Is this algae? What can I do to control it?

T

tomandrews86

AC Members
May 1, 2007
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Ontario, Canada
I have recently setup a 33gal tank with an assortment of aquatic plants, everything was going smoothly until recently a bunch of green algae like substance appeared on some of my plants and has started spreading. You can see in the attached pictures that it is stranded or hairlike and it matting itself an the plants something like a vivid green cobweb. Is this algae? What type and what can I do to control it?

algae1.jpg algae2.jpg
 
the pix are kinda fuzzy to me, but it almost looks like the start of cyanobacteria. anyone else?
 
How heavily planted is the tank? How many hours and what type of light does it get a day? How often are you doing water changes? Whats the stock list? Just need a little more info probably before making any suggestions on how to get rid of it. To control algae in my tanks, I use a method I found in one of my aquarium plant books. You set a timer to turn on your lights for say 5-6 hours, then the timer turns them off for 3-4 and then back on again for another 5-6. The book said that it takes algae longer to start up its photosynthesis than "real" plants. This siesta period is like a mini blackout each day to starve the algae from light while maintaining 12 hours worth per day for your plants. Seems to have worked for the 3 tanks I've tried it in, although it could just be a case of your tank needing to settle and equalize. :read: :read:
 
perhaps we should make this clarification before it gets too far into the thread,

Cyanobacteria is NOT algae, it is bacteria with the ability to photsynthesize.



also, ive tried the 'siesta' method with no success.. not to say it doesnt work, it sounds like it might, but it didnt work for me.
 
I had the same stuff when I set up my most recent tank, definitely some kind of cyano although mine didn't have those threads as much. I would manually remove as much as possible and cut back on the lights a little bit, that took care of it for me.
 
I always thought BGA or 'slime algae' grew more in sheets. this looks more like the start of either fuzz or hair algae to me....look at the other types shown in the above link posted by Sammie7 to see if those pix & descriptions resemble what you're experiencing
 
Madcrawdad said:
I always thought BGA or 'slime algae' grew more in sheets. this looks more like the start of either fuzz or hair algae to me....look at the other types shown in the above link posted by Sammie7 to see if those pix & descriptions resemble what you're experiencing
Click to expand...

That's not hair algae, it's definitely blue green algae. I mean look at it. It's blue AND green...:p: It's just like that because it's caught onto the little needles of the hornwort and the water current is stretching it out. It's still cyanobacteria. Definitely not fuzz algae either, because it looks nothing like that.
 
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