jprime84

My tank has had plants for a few weeks now, and many of them have a good amount of fuzz algae on them. It looks like tiny spaced out hairs similar to what you would see on a spider's leg. My SAE eats what he can of it, but its a lot for him to cover on his own.

I am worried about its affect on my plants. My rotala have nice new green growth at the top, but anything more than a few days old has the fuzz on it. I am starting to see the fuzz on the dwarf hairgrass. The watersprite has a lot of it on its older growth as well.

I dont see it as much on the swords but it is there for sure. Some swords have longer darker hairs of algae. I will try to get some pics.

Is this something to worry about? From what I read it could be due to excessive nutrients in the water. I stopped adding the liquid fertilizer I was using. Plants are not dead as I do see plenty of new growth, but I worry about the algae choking them out.

Shawnie

have you tried a search here on fishlore about hair algae? I know ive seen a ton of threads with help heres a few
Hair Algae on Plants
white hair algae

eiginh

Do you add phosphates to your tank? If you do reduce the amount or do not add any! Also watch your nitrate levels as you may have too much for your plants and the algae feeds on it. Do you think you have enough circulation for your tank? Planted tanks should have 5x the regular circulation and 10x if heavily planted than a tank without plants. How long do you leave your lights on? Do you add co2?

I am also having hair algae grow on my rotala, bba and brown algae as well...

jprime84

Right at first I added API Leaf Zone for two weeks, but I have since stopped that. I do not use CO2. Ill have to check nitrate levels, but last time I looked they were below 10. The only circulation I have are the two filters on opposite ends of the tank. I see some plant movement around the tank, especially near the filters. Do you think I need more? Lights stay on only slightly longer than the sun is up.

eiginh

In that case I think you have co2 efficient problems causing the algae grow. How planted is your tank? You can buy flourish excel which is liquid form of co2 or make a DIY co2 system or buy a pressurized co2 system (expensive!). The recommended lighting also depending on your plants should be no more than 8 but you can get away with 8-10 hours with a break in the middle (read from a diff. forum).

jprime84

My nitrates are at 5ppm right now. So you are saying I am CO2 defficient right now? I have probably 4 sword plants, 2 crypts, several rotala, one big watersprite, one anubias nana, one small hygrophila, and some dwarf hairgrass. Is there a test out there to test your CO2 content?

eiginh

You can buy a co2 drop checker or make one. How many WPG do you have? it may not be co2 deficient. Nvm I just calculated your wpg, you have 2.05 wpg. You need co2 in your tank.

Here's a thread from a diff. forum having similar issues.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...gae-green.html

Nutter

I would be leaning towards the lights being on for too long. I think I have suggested to you before to try a 4-5hr lights off period in the middle of the day to prevent algae problems. It could also be co2 deficient as has been suggested.

jprime84

So do you think that the seachem flourish stuff can suit my needs as far as that goes? At least long enough to see if theres an effect?

Here is the tank now - the background tends to blend with the actual contents of the tank. The water is not as green as it looks, thats the background. It is a bit yellowish though from the driftwood.

eiginh

Seachem Flourish and Flourish Excel is different. I will post a thread that talks about that once I find it.

I can't view the picture atm but I will when I get home.

Hmm, surprised Nate or Mathas has not responded yet they are the brains for this plant talk stuff or at least have a lot more knowledge than I have.

jprime84

As far as the lighting, I am out of the house around 7am to go to work, and I dont get home until 4:30pm. I dont have the option of turning it off in the middle of the day. I thought about not turning it on in the morning, but I was afraid the 4:30pm-10:30pm stretch would not be a long enough light window. Thoughts on that?

eiginh

Yep, buy a timer for about less than 10 bucks.

Nate McFin

Eiginh hit the nail on the head. I think this is a co2 problem as well. Light time does a play a roll in that as light, nutrient, and co2 all need to be balanced to avoid algae. When Co2 is out of whack this is one of the algaes that can form. Decreasing light will decrease Co2 consumption but may not be the best answer for your plants.
Flourish excel should help things some but gets a little expensive long term.. DIY Co2 is another option if you dont want to spend the money on a pressurized system.
Once you pick up some flourish excel remove the most affected leaves, remove as much as possible with a brush if on decorations and substrate. You can spot treat areas when dosing the excel. I use a medicine syringe (no needles!) Then turn off your filter. Squirt the dose of excel onto the remaining affected areas and wait a few minutes before turning on the filter. Excel is a disinfectant as well so this allos max contact time)
Do keep in mind....an increase in Carbon may also cause a need for more nutrients. Finding balance between the light,ferts, and co2 is the goal here.

jprime84

I have read a lot of good things about flourish excel, and I plan on getting some today. Ill document its effects here. The algae is pretty much uniform on the plants in the tank, so Ill just treat the tank and not just spot target. I will also look into DIY CO2 for a long run solution.

eiginh

There's a catch with DIY co2 systems and that is consistency. I think you need about 30 PPM of co2 but I've read with diy co2 it can fluctuate from 20-40 ppm. I'm saving up for a Azoo regulator, it doesn't have a check valve but I bought a glass one for less than 10 bucks and came with a bubble counter as well. So far it's the cheapest one I found. Good luck with your algae problems! I'm still slowly battling mine!

jprime84

Have you seen this CO2 kit from Hagen? I wonder how well it works, and how its long term costs compare.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2754083

eiginh

Yes, I read a lot of mixed reviews about the ladder mostly bad. Some state that the bubble get stuck in the ladder and does not go up. I think the batch last only a month? I'm not so sure how consistent it is so you need to do some research on it.

Nate McFin

They say the bubble count is 4 bubbles per minute and that it lasts 260 days...however 4 bubbles per minute is not going to cut it in any tank. Most Co2 bubble counters shoot for 3-10 bubbles per SECOND!
Regarding the Azoo Reg. check these out before you order.
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-...s-pid-642.html
You would have to replace the nipple where the shut off valve is but its pretty cheap and its a good reg. It is the same model Sumo uses. This is the one I am putting together now for a 55 that hasnt been set up yet.
I look forward to seeing how excel works out for you!