View Full Version : Black Hair Algae?
I need some help guys and gals. I have what I think is black hair algae...mainly because thats what it looks like. I never have had it before untill I introduced a new plant into my 75 gallon and it has spread throughout my tank. What remedies do you suggest to get rid of it since my two Chinese algae eaters wont touch it? All I have in my tank right now is some guppies, german ram, two CAE, and a catfish.
i had that stuff all over a sword plant about a year ago.i bought 2 flying foxes and in just 4 days their was no sign of the hair algae.and it never came back.my 2 foxes are alot fatter now and still no algae.you can also do a bleach dip.i bleach dipped all of my plants the other day everything from drawf sag to crypts.and the only thing that could not take the bleach was my hornwort add 1 part bleach 20 parts water.
good luck
TrashmanTodd
06-02-2003, 8:28 AM
Real SAE'S work really good also. They helped control my problem. Also check your lights and ferts. I adjusted both of mine and the problem really cleared up.
Todd
mogurnda
06-02-2003, 8:45 AM
I've had a lot of luck with (believe it or not) platies. Mine suck the stuff down like spaghetti. Amano shrimp do a decent job too. I combined them, and the BBA has been slowly going from a headache to almost nothing.
Skittyfish
06-02-2003, 9:48 AM
I had it so bad I had to do a 4 day black out. My water was crystal clear after. Now I just very occasionally have hair algae. Mostly green growing on the back glass...when I add too much phosphate!
djlen
06-02-2003, 10:32 AM
Tom Barr says the two best ways to combat BBA is to vigorously scrub and prune all traces of it away. He's also a big believer in raising the CO2 level to increase the growth of the plants and out compete the algae for the nutrients in the water. Also large water changes, paying particular attention to vacuuming the substrate.
BBA is a spore borne algae and removing as many of the spores through water changes and the algae itself by trimming and scrubbing, and if necessary bleach(19:1) treatments is the best way to combat it. If you find it on filter tubes, heaters or other inanimate objects you can dip them in a 50/50 solution of bleach/water to kill the algae. Just make sure that when using any bleach dips that you rinse well, and then rinse again in a container of water containing "Tap Water Conditioner" in order to remove all traces of bleach before re-introducing back into the aquarium.
Then you need to get on a fertilization program in order to maintain a balance in your tank to prevent further infestation.
http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/barr_02_01.shtml
Reading this post will help you learn a great deal about maintaining a plant tank.
Len
Thanks for the advice guys...Im going to the pet store tomorrow...also, what about a clown loach....dont really know anything about them...any info?
Skittyfish
06-02-2003, 9:03 PM
I love Clown loaches. I have no Snails living in my tank. I routinely throw some in from another tank just to watch them slurp out the snail! Don't think they anything for algae though.
mogurnda
06-02-2003, 9:13 PM
what about a clown loach Absolutely, but only for entertainment value. I have never seen one even look at algae. The ones in my planted tank cruise the undergrowth and keep stuff stirred up, which is a bonus. I think.
I agree with djlen's comment about management, though. My BBA attack came after increasing light to a badly managed tank. After scrubbing the driftwood, adding new plants, supplementing with CO2, K, SO4, and Mg, the herbivores are just for mop up. I didn't do the bleach thing, and there was still substantial BBA, but it's growth was slowed and the platies and shrimp are sucking the remainder down.