Hair algae?? Help?

[xDestro]

Good job using media from an established filter! Good circulation inside the tank ... excellent.

Maybe you can add something like Seachem Excel (glutaraldehyde) .. a CO2 supplument. Your substrate is rich in micro nutrients so don't add Seachem Flourish Comprehensive only which a lot of ppl do. It's almost entirely a micro nutrient supplement and has no macro nutrients in amounts that matter. Aside from Excel, you could add Seachem Flourish Potassium and 1/4 dose of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive.

I agree ... spot treatment with 3% hydrogen peroxide will knock the hair algae back. It won't kill the spores but under the right conditions it won't grow anyway. Make sure you leave the filter running and have some surface agitation when treating with H202. You can use a pipette or syringe to add the H2O2 directly onto the hair algae. I'll have to check the max dose unless someone else knows from memory. This is the 3% hydrogen peroxide found in pharmacies and some supermarkets. I'll post the dosage later but it'll probably be tomorrow.

Do I need to spot dose? Or can I just figure out how much to add to the whole tank? It's quite literally everywhere

 

[tarheel96]

You can use up to 1ml 3% H2O2 per gallon per day or 20ml 3% H2O2 per day in 20 gallons. I'd keep it at 10ml which is about what MrsE88 had.

I understand it may be difficult to spot treat since it's growing everywhere but if you can, try to spot treat the algae as much as possible. Everywhere you hit it directly it'll receive a dose of 3% H2O2 and will begin turning white or pink within 1-2 days. If you just treat the tank then the solution is very diluted in comparison. H2O2 breaks down fairly quickly into water and oxygen so you'll be able to see bubbles coming off of the algae wherever it's been spot treated.

Treat for 5 days.

Another treatment/preventative measure you can use in addition to the H2O2 or by itself later in order to help the plants grow and hopefully prevent a reoccurrence of this algae is Seachem Excel. You can spot treat with Excel also but just dosing the tank per the instructions is fine. It will provide your plants with some badly needed carbon.

 

[Hendre]

Rosy barbs eat hair algae??

I would say lower lighting too. You have nothing that's particularly demanding

 

[tiger15]

You can spray your exposed plants during water change with H2O2 to a nearly drained tank, just leave enough water to cover the fish or net them out in a bucket which is not too hard for a 20. H2O2 is harmless to fish even in direct contact , and can be used as a disinfectant.

SeaChem Excel (Glutaraldehyde) can be used to treat the entire tank if used in double daily dosage or about 4 ml daily for a 20g for a week. You have to watch the loach carefully though because it is a scaless fish and can be sensitive to Glutaraldehyde which is chemically similar to Formaldehyde used in ick treatment. If it shows stress, isolate it in a separate container.

 

[MrsE88]

tarheel96 Yes, 10ml. Thank you. I know I had a set amount I had put in from the start. I did end up dosing up to 20ml (I do remember double dosing) that is what finally killed it.

If I ever have to deal with hair algae again I think I'll do what tiger15 suggested and spray them directly during a water change.

Op I'd try the H202 first.

 

[tiger15]

I tried H2O2 already to eliminate BBA and it works. The BBA changed color and died the next day, but it didn't come off by itself and the Bristle nose cleaned it out in a week. Though not 100% certain, I believe H2O2 kills all algae because it is a powerful oxidizer that burns simple naked cells on contact. Fish have more complex cells, slime and scale protection, so it is OK.

I have just started dosing Excel (Glutaraldehyde) for entire tank treatment. There are many posts that witness the effectiveness of Excel for getting rid of algae.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/algae/3806-flourish-excel-got-rid-all-my.html

I am also new to planted tank. Like many people before me, the last time I tried plants and gave up because of algae invasion. This time I did my research and enlightened by proper ways to control algae.

 

[xDestro]

So if I am spot dosing.. do I have to be careful of how much hydrogen peroxide I use in total? So should I pour out 10ml and just use that 10ml to spot dose for the day? Or can I use more than 10ml if I'm spot dosing?

 

[xDestro]

Also what about beneficial bacteria? Will it kill it?

 

[MrsE88]

I wouldn't really worry about how much you are using when spot treating. Even when double dosing my tank I didn't upset the bacteria.

 

[xDestro]

I really like the idea of removing a lot of the decor and plants and soaking them. How much peroxide would I use for that? How long? And then I could spot dose the tank and with a lot taken out it'll be easier/ more effective.