Black Hair Algae!!! help

[SubliminalMac]

I have put a light timer on my tank now and it seems to be working. I dont get algae on the glass anymore either which is great. I was leaving it on 12-16 hours of the day. Now I just need a SAE to clean it off. I hate chemicalsides

 

[doreenjoy]

Oh yeah, more than 8 hours is a lot of light.

Use an algae scraper to get the stuff off the tank walls. I don't know of any algae eaters that will take care of the hard green algae.

 

[CaliLifeStyle]

I think the original poster meant to dip the decor in the 1:4 solution, not the plants.

I also use a 1:20 ratio for dipping plants. Haven't killed one yet.

Right, I wouldn't dip the plants or even remove them. Cutting/trimming them promotes regeneration, but it is true, if you don't know the cause of the problem, you won't get rid of it. You can truly get away with 12 hours a day of light. I would definitely get a timer if you want less.

 

[jmhart]

First, what size tank is this? SAE's get big, quickly, especially in a high algae environment. They also enjoy being in groups, so 3 at the minimum. I would put 3 in anything less than a 55g.

That being said:

I have removed BBA by using the following technique(s). I performed them in this order:

Upped CO2
Upped Phosphate and Potassium Dosing
Reduced Lighting
Physical Removal
Overdosed with Excel
Three Day Blackout
Overdosed with Excel
Removed hardscape and boiled it

After I had done all of that, no more BBA...ever. Getting nutrients under control is the first thing, this will ensure it won't come back. In my experience, when I got my nutrients under control, the BBA quit spreading, and what was already there quit getting bigger, but it didn't die/fall off the plants/rocks. That's why I moved on to everything else, to remove/kill what BBA was left.