I noticed a while back that my java moss was beginning to show signs of hair algae. I thought I would be able to control it before it got out of hand by feeding my fish more sparingly. Obviously this did not do the trick because my moss is now infested. I have a 10 gallon planted aquarium with 6 zebra danios. I can't find any traces of hair algae on any of my other plants. It is lit with 33 watts of the screw in florescent type bulbs. Also, I use a diy co2 reactor. Water changes are 25% weekly. Does anybody have any ideas as to how I can remove the algae from my moss? Also, could excessive co2 play some kind of role?
Hair algae in my Java moss!
- Thread starter danio_rerio_87
- Start date
'Also, could excessive co2 play some kind of role?'
Not a negative one.
You don't mention fertilization at all in your post. Are you feeding the plants?
The way to combat algae is to grow the plants. Don't worry about phosphates causing algae issues. That theory went out the window with the Nixon administration.
You are injecting CO2 and supplying good light. The plants are in need of some food. They are hungry.
There are three ways to go with this. Buy the individual ferts. and dose them according to any of various calculators available on line. Or buy a good, all-purpose plant food that includes trace elements with it.
Or, IMO the best solution for you, pick up some Seachem's Flourish for traces (don't buy 'Flourish Trace'), and Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium.
Dosing these four along with your lighting and CO2 will get those plants growing.
I would start off with 1/2 recommended dosages on each if you have a light plant mass. You can increase as mass increases. You should see a decrease in algae as a result.
Hair algae is easy to clean up with a toothbrush, BTW, until they start growing well.
Len
Not a negative one.
You don't mention fertilization at all in your post. Are you feeding the plants?
The way to combat algae is to grow the plants. Don't worry about phosphates causing algae issues. That theory went out the window with the Nixon administration.
You are injecting CO2 and supplying good light. The plants are in need of some food. They are hungry.
There are three ways to go with this. Buy the individual ferts. and dose them according to any of various calculators available on line. Or buy a good, all-purpose plant food that includes trace elements with it.
Or, IMO the best solution for you, pick up some Seachem's Flourish for traces (don't buy 'Flourish Trace'), and Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium.
Dosing these four along with your lighting and CO2 will get those plants growing.
I would start off with 1/2 recommended dosages on each if you have a light plant mass. You can increase as mass increases. You should see a decrease in algae as a result.
Hair algae is easy to clean up with a toothbrush, BTW, until they start growing well.
Len
Thanks for the advice! Much more simple than I had expected it to be. I'll definately be going to the store tomorrow to stock up on some ferts. My plants do grow fairly slow and I guess thinking about it now it does make sense that getting my plants to thrive would help wipe out my algae problem. I'm fairly new to planted aquaria but it hasn't taken me long to discover algae becomes a nuisance on a much higher level.
I know this is an old thread, but has anyone else had this problem before?
My java moss is growing great, but the hair algae seems to be keeping right up with it. The only place where hair algae currently grows in my tank is on the java moss, but I'm afraid if I don't get it under control it will spread elsewhere. Its pretty hard (or near impossible) for me to pick out the algae without uprooting the java moss with it, so I'm just not sure what to do.
My tank currently has 1.8WPG with DIY co2 and I dose about once a week with flourish.
My java moss is growing great, but the hair algae seems to be keeping right up with it. The only place where hair algae currently grows in my tank is on the java moss, but I'm afraid if I don't get it under control it will spread elsewhere. Its pretty hard (or near impossible) for me to pick out the algae without uprooting the java moss with it, so I'm just not sure what to do.
My tank currently has 1.8WPG with DIY co2 and I dose about once a week with flourish.
Bumping since I have the same problem.
I purchased Flourish Excel and piped it in with a baby medicine dropper along the moss areas with the algae. I did this only once and I already see an improvement. Am I doing this right guys and can this help the OP?
I purchased Flourish Excel and piped it in with a baby medicine dropper along the moss areas with the algae. I did this only once and I already see an improvement. Am I doing this right guys and can this help the OP?
About 2 weeks ago I used hydrogen peroxide (the 3% kind commonly available) in a syringe around some leaves on two sword plants. I also had been increasing fertilizer (Kent's Freshwater liquid product). Both of these seem to have worked in that the swords, which had been hairy for some time, are now clean (I did remove a number of leaves but feared eventually there would be none left, so I tried the H2O2 idea). I didn't treat the java fern with H2O2 but they do no doubt share in the fertilizer and no longer have any hair algae. I also moved the HOB filter more to the center (just to ennumerate the changes in that tank). Since last Thursday I added a lot more anarchis, some cabomba, and even my first ghost shrimp (who may eat some of the other common algaes), and my 10G looks a lot happier, with all the fish more lively, even the pygmy cories, who had been liking to hang out in a dark corner. Maybe they all like it shadier (light: 28W/10,000K over 10 gal) or are curious about the shrimp (which none of the fish, small tetras have nipped at yet).
i have the same issue in one tank currently. The moss seems to be an algae factory.
I'm starting to wonder if all the detritus that mosses collect lead to increased NH4 in and around the moss. Tom Barr has stated that increased levels of NH4 appears to be one of the main factors in algae blooms. Is it possible that their could be higher localized levels of NH4 in/around the mosses?
That being said, I've had great luck with Cherry shrimp keeping my mosses clean. I just need to add some Cherry's to that tank I mentioned to see if it helps any.
I'm starting to wonder if all the detritus that mosses collect lead to increased NH4 in and around the moss. Tom Barr has stated that increased levels of NH4 appears to be one of the main factors in algae blooms. Is it possible that their could be higher localized levels of NH4 in/around the mosses?
That being said, I've had great luck with Cherry shrimp keeping my mosses clean. I just need to add some Cherry's to that tank I mentioned to see if it helps any.
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Just in case there is any confusion. Ferts don't "kill" algae, they feed plants, which in turn grow(hopefully faster), and consume more nutrients, which helps to eliminate algae.
Interesting idea with the Excel. Are you taking the plants out of the water to do the excel drops? Otherwise, won't the excel just get mixed in with the rest of the water in a mater of seconds?