# Cure for hair and thread algae?



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I had to get rid of my moss, my tiny sword plants, and other plants that were infested, then increase my CO2 dosing, before I got rid of my thread algae. If the "hair" algae is really BBA, I get rid of that by again increasing my CO2. Try visiting Aquarium Algae to see if you can be sure what kind of algae you have.

You might want to try a "drop checker" type in-tank CO2 indicator so you can confidently increase the CO2 ppm too. See DIY Drop Checker - Aquatic Plant Central- aquascaping...a living art


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Drop check is coming and it's not bba, which is easily killed but excel. Thanks Hoppy.


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## banderbe (Oct 10, 2005)

Excel kills everything in my experience..


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## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

h202 works well too


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Excel also killed my vals, so if you value them you need to be cautious with the Excel. I dosed 2X the recommended post water change amount, then repeated that dose three days later.


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## mlpzaq52 (Oct 21, 2006)

I Had a problem with hair algea once and I just bought like a million cherry shrimp and they cured it. Ate it all. But works best if ur tanks planted.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

I recentley switched yeasts from bakers to wine and figured out a way to better dislove my CO2. With that and lowering my nitrate to around 10ppm I think I am winning the battle against the hair algae. I dont know what my Co2 ppm is because I added peat to my substrate 7 months ago when broke down my aquarium. I have no idea if the peat is still softening my water.


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## MiSo (Oct 26, 2005)

i had hair algae growing on some plants. for some reason it would only grow on that certain one. i think it was ambulia. can't remember it was long ago. got rid of the ambulia and the hair algae was gone. it never grew on anything but that. i guess cuz it was so close to the light source.


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

mines on ambulia too! but also java ferns


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

excel hasn't done a DANG thing to my green fuzzy algae. i add 2 capfuls in 38 gallons per day.


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## banderbe (Oct 10, 2005)

Two capfuls is 10 mls, I believe. I was dosing 15 mls a day to 29 gallons. It took about a month but worked very well.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

It those two algaes that I have, 20ml in a 10g for 30mins then 50% WC did not work.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

banderbe said:


> Excel kills everything in my experience..


Barry, did it ever resurface - Or did you keep dosing Excel? Second query. Do you think it was the Excel, or the accelerated growth because of the Excel which won the day? 

I am having a small amount keep coming back in my tank with new AS. I'm not dosing traces as I believe its worse when I do. I've only had the Aqua Soil less than two months, so the tank is quasi cycling.


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## banderbe (Oct 10, 2005)

Some BGA appeared a few months after I stopped dosing Excel but that was because I let my nitrates get too low.

I think it was both the sterilizing properties of Excel plus the enhanced plant growth that won the day.

I found if I got my nutrient regime right I didn't need Excel anymore. Looking back the algae problems I had were just typical of a new tank.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

banderbe said:


> Some BGA appeared a few months after I stopped dosing Excel but that was because I let my nitrates get too low.
> 
> I think it was both the sterilizing properties of Excel plus the enhanced plant growth that won the day.
> 
> I found if I got my nutrient regime right I didn't need Excel anymore. Looking back the algae problems I had were just typical of a new tank.


Thanks Barry. I am trying this out. I'm a little worried about that high of dose so I'm doing around 30- 35 ml per day. I have around 74 gallons of water in a 90 gallon. My thread is not very bad at all, so I may quit early if it disappears. My fish are a little sluggish if I dose any higher. But I'm also changing about 12% of the water 5-6 days a week with my auto water change setup, so that takes a little out I suppose. So far, I think I see an improvement. My HC certainly likes the Excel.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Barry, were you dosing the Excel at night or what time of day?


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