# Discus tank hair algae issue. Is there a fish that will eat it?



## sniceley (Dec 21, 2013)

I maintain a 65 gallon planted discus tank at a spa. It has three large discus, a dozen cardinal tetras (its been a year and still not food), a couple of Otto's, pair of bristle nose plecos, 6 checkered barbs, and 6 true SAE. There are also a few amano shrimp and some MTS. Plant load is entirely java fern (3 huge growths and some strays) and java moss covering two large root structures. 

Lighting 4 build t5 with two rose and two 10k daylight on 12 hours. 

Parameters

pH 6.5
dKH 2
Ammonia 0
Nitirite 0
Nitrate 10 (I know a little high but hard to keep low with the staff feeding the discus who are very healthy) 

I am taking the SAE out soon and putting them in another tank. They were added originally to take care of black brush. Every one else is staying put. Lights need to stay on 12 hours a day because that is how long business is open. I do water changes weekly (25%) with RODI with buffers to adjust pH and dKH. 

I am mostly a reefer but I have had some planted tank experience. I prefer biological control measures for tank maintenance. So is there an animal I can add to this system that will eradicate the hair algae? It grows in the java moss and in small patches in the java fee and it just annoys me. I am sure the client doesn't notice it, it was crazy when I first got the account, but it bugs me because I am kind of a perfectionist about my tanks. 

The tank does have a CO2 system but I have it turned off. Doesn't seem necessary with the plant species in there and frankly I don't want to be pruning weekly so growth being a little slower is great for me. 

Thanks for the help. 


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## spidangular (Nov 28, 2012)

Don't feed the tank for two or three days and it will be spotless. 
I got an adult SAE to eat a variety of algae that way. A couple days starvation and the fish will eat anything the can, not just what the like. That reminds me, you might loose a fish as food to another.. Maybe go two days at a time. 

I speak with zero authority, but it worked for me.


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

cut back the light.. 

how often do you water change? and what %


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## sniceley (Dec 21, 2013)

Weekly to every two weeks 25% at a time with RODI water adjusted with buffers to be pH 6.5 and dKH 2. Can't really cut lights time wise because lights need to be on when spa is open. I don't have too much control over feeding but I will see if they can hold off for a weekend to see how that affects it. I was also thinking of adding a trio of rosy barbs maybe when I pull the SAE's. 



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## Bryk (Feb 26, 2013)

If you can't remove some of the bulbs (the plants are low light after all), then you can try mollies, gold barbs, perhaps nerite snails might work best though.


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## sniceley (Dec 21, 2013)

What about rosy barbs? 

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## Nu2Plants (Jun 22, 2013)

Discus people would be horrified that you are not doing more water changes. The 'experts' do 100% twice daily. Increase you water changes, and the algae should decrease.


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## sniceley (Dec 21, 2013)

There is no chance I will do daily water changes on this system. Keep in mind this is a maintenance account, not my own tank. The discus look great as do the rest of the fish in the tank. With my experience with discus over the last ten years I think too many of the "experts" are clinging to the past. When wild discus and domestic discus were all we could get the super soft water and extreme water change regimens were all we could do. Now that the Asian sourced discus and hard water domestically raised discus are on the market we don't need to be so crazy with our husbandry. We have bred in some hardiness to this species now and we don't need to baby them so much. 

Before I took over this tank the client was doing monthly water changes at best and they still looked great. The hair algae however was out of control. I have it down to a small fraction of what it once was, but I can't seem to eradicate it completely. 

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## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Nu2Plants said:


> Discus people would be horrified that you are not doing more water changes. The 'experts' do 100% twice daily. Increase you water changes, and the algae should decrease.


This is more for breeders and bare bottom tanks, with HEAVY multiple day feedings; in order to maximize growth. 

I do weekly 50% water changes in my planted 125g discus tank. They do well. I run 2 fluval FX5's, and clean them once a month on a rotating basis (so each filter is done every other month).


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## Kareen (Apr 6, 2013)

Do not put Rosy Barbs in the tank with Disucs Rosy Barbs are fin nipers


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