# Hair Algae



## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

Any advice?


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

It seems like you have to much light to me.. not enough plants. How old is the tank?


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

kalawai2000 said:


> It seems like you have to much light to me.. not enough plants. How old is the tank?


Tank is 6 months old. So you think I should lower the amount of time I have light on? 

Right now, I'm only having it on for 2 hours a day. Well see how that goes. 

How long does it usually take for hair algae to die due to insufficient light?


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Add some floating plants so they take out any excess nutrients. You can do guppy grass, frog bit, salvinia etc.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Add some floating plants so they take out any excess nutrients. You can do guppy grass, frog bit, salvinia etc.


I had some frogbits, about 20+ but then they started disappearing. Why could that be?


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## AquaPipes (Jun 4, 2012)

How much surface agitation do you have? Most floaters HATE moving around.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

AquaPipes said:


> How much surface agitation do you have? Most floaters HATE moving around.


Not too much, the only agitation is from the HOB, aquueon 10 which is the smallest one.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

KenRC51 said:


> Not too much, the only agitation is from the HOB, aquueon 10 which is the smallest one.


Maybe too much light killed them as well. Try getting some floaters again...try getting a variety to see which ones like your conditions the best.


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## HighDesert (May 8, 2012)

Hair algae is such a pain! I'm dealing with it on some plants a friend gave me. I have them "quarantined" in a kiddie pool right now while i dose them with H2O2. Hygroryza (sp?) aristata seems to do really well with mild surface agitation. I also love the long, fern-like roots that hang down.


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## philemon716 (Aug 14, 2011)

Your shrimp aren't interested in eating them? Try pulsing your lighting (4 on, 2 off, 4 on) and definitely get more plants and floaters. 

CRS and Amanos took care of my hair (separate tanks).


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## justdrew (Jul 7, 2010)

+1 on the breaking up the photoperiod.
+1 on pretty much everything mentioned above...more plants will curtail the hair algae growth.
H2O2 is a beautiful thing for algae, just be very careful with the ammounts you use. Start sloooowwwww and low.
Search this forum for more info.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

Since I started this thread I change my photo period to about 2 hours a day. So far I have not seen any changes yet.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

philemon716 said:


> Your shrimp aren't interested in eating them? Try pulsing your lighting (4 on, 2 off, 4 on) and definitely get more plants and floaters.
> 
> CRS and Amanos took care of my hair (separate tanks).


I don't have any armanos but my CRS/CBS are not eating them. I usually feed my shrimp every other day some times I forget and go 3 days without feeding them. 

Should I starve them longer to see if they would eat the Hair algae?


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## Soujirou (Jun 16, 2008)

KenRC51 said:


> Since I started this thread I change my photo period to about 2 hours a day. So far I have not seen any changes yet.


Your light is only on 2 hours a day? That doesn't sound right if true.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Your photo period should be around 6 hours daily, a step down from the original 8. alternatively, consider spliting the photo hours to 3 hour cycles with an hour dark period in between as an experiment.

Another view to take is the tank is too sparcely planted and not able to sufficiently take advantage of the light available.

Most floaters can tolerate a bit of surface agitation unless your water is flipping them upside down and all around which it shouldnt. One that's easily disturbed would be salvinia (spangles) that turns brown when submerged for a few days. 
What does disappearing mean? are they being eaten or are they suffering from necrosis, or turning yellowing then dying?

Mind you, cutting back on the light period wont completely eliminate the algae. it only serves to stop its spread. If you are apprehensive in using hydrogen peroxide or excel in the tank, you can use the dip method. Take the plant out and dip in a 75/25 solution h2o2/water for 30 seconds, rinse with clean water, then replant in the tank.

Its one of the safer ways to deal with algae without directly affecting your water column.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

acitydweller said:


> Your photo period should be around 6 hours daily, a step down from the original 8. alternatively, consider spliting the photo hours to 3 hour cycles with an hour dark period in between as an experiment.
> 
> Another view to take is the tank is too sparcely planted and not able to sufficiently take advantage of the light available.
> 
> ...


I don't think they are getting eaten. I think they might of just melted but I don't even see the plant melting. It just started disappearing 1 by 1 all of a sudden. 

Could this be from my LED? I notice them disappearing when I change my CFL 13watt (60watt reg bulb) 6500k to a 12" 7000k LED fungeray light. 

Also with the LED light, the light is only about 1 inch away from water vs my CFL at about 6-8 inch above water.

I'll take all my fissiden out and dip in H2O2 and excel this weekend.


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