# Please help me kill hair algae.



## mikeb210 (Oct 17, 2007)

I've had my tank up and running for close to a year now. I'm using 2x55w 9325K PC lighting on a 10 hr photo period. I'm running co2 at 3bps and dosing EI with a 50-60% WC each week. I've not done anything different since I started the EI but suddenly I've started growing hair algae in several places. I cut back the photo period and have twice OD'd the algae with Excel, but I still can't kill it. I'm not sure what to try to get rid of this stuff as my ottos and shrimp don't pay it any mind. I ordered "algae eating fish" from my LFS and they tried to sell me Bala sharks. What can I do?


----------



## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

I'm battling hair algae in my tank, and while I've won the battle, I certainly havent won the war. Note that I do have 3 amano shrimp, 2 otos, and 10 or so tiny red ramshorn snails in my 10 gallon tank, which dont seem to be eating the hair algae, but I'm sure they're doing SOMETHING to combat it. I'll outline what I did:

1. 3 day blackout -- didnt do anything to the hair algae but wiped out the little bit of green dust algae I had on some rocks
2. Hooked my lights to a timer (Belive it or not, I wasnt using one), and set the lighting period to 7 hours
3. Began overdosing excel daily (this killed back half of my vals, fyi, but didnt completely destroy them). I spot treated with the excel and lots of the hair algae turned red within a day
4. Cleaned the tank interior -- algae scrubbed the rocks and glass, removed the plants that were covered in hair algae and either threw them out (several vals) or bleach-dipped them at 5% bleach for 3 minutes
5. Added more plants, including wisteria and rotala, where I pulled out the algae-prone vals

I think the important part for me was getting rid of the leaves that were most covered with hair algae. I didn't mind cutting things back, because I know they'll grow back anyway. I dose EI and have 40 watts of lighting, plus 2 litres of DIY CO2.... I think my inconsistent photoperiods (sometimes 4 hours a day, sometimes 12 hours a day) contributed to the problem. Your 10 hours might be a little more than your plants need. Try cutting that back by 2 hours and doing some trimming, I guess. I wouldn't rely on livestock to keep your tank algae-free, but they can help.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

get SAE. they love the stuff. plus they are all around the best fish out there: nice, intelligent, not picky about food (will eat anything from algae to zooplankton), etc.

cut your iron dosing (i have noticed it does seem to like iron).

get hornwort. it is a nutrient sponge, it will help a lot.


----------



## Natty (Apr 2, 2008)

Will SAE's readily eat hair algae or will they only start eating it out of desperation?

I've never found a cure for hair algae. I went to the LFS and the only thing they told me was "take out everything thats infected".

Easier said then done I would say.


----------



## Avalon (Aug 14, 2004)

You have a nutrient problem. This will lie in your macros or CO2. Getting fish to eat it doesn't solve the underlying problem. The problem is the plants are missing something, therefore their growth is stalling. From the photos, you may have a dissolved organics problem as well...possibly the primary cause and highly likely if you're dosing EI. EI in and of itself is not to blame, but it will throw you off if you don't know what to look for. EI relies upon heavy CO2 usage and for good reason: CO2 is the primary macronutrient in every planted tank.

It all boils down to either you don't have enough CO2 for the plants to suck up the nutrients and your tank becomes eutrophic (nutrient saturated), or you don't have enough nutrients for the plants to utilize the CO2. Plants must always be in a constant state of growth to combat algae in a nutrient heavy tank to avoid algae. Also, you'll always want to make sure your tank is 'clean.' This means you're removing dying/dead leaves and performing gravel vacuums every so often to get rid of the excess mulm. If your water is not crystal clear, your biofilter is suffering. You need to get more oxygen in the tank and a solid bacteria farm going. Look at your substrate's condition (get rid of the excess mulm) and be sure to have adequate biomedia.

Hope this helps.


----------



## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

^+1

How big is this tank (this will help us better understand your light levels)? I agree that it is likely a co2 issue. Telling us that you run 3bps isn't really helpful, as bps is a very poor way to measure co2. There are too many variables to make this an accurate measurement. It would be more helpful if you had a drop checker (or at least use the kh/ph chart or de-gas method) to measure the amount of co2 that is actually dissolved in the water. This will help you better understand the current condition of the tank.


----------



## honor (Apr 8, 2008)

when i had a hair algae problem i wiped all my plants and had a pump sitting in the tank doing alot of mechanial filtration cause alot of the hair algae is free floating till it finds something to anchor on too.


----------



## mikeb210 (Oct 17, 2007)

mpodolan said:


> ^+1
> 
> How big is this tank (this will help us better understand your light levels)? I agree that it is likely a co2 issue. Telling us that you run 3bps isn't really helpful, as bps is a very poor way to measure co2. There are too many variables to make this an accurate measurement. It would be more helpful if you had a drop checker (or at least use the kh/ph chart or de-gas method) to measure the amount of co2 that is actually dissolved in the water. This will help you better understand the current condition of the tank.


It is a 29g tank, 2x55w, 9325K PC bulbs, I use a drop checker and it stays in the yellow all day. I'm dosing EI as I said and all has been well for the last year or so. I have an Eheim 2213 and I'm running Efimex, coarse pad, and 5 white pads. I change the white pads about once a month or so. The water is crystal clear, my plants are growing pretty well, and all was well until about a month ago. Then the hair started growing. Thanks again for all the input. 

-Mike


----------



## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

Well, I'm sure you know that you have a ton of light on that tank. It is possible that there was some fluctuation or lack of co2 at some point, or a problem with nutrients in the tank, which gave this algae a chance to take hold. I am not questioning your abilities, but it is just a fact of keeping a very high light tank. Things can go very wrong, very fast.

IME, once this stuff starts, it hangs on pretty well, even if you get your parameters in good shape. I'd recommend removing as much as you can manually. I know it's a pain, but it will likely be worth it. Then, do a 3 day full blackout, with large (35-50%) daily water changes, and remove any algae that you see. Add the recommended amount of excel for after a large water change each day. I have used this method a few times, and it has been pretty successful. HTH


----------



## mikeb210 (Oct 17, 2007)

mpodolan said:


> Things can go very wrong, very fast.


How painfully true haha! I did change out my bulbs recently, and the ones I had before these were about 8 months old. Is it possible that they shifted spectrum enough to cause an algae outbreak? I also added four SAEs hoping they'll destroy this stuff. I know you're trying to help, please don't take it the wrong way; I really appreciate all the input. I can't imagine doing this hobby "alone." (sans forum). Keep the comments coming, please! 

-Mike


----------



## thejoie (Apr 13, 2008)

I'm going through the same thing right now, so I'm really benefiting from this thread!!


----------



## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

It sure is possible that adding new lights could cause a problem. These lights tend to lose a bit of "intensity" (I don't know the actual proper term here) over time. Thus, changing both bulbs out for fresh ones will increase the efficiency of the lighting system. This increases the need for co2 and ferts, and this could have caused the problem. Subtle changes in the system (such as changing the lights) can throw things out of balance. I usually try to change one bulb at a time (ie stagger it so I change them a few months apart) to prevent a huge change in the intensity all at once.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

Natty said:


> Will SAE's readily eat hair algae or will they only start eating it out of desperation?
> 
> I've never found a cure for hair algae. I went to the LFS and the only thing they told me was "take out everything thats infected".
> 
> Easier said then done I would say.


its their favorite algae.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

oh just forgot to mention: GET THEM YOUNG (they eat much more when young)


----------



## mikeb210 (Oct 17, 2007)

@[email protected] said:


> oh just forgot to mention: GET THEM YOUNG (they eat much more when young)


True! My guys are mowing this stuff down pretty well. One patch of HC was covered in it when I put them in and now its pretty much cleaned up. Hopefully the get the stuff off the stems too.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i had a LOT when i initially set up my 20L, along with nutrient control and an adult it was down to almost nothing in a few monthes. another sub-adult (now adult) exterminated it compltely and it still has not returned.


----------



## Avalon (Aug 14, 2004)

mikeb210 said:


> It is a 29g tank, 2x55w, 9325K PC bulbs, I use a drop checker and it stays in the yellow all day. I'm dosing EI as I said and all has been well for the last year or so. I have an Eheim 2213 and I'm running Efimex, coarse pad, and 5 white pads. I change the white pads about once a month or so. The water is crystal clear, my plants are growing pretty well, and all was well until about a month ago. Then the hair started growing. Thanks again for all the input.
> 
> -Mike


I suspected a 29g to be your tank...and a highly lit one at that (was holding off until I got the final verdict  ). You're in luck. I just so happen to have a 29g aquarium with 2x65w of light. I've actually got a little bit of algae, so why don't we work this out together. My tank is only 1.5 weeks old so I expected it as I transition new plants into the tank.

To make sure the CO2 is in check, we'll go over a few things. It seems as if you have enough CO2 going into the tank, but how effectively are you using that CO2? You'll need moderate to strong current to get it circulated throughout the tank well. This is critical! I'm not familiar with the 2213 filter you have, but I do own a couple of Eheim Pro II's. The water flow is not adequate for the Pro II's given their tank rating, so if they are any indicator of the flow rate of Eheims, you may need to add a small powerhead. Eheims are great biofilters, but they can use some help in the flow rate department. The green fuzzy algae you have is indicative of low current and eutrophic conditions. Don't worry if your plants are swaying a bit more than you think they should. Just bounce the direct current off the glass.

Next, let's cover the nutrient issue. Traces should be dosed at 15mL (Tropica & Seachem) every other day (you MUST dose additional Iron if you're using Flourish!). I just dosed traces in my tank, and my stellata is already turning pink from the dull color they were when I walked in the door. Yes, this is how fast some plants can react under such high lighting! Next up are macros. Nitrogen is very important. Plants will chew through it like a little kid does candy on Halloween. A quarter teaspoon full of KN03 every other day (eod) is a minumum, up to a half teaspoon eod should get it done. Phosphorous may be killing you, depending upon what you're dosing. I'm doing a about 1 rice grain worth eod right now, and I'm still trying to determine if I need more. Don't ever dose much more than that! I know I'm getting my algae from having it bottom out (new tank). Potassium should be dosed like N, but only once per week. Somewhere around 0.5 teaspoon worth should do it if you're also dosing KN03.

Also, depending upon the age of your tank, you should expect your macronutrient requirements to vary a bit. The older the tank gets, the less you need--particularly P. Usually N usage will stay fairly high under high light conditions, but in some cases it could be lowered a bit. This is all because you have an organics build-up and that stuff actually gives off nutrients, thus lowering your dependency on ferts (however this is not a preferred way to feed your plants). Find your indicator plants and know them well! Read your plants, not specs on your computer screen. Don't wait for algae to settle in.

Solve these issues, give the tank some time, and you'll see the difference.


----------

