# What type of algae is this?



## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Cladophora? Check some internet resources and see if the pictures there match what you've got...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=137368

As for algae killers... well, as long as the tank is imbalanced in a way that produces significant algae, killing off one algae is just likely to cause a different one to move in, which will be something that is resistant to the killer you just used. Nature abhors an unoccupied opportunity for growth almost as much as it abhors a vacuum.

ie: get to the source of the problem, fix that first. If you want to speed the process along from there, that's fine, but probably not needed.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Reduce the duration of the light.
Add a few stems of faster growing plants as lack of them or sufficient amount of them contributes.
Hair algae is primarilly caused by way to intense a light level and is easilly removed. It is light green and very silky.
Cladophora has three distint appearences. Long strings of single threads
floating with the current and attatched at one end. Or little patches of what looks like green cotton balls or if in a spot where there is no current it will "fuzz" like hair sticking out radiating from a center source. Hair algea does this last one if there is no current also.
Cladophora is very hard to remove if not stopped when it starts.
What exactly do you have for light on this tank ?


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

It's cladophora. Smell it to be sure. If it's putrid, it's clado.
It grows in the same conditions as plants so there's no way to remove it by growing plants well. You'll have to manually remove it and spot treat glut and/or H2O2. If you don't spot treat the surfaces, it will grow back again.


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## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> It's cladophora. Smell it to be sure. If it's putrid, it's clado.
> It grows in the same conditions as plants so there's no way to remove it by growing plants well. You'll have to manually remove it and spot treat glut and/or H2O2. If you don't spot treat the surfaces, it will grow back again.


+1 this

I trid mechanically remove it before from one spot and it grew again. You need spot treat the area to make sure it is 100% dead or it will just keep growing back.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

I have successfully combatted Cladophora in tanks and ponds by adding nitrates. Most of the times I have seen that algae appear when Po4 is present and No3 is not.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

x2 Solar Tropic 38W Solar Fluorescent Tubes T8

They were both on for 15 hours a day -- now I've reduced it by 25%. 11 hours a day. I'm almost certain it is way too much light because i boosted the light duration hard to max the growth. I had bulbs that were supposed to dip at the spots most algae grow and thought i could just go gang-busters on the poor thing. I don't want to shock the plants by reducing their light by 50% but in the end i may even take the light duration down to 8 hours (or switch one of the bulbs off).

There was no algae in the water column -- the algae was only on the vegetation. it was all fluffy balls of hair growing from the leaves at the top of the tank (where the light was strongest). When i took it off the leaves it went all stringy in my hand. it doesn't look like Cladophora. when i first saw the algae i didn't even think it was algae -- just though f*** me...those leaves have grown a load of pubes..or a bum-fluff/beard...what the hell is that...



I'll update this post with a picture of what it looked like in a minute (problems. haha. :iamwithst I think it's "black beard algae"!

UPDATE: This is not a photo from my tank but this is what I **THINK** it looked like.









UPDATE 2:

Staghorn??

No. i now think it's "Staghorn"?! :help:

UPDATE 3: Yeah. It's got to be staghorn and maybe a tiny bit of fuzz algae, too -- don't think it's black beard algae anymore. i should also have sadi that my tank is still cycling so there will be fluctuations in the water chemistry that may have cause this (e.g. ammonia levels). What's the word guys? Sorry for the multiple updates.


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## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

15 hours a day? That is a long time.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

> 15 hours a day? That is a long time.




I know -- I thought i could get away with it given that the bulbs were supposed to be dipped to prevent algae growth. what would you recommend? 8-10? I'm at 11 at the moment.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Dipping plants/bulbs prevents them from starting off with algae already on them. Which is a good thing...

However, that won't prevent algae from moving in after the fact if conditions are good. There are *many* ways for algae spores to get into your tank, and some are airborne.

If the algae is staghorn, dropping your light intensity and/or duration should help. I'm not sure how much tank you're dumping the 76w of t8 into, but we can say based on algae growth you're at least somewhat over. I'd drop back to 8hours as a first-step measure, then work from there once the algae is under control.

Adding a carbon source (CO2 and/or excel) would help as well, if you aren't already using them.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks. 

It's a 4x1x1 tank. no co2.


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## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

david765 said:


> I know -- I thought i could get away with it given that the bulbs were supposed to be dipped to prevent algae growth. what would you recommend? 8-10? I'm at 11 at the moment.


8 hours is enough. You will have to remove the algae or they will adapt to that setup. 

H202/Excel spot treatment should work.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

So if i dip with bleach --- do i dilute it or not...and by what volume? And how long? Thanks.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

He was talking about the plants before you put them in the tank.
Most on here are familiar/w the quality of bulbs more common to us. 
I have no real refference points in suggesting hrs for the light from lack of familiarity
with that brand of them.
Typically on a tank that size one T8 bulb is enough for low/med light plants and on for 7-9 hrs a day. I have two 10g tanks which have the same height. I have that algae in one of them from to high light.
I just replaced the old light with one T8 bulb. The algae looks to be dieing but not what is high up near the light. I have the light on for 6.75 hrs in this tank.
Mollies will eat it but it takes many to make much effect.
Excel does retard the growth of it.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

*the event horizon of staghorn*

Okay. Found it:



> Chemical Removal
> 
> Cleaning equipment and dipping plants in a bleach solution (2 parts bleach: 5 parts water) for 3-5 seconds will kill BBA as well. Some plants may not respond well to this treatment, so remember to test a plant stem before applying this method to the whole plant.


I've trimmed back the worst of it and just thrown the infected vegetation away. I've ordered some plant weights (should arrive in a few days) and I'm going to trim back the plants on the left hand side of the tank and dip-and-replant the "cuttings" on the other (currently unplanted) side of the tank. I may as well have some fun aquascaping if I'm going to pull them out and disinfect them. JUNGLE-STYLE-ee :hihi: Also, it will minimise the nutrients from entering the water column when i pull the plants out of the soil...not that i think that this is the problem...just in case. better safe than sorry.

I've turned the lights back 25% and I'll hold on that for now. As the plants were only infected near the light source, :icon_idea I'll leave the TALLEST "clean stem" uncut as my "tester" to see if my "cuttings" are to be at risk (say in a few weeks, as they grow closer towards *the event horizon of staghorn*). 

If the algae returns on my home-made early warning "tester" system :hihi: (then I'll know the lights are still too high and I'll adjust them, hopefully, in time before it re-infects my newly planted, and cleaned, tank. 

This may sound a bit silly but the vegetation lower in the tank is not infected so I think i can get away with this method. I'm 90% sure this is a way-too-much-light thing. 

I also might turn my filter right up for a few hours and do a water change -- but now or after I've replanted...or both?? Hmm.

At the moment I can't see any algae...but that doesn't mean its not there!! :hihi::hihi:


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

> (2 parts bleach: 5 parts water)


:confused1:

That's quite strong, isn't it -- thought maybe 1 part bleach to 20 part water would have been more than enough...with a 20 s dip. Well, what do I know...only been cleaning my bog for a few decades. :hihi:


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

A 1:20 solution of 5-6% sodium hypochlorite bleach should get you up above 2,600ppm free available chlorine.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs66sM3hCOrrrrQ-


That concentration should be sufficient to have sporicidal action against rather tough spore-forming bacteria and algae. Maybe if you're paranoid going to 1:10..

2:5.. that's something like 14,000 ppm... wow...


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

It's back!!

I've dropped the lights down to one bulb on for 11 hours. What else could this problem be? Overstocking of fish?

Anyone name a few *GOOD* algae-eaters that won't increase the bio-load of the tank? Shrimps?


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## grizzly_a (Sep 9, 2014)

How about a rest period in the middle of the day without the lights on?


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

I'm concerned the plants will not have enough light and die.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Algae thrives on long hrs of light. I will repete something. Both my 10g tanks are 12" tall. After 2" of sub and/w the light fixture laid on top of the glass top, the light bulb in/on each tank is 10.5" above the sub. One T8 bulb per tank. I use 8 hrs in one tank and 9 in the other. There is no reason for you to believe it will harm the plants to do the same thing.
Only very slightly faster growth is had by just raising the light without also raising both the ferts and Carbon level in the water by virtue of one of either Excel/DIY CO2 or injected CO2.
I would not follow just any suggestion. However if 49 people said the same thing, it may be worth looking into.
People often come up with "home remedies" that sound dangerous.
Hydrogen Peroxide for algae removal seems like it might fit that category.
I tried it and now I have no Cladophora algae. Works much faster when spot dosed directly on the algae/w the current turned off for about 20 min after you use it. I never use more than 2ml per gallon of water in the tank.
It does kill Riccia F. I have heard of it killing Crypts but think that it either may have been used stronger than 2ml per G or used at that level from the start, which I did not do but rather started at 1ml per G. I have Crypts which it didn't bother.
As there are fairly distinct differences between the treatment for different algaes, a picture of YOUR algae rather than some you think looks like it may help also.
Actually you may only need to get the light down to a reasonable length of hrs and not need to use any other "cure".


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Reduce light to eight hours,remove what algae you can manually with scissors,finger's etc.
Increase all macro-micro nutrient's by a pinch. Throw some water sprite, a couple handfuls in the tank.
Clean filter materials such as sponges,pads,floss,once a month.(removes algae spores,dissolved organic's,increases flow.)
My two cent's


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)




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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I'll bet that if you took a KH test it would only take one drop of the second liquid to turn the color.
Do you have a KH test kit ?


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

> I'll bet that if you took a KH test it would only take one drop of the second liquid to turn the color.


The KH was, yeah, 1-2 drops (testing over the last 6 weeks or so); however, don't ask me why, but the pH from my tap water dropped from about 8.6 to 7.6 last week (I suspect the water hardness has stayed constant but I didn't check...was waiting to see if it was a 1-off change before I started testing everything again). I usually dilute with RO water to get my pH down from 8.6 (sometimes even 8.9) to 7.6...so it was a welcome surprise not to have to add RO water. Why do you ask? Thanks. Mineral shortage?

Kind regards,

David


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

mattinmd said:


> Adding a carbon source (CO2 and/or excel) would help as well, if you aren't already using them.


"mattinmd": Why is this the case?



roadmaster said:


> Increase all macro-micro nutrient's by a pinch.


"roadmaster": I thought adding more nutrients would just promote more algae growth. Can you explain please?


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

david765 said:


> "mattinmd": Why is this the case?
> 
> 
> 
> "roadmaster": I thought adding more nutrients would just promote more algae growth. Can you explain please?



The answer to both is the same. Vigorous plant growth suppresses several forms of algae. CO2 and fertilization both promote plant growth. Of course, this approach only works if you have some fast growing plants in your tank.

The mechanism of this isn't entirely understood, but it appears to be some form of allelopathy, where the growing plants actually produce algae suppressants. It is a kind of bio-warfare that many organisms engage in. 

For some well known extreme examples: Black walnut trees emit juglone into the soil which kills many other plants/trees, eliminating competition. Penicillium mold produces penicillin to kill of competing bacteria.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

What fast growing pants would you recommend? Water sprite? I tried duckweed once but it was a nightmare!

It's a low-tech tank.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

I'll defer to the advice I was given by people far more expereinced than I in this thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=743785&highlight=

In particular this post:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=6831761&postcount=8

where Xiaozhuang kindly dispenses this advice:



> Aggressive plants hmm for stem plants Hemianthus glomeratus is always a good green filler plant; high or low tech, even in dense tanks it grows fast, and is easy to prune & shape. I find hygros and ludwigias in general more agggressive/resilient than rotalas. So H. difformis, corymbosa, polysperma all work well, L. Repens, palustris. Myriophyllum is good if you can meet its growth conditions. Swords are generally very resilient, but haven't used them in enough bulk to comment.


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## 141130 (Jan 25, 2014)

You don't happen to know how Raymond S. knew my Kh was low? or what this means for my algae?


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

I do not. Perhaps Raymond will elaborate.


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