bit lower then usual.. so far everything grows well (except the HC)

with regards to the co2...im thinking that it might not be accurate too.. would targetting a 1 - 1.5 PH drop compared to aerated tank water be sufficient ? or should i drive it up until the fish act up and notch it down a bit hehehehehehe

anyway can the algae be positively id'd ? i wanted to do more research on it and try to narrow down the possible causes....

http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/

right now i think its staghorn and fuzz algae ? ...


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

It looks like BBA (Bearded Brush Algea) to me, I have been dealing with the same issue in my 29 gallon since I started dosing PPS-Pro.


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## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

im thinking it might be the feeding hence ammonia, i did a really big W/C, removed 10 fishes from the tank and raised my macros (now dosing double the dosing for PPS pro for macros, micro dosing is the same). so far I noticed the FF.
1) wallichii is growing nicely again for the new shoots
2) surface scum reduced by a big amount

algae is still there but it is only day 3


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## gibbus (Sep 16, 2006)

maybe try to keep your CO2 stable 36-54 is a pretty wide range. unstable CO2 get BBA and most algaes a start ime. just my two cents worth of opinion.


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## JamesC (Jul 26, 2005)

Your initial thought of staghorn was spot on. General causes are low CO2 and a tank with overfed fish and accumulated mulm. Also disturbing dirty substrates without doing water change afterwards. Give the tank, filter and substrate a good clean followed by a large water change. As Hoppy mentioned a good idea is to get a drop checker to more accurately monitor CO2 levels. I've found even normal dosing flourish excel kills off staghorn and other red algaes like BBA.

If you wish to ID your algae take a look at http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

James


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