beard algae
- Thread starter tlaug
- Start date
I don't think they are. They prefer brown diatom algae.
There are some species that will go for beard algae such as SAE and flagfish. Keep in mind though that they will generally only go for newer growth.
There are some species that will go for beard algae such as SAE and flagfish. Keep in mind though that they will generally only go for newer growth.
Siamese Algea Eaters are supposed to like the stuff, and Cherry and Amano shrimp too.
If you don't want to keep any of these then I'm afraid you'll need to perform a total blackout for about 1/2 a week at least.
If you don't want to keep any of these then I'm afraid you'll need to perform a total blackout for about 1/2 a week at least.
Check your nitrates
When I had a batch of beard algae hitting my tank, I read a lot of advice online and one thing I saw mentioned a lot was nitrate levels. Getting those under 10, preferably around 5, can largely starve the algae out.
It worked for me. Once I got my nitrates down, I got rid of the plant leaves that had the worst infestation and have not seen a new bloom.
I do have a few SAE's to help if any crops up as well.
The three things that primarily got my nitrates down and have kept them down at around 5, are:
less feeding (high nitrates can mean that you are overfeeding)
water changes
water lettuce
Water lettuce is a floating plant that eats excess nitrates out of the water. I kind of like the way it looks, too,so it has worked out well for me.
Best of luck!
When I had a batch of beard algae hitting my tank, I read a lot of advice online and one thing I saw mentioned a lot was nitrate levels. Getting those under 10, preferably around 5, can largely starve the algae out.
It worked for me. Once I got my nitrates down, I got rid of the plant leaves that had the worst infestation and have not seen a new bloom.
I do have a few SAE's to help if any crops up as well.
The three things that primarily got my nitrates down and have kept them down at around 5, are:
less feeding (high nitrates can mean that you are overfeeding)
water changes
water lettuce
Water lettuce is a floating plant that eats excess nitrates out of the water. I kind of like the way it looks, too,so it has worked out well for me.
Best of luck!