# What is this algae?



## JMCMark (Jul 12, 2018)

It looks like a mix of black beard algae and staghorn algae.

If you want to remove it, try this ff:

BBA (black beard)
-Take out the decor and good ol elbow grease will take it out
-You can overdose it with Flourish Excel. Get a syringe or a pipette or something similar and treat the infected area. The color will change to pink/red and it might go away on its own or you might have to brush it off but this time it will be easier to brush it off
-You can dip it in a 1:20, i think better check it out, 1 bleach and 20 water for about a few minutes. 5 maybe, then boil the wood for an hour and repeat. Just make sure if you do the bleach method to make the item bleach free before placing it back
-You can get a siamese algae eater or amano shrimps to take it out, however, your tank seems to have so much of it (algae)

How to prevent:
-increase dosage of co2 and be consistent with the hours of lighting and co2
-increase the ph of your water

Staghorn Algae
-Manually remove as much as you can and follow these other steps
-Increase your co2
-Make sure you have good water circulation (a redo of the decor placement might be needed for it to receive better flow)
-If your tank has livestock, feed less. 
-Lessen the ammonia levels

How to prevent:
-feed less
-increase of co2 dosage
-weekly water changes
-get more plants (optional)
-better water circulation


By the looks of it, be consistent with your tank and maintenance. Keep up with the water changes and clean your filtration system accordingly. Try to eliminate the detritus in your tank. You can consider getting chemical filtration as well. Be consistent with your lighting hours. Maybe it's also time to upgrade to a better lighting system. You can also add more plants to outcompete your algae. You seem to have excess nutrients/elements in your tank. You can install an RO unit or treat your tap or whatever water you are using for water changes with an increase of dosage in your water conditioner. It's better to condition it and let it sit for a few hours or a day before you add it into the tank. The most important factors of all are to be _consistent_ in your co2 dosage, lighting hours, and maintenance.

If you want to keep them, it will be fine with your fishes and they are actually good in keeping your water clean due to the oxygen it produces. The water column may not look clean, but it is...surprisingly. Your plants on other the hand will not like it. I would actually use that tank for breeding tbh. Anyways, I hope this helps.


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## g4search (Aug 10, 2014)

:nerd: @uhohhotdog

I suppose your question should be: is this algae or fungus??

The best way to analyze this is to look where the "growth" in question occurs. 

Algae, like plants, need light to grow since the energy they require is derived from photosynthesis. Therefore, algae will grow wherever there is light and the overall conditions are right for growth.

On the other hand, fungi do NOT need light to grow since they don't photosynthesize. Fungi get all their energy from surroundings such as substrate, detritus and, most importantly, dead plant material.
Typically, fungi grow on (dead) driftwood or dead leaves, where they digest the cellulose and tannins contained in them and use them as nutrients. Normally, fungi do not grow on live, healthy plants and are therefore harmless to the aquarium environment, but they are unsightly nevertheless.

So, since your "algae" only grow on your driftwood, but not on your healthy plant leaves (Echinodorus), it should be clear that you are dealing with fungal growth. So when you observe "non-green, fuzzy growth" that is almost ALWAYS a fungus. The only sure way to get rid of fungi, is to get rid of their food source, which primarily it is the cellulose in dead plant particles (such as driftwood).
Once the outer layers of cellulose is digested, the cellulose in the remaining driftwood is inaccessible to the fungus and it quickly "disappears" to the extend that you don't notice it anymore (although its mycelium stays dormant in the wood).


It is actually quite simple to avoid fungi in your tank: don't add any decor that is made of dead plant material, like wood. Actually, it is very possible that you introduced the fungus with the driftwood. If you like driftwood and want to avoid fungal growth, it is always a good idea to sterilize the decor you want to add to your tank. ( That means to boil your driftwood for at least 20 min. before you add it to your tank)


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## uhohhotdog (Jul 11, 2018)

I was only referring to the blue part. And I really don’t mind whatever it is I was just curious what it was because it was blue. I like the look actually.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## madcrafted (Dec 23, 2017)

uhohhotdog said:


> I like the look actually.


I like it too. Ultra rare mold. :grin2:


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