is hair algae bad?

[Adler]

i first had some on my sword plant but it disappeared (i thought snails ate it) but they started to grow on my deco.

i kind of like it since i can't get moss and this is giving my deco a look i like


i read on the internet that high nitrate level causes this but it grew a lot (just like my plants) after water change.

anyway, just asking if it is bad for the fish/plants/snails because i really want to keep it if it is not harmful. I want it to grow all over my deco.

 

[NoodleCats]

This is staghorn algae, a stubborn algae to get rid of once it takes over. Nothing will eat it.

BUT.

It wont *harm* anything but plants potentially. If theres more algae that compete for nutrients that the plants use and the plants may suffer.

You can reduce your lighting to get rid of it should you begin not enjoying it lol i wouldnt mind it so much on some decor and hardscape myself, but ive had it take over my wisteria.

 

[the loach]

It's normal to have small amounts of algae on hardscape. It's a good sign it 'moved' from your sword, it means it is growing properly. Algae won't grow on growing plants, only if they're not doing well. Check all your water parameters now and note them, so you can compare if you get too much algae in the future.

 

[Adler]

that picture above was taken with camera flash.
Here's another one with lights on



it looks blurry but it is the best one i got

 

[NoodleCats]

Yeah thats definitely staghorn.

Up close has a branched appearance.

Hair algae tends to also be lighter in colour

 

[Adler]

my fish eat them and make them excrete huge feces



I assume this because:
2. they pooped like this after eating algae, they ate during the day and then pooped like this during the night.
1. when the fecal matter broke down i saw hair-like strings just like the algae

if pooping like this is not healthy for the fish I will immediately clean the algae off the decor

 

[Adler]

most of the algae has been "trimmed" by my fish feeding on it.

anyway, today after doing a water change i decided to turn my deco around, just to make a change and noticed there was red algae

 

[TwoTankAmin]

This might or might not help. It is from The Albany Aquarium ( fish store in Albany, CA.),
(The red color was added by me.)

Algae Eating Fish and Shrimp

Siamensis: Albany Aquarium is known all over the United States as the original importer of Crossocheilus siamensis or SAE (Siamese algae eaters). They're still one of the most voracious algae eaters and will eat tough staghorn algae. Sometimes we will toss an algae covered Anubias into our siamensis tank and it will be cleaned overnight! Beware of fish masquerading as the famous algae destroyer--many, many stores out there will sell a fish that looks very similar but will not make much of a dent in your algae.

from http://www.albanyaquarium.com/faq/articles_naturalalgaecontrol.php

I can tell you I have eradicated black beard algae by using SAE. If you decide to go that route, you need to stop feeding the tank. SAEs will eat anything and to get them to eat the more "stubborn" algaes you must not give them the option of eating anything else.

There are two other widely touted methods for killing staghorn. I do not recommend either but at least you will be aware of them. You can spot treat straghorn using either peroxide or Flourish Excel. Many folks suggest one use a pipette or syringe to deliver the chemical directly onto the algae. However, here is a methodology right from the horse's mouth in terms of planted tank sites. It suggests that spot treating is not the way to go.
https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/203684-one-two-punch-whole-tank-algae-treatment.html