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  • Plant problems

    What is this hair like algae that's on my plants? And how can I get rid of it?
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    20Long
    8Ebi
    125

  • #2
    Here's a better shot
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    20Long
    8Ebi
    125

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    • #3
      there are many different types of hair algae. it can be a major pain and can come into your tank through a variety of sources. most likely it hitched a ride on a plant you bought.

      one thing to get rid of it is to reduce the nitrates and phosphates in the tank. of course the amount of light also helps the hair algae grow quickly. some people will also manually scrape it off ornaments and leaves too, or prune out leaves if local to only a few.

      some shrimp like ghost and amano shrimp will eat it. fish like mollies, guppies and platies will eat it too. algae eaters like siamese or otos will work. you can also go with snails like nerites. depends what you have in the tank.

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      • #4
        I had an issue with hair algae off some plants I bought but got a couple nerite snails which took care of the problem. not sure what type of fish you have in the tank but most don't mess with the snails although I did watch a snail get eaten by one of my electric blue acara's so that was a bummer
        125g: Empty For Now
        90g: Planted S.A.



        “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
        Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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        • #5
          I just have 2 blue rams and 5 white clouds, also a few ghost shrimp. I've been reading and some people use seachem flourish excel To get rid of the algae.
          20Long
          8Ebi
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          • #6
            I also have 2 nerites. I might get a couple more..
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            • #7
              flourish excel is a type of fertilizer. people use excel in conjunction with CO2 injection, so it will help all the plants (as well as the algae). i have 3 nerites in a 10gal and they kept it pristine.

              more nerites would never hurt. they do best in bigger numbers since they stay small. and as i said liverbearers will graze upon algae too. shrimp are more hit and miss on algae for me.

              i would check your nitrates since all plants use that as a fertilizer as well.

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              • #8
                I remember seeing some hair algae on my Anubias nana. It's gone now and the tank is full of Ram Horn snails.
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                • #9
                  Excel is an alternative to carbon dioxide dosing. One aspect that Seachem never really plays up is that it is also an algaecide. It can kill vals and fissidens, which do poorly when dosing it. Here is the write up on it from Seachem's website. I have used it successfully for years with no issues.

                  Flourish Excel™ is a source of bioavailable organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but, may also be derived from simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates). The use of either CO2 injection or Flourish Excel™ does not necessarily negate the use of the other. Because the processes of producing photosynthetic intermediates and building onto them occur simultaneously, one can derive a substantial benefit with the use of Flourish Excel™ either alone or in conjunction with CO2 . The combination is particularly ideal for situations when continuing to add CO2 could result in dangerously low pH levels. Flourish Excel™ also has iron reducing properties which promote the ferrous state of iron (Fe+2), which is more easily utilized by plants than ferric iron (Fe+3).

                  Sizes: 100 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL, 2 L, 4 L, 20 L
                  Why It's Different

                  The reason plants need CO2 is to produce longer chain carbon compounds also known as photosynthetic intermediates. Photosynthetic intermediates includes compounds such as ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, and 2-carboxy-3-keto-D-arabinitol 1,5 bisphosphate. Although the names are complicated, the structures are quite simple (5 carbon chains). Flourish Excel™ does not contain these specific compounds per se, but one that is quite similar. By dosing with Flourish Excel™ you bypass the involvement of CO2 and introduce the already finished, structurally similar compounds. It is in its structural similarity that Flourish Excel™ is able to be utilized in the carbon chain building process of photosynthesis. Simple chemical or enzymatic steps can easily convert it to any one to any one of the above named compounds (or a variety of others).
                  Directions

                  On initial use or after a major (> 40%) water change, use 1 capful (5 mL) for every 40 L (10 gallons*). Thereafter use 1 capful for every 200 L (50 gallons*) daily or every other day. Dosing may be slowly increased in high-growth aquariums. For smaller dosing please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL.
                  In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
                  Desiderius Erasmus
                  GHAC President

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                  • #10
                    Some hair algae looks nice. Other not so much. The lighting is the easiest to change and help slow the algae. I run my lights 4hr. on 2hr. off then 4 hr. on. My algae is gone. my plants grow crazy fast.
                    Nothing Kills Evil Like a Sharp Stick...

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