Im having trouble with hair algae growing on my plants. well its really only one plant now that the tank has been recieving more recent water changes and less feedings. Nitrates have dropped significantly. But on my anubias it still grows like crazy. I has finally left my amazon swords alone, which look absolutely amazing now. Is there anyway i can take care of the algae on that plant? I really dont want to dose my tank with any chemicals because i also have those marimo balls growing in there to and they are algae. One time i took the plant out and just tore the algae of the plant with little damage to the leaves, but it was a pain and i didnt really get it all off. I cant put snails in because of lower ph and alkalinity and my water is soft, so all that will happen is their shells will dissolve. Any ideas are appreciated. Im still a newbie to planted aquariums and dont know everything about them yet. Also i have read people using excel just because it kills algae aside from providing some CO2 but again i have the marimo balls and also wisteria which if im not mistake melts from excel. Sorry the really bad writing and grammer. Im just typing fast because im in a rush.
hair algae on plants
- Thread starter bchbm2022
- Start date
I've noticed green "fluff" on a couple of my star grass strands and wondered if it were hair algae- just small amounts that has been there since I got it and doesn't seem to be spreading much... just very slowly. The "fluff" is fairly hair-like but doesn't look like when I google "hair algae"- but I know there are lots of kinds of hair-algae. It's so minimal and not spreading I haven't worried about it... I've actually wondered if it's some kind of moss from the originators tank that was caught around the star grass... It's finer strands than my Java Moss...
Anyhow- that aside I'm curious what you discover. Since I too may have it.
I also have a marimo moss ball and have frequently wondered if it were safe with Excel being an advanced form of algae. I've also got Water Wisteria and had no idea that it was damaged by that product.
I did read earlier today someone suggesting you can "spot treat" with Excel to control algae by turning off the filter and putting the excel directly on the algae. Not done this myself- so don't know how well this works... you may try searching the forum for staghorn algae- I think that's where I read that.
Anyhow- that aside I'm curious what you discover. Since I too may have it.
I also have a marimo moss ball and have frequently wondered if it were safe with Excel being an advanced form of algae. I've also got Water Wisteria and had no idea that it was damaged by that product.
I did read earlier today someone suggesting you can "spot treat" with Excel to control algae by turning off the filter and putting the excel directly on the algae. Not done this myself- so don't know how well this works... you may try searching the forum for staghorn algae- I think that's where I read that.
i've read somewhere before that sea slugs or sea hares are greedy eaters of hair algae. it was a blog of a hobbyist and she was battling hair algae for a couple of months. she bought 2 sea hares and they ate 2/3 of the growth in a day.
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Interesting but, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think sea slugs or sea hares would last very long in a freshwater tank!
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
i'd be inclined to say high levels of phosphate in the water is causing the algae, along with too high/too long a period of lighting. is the tank near a natural sunlight source?
look up 'blackout period' for the planted tank. this may be what you need to banish the algae and not harm anything, balls included, in the tank. i'm far from an expert on algae control, since my planted has none at all, but have read this method is effective. maybe i just fluked out on just the right water/plants/light/livestock/filtration? (knock on wood!!!)
look up 'blackout period' for the planted tank. this may be what you need to banish the algae and not harm anything, balls included, in the tank. i'm far from an expert on algae control, since my planted has none at all, but have read this method is effective. maybe i just fluked out on just the right water/plants/light/livestock/filtration? (knock on wood!!!)
Even though you don't want to do it I would remove it, and brush it with a soft bristled toothbrush that has never been used. It does not damage the leaves, and really gets it off. Once you have removed it I would continue with the other suggestions of less light and less nutrients.
