HAIR ALGAE

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
and daddyo72 must have planted tanks and reef tanks both of which despise algae, i know cause ive kept reefs for years, cyanobacteria, not just the mats, but the hair, and derbesia are almost impossible to get rid of once they get started. same as hair algae growing on the leaves of your aquatic plants. but all in all in a fish only tank it is a benefit to the fish. if you dont like it get rid of it its not hard. take away the sources it needs to thrive and it will die. prevention is always the BEST cure, but not the ONLY cure. if you despise it get rid of it otherwise prune it back and let the fishes eat their spinach
 
CentralMayhem said:
i have full spectrum lights on my tanks and have them near windows to recieve natural sunlight. it grows naturally and helps keep down nitrates and such. if you have nutrients and light algae will grow. all my cichlids graze on it and i believe it is very good for them to graze as they would in nature. we feed a majority of protien, they need a little roughage. and daddyo it isnt a sign of bad water quality, its just that it goes rampant in what we consider bad water parameters. and you dont want any algae in a planted tank. in fish only tanks it is great. let there be light and the hair algae will grow. as long as you prune it back, it makes the tank look more natural and the fish benefit as well
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That's exavtly why we want the hair algae!

It's pretty, and the CHICK-LIDS love it.... :hearts:
 
CentralMayhem said:
i have full spectrum lights on my tanks and have them near windows to recieve natural sunlight. it grows naturally and helps keep down nitrates and such. if you have nutrients and light algae will grow. all my cichlids graze on it and i believe it is very good for them to graze as they would in nature. we feed a majority of protien, they need a little roughage. and daddyo it isnt a sign of bad water quality, its just that it goes rampant in what we consider bad water parameters. and you dont want any algae in a planted tank. in fish only tanks it is great. let there be light and the hair algae will grow. as long as you prune it back, it makes the tank look more natural and the fish benefit as well
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Every reference out there says that it is (is a sign of improper water parameters.) Show me a tank with hair algae, and I will show you a tank that was neglected at one point.
 
CentralMayhem said:
and daddyo72 must have planted tanks and reef tanks both of which despise algae, i know cause ive kept reefs for years, cyanobacteria, not just the mats, but the hair, and derbesia are almost impossible to get rid of once they get started. same as hair algae growing on the leaves of your aquatic plants. but all in all in a fish only tank it is a benefit to the fish. if you dont like it get rid of it its not hard. take away the sources it needs to thrive and it will die. prevention is always the BEST cure, but not the ONLY cure. if you despise it get rid of it otherwise prune it back and let the fishes eat their spinach
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It can be a benefit to fish, but the process to get it is dangerous to fish. Thats all I'm saying.
 
check my gallery, my tank has it, and i laugh at anyone who says my tank has ever been a danger to fish other than the fact that some fish get a beatin and some get eaten .truth of the matter is this. do you ever see a pond that has no algae whatsoever in it, no, most of the time there is hair algae all over the sides of the rocks , at least what isnt consumed by the fish, when you have a water parameter problem you will get an algae bloom and have GREEN WATER, dangerous to fish yes. Hair algae, im afraid not. as long as there are nitrates and other trace elements combined with the presence of strong lights you will have algae. That is why they recommend in BEGINNERS tank books that you do not have too strong of lights if you dont want algae. All tanks have nitrates save a few very advanced reef tanks, unless you do 80 to 100 % a day, LARGE fish produce waste and waste produces the fuel for algae. BEGINNERS dont like to clean their tanks that often thats why they dont like algae. If i were to skip water changes for any amount of time i could theoretically grow a jungle, but i care for my tank and make sure it doesnt get out of control. and as a matter of favct many salt water aquarists use it as a means of nutrient export along with their water changes. algae uses nitrates and phosphates etc. if you harvest the growing algae out of your tank you are removing nutrients and creating room for new growth for the uptake and removal of more. save me the stuff about algae is bad. algae grows in all water with lights. the only thing determining how much and what type is you. remember we are in total control of our systems. are we not. and fishkeeping is about self expression. some dont like algae some do. it is not bad. why is it that pond fish look so much healthier and happier than aquarium fish. i believe it has something to do with great light from above and the availability of all the delicious algae and microfauna.
 
CentralMayhem said:
check my gallery, my tank has it, and i laugh at anyone who says my tank has ever been a danger to fish other than the fact that some fish get a beatin and some get eaten .truth of the matter is this. do you ever see a pond that has no algae whatsoever in it, no, most of the time there is hair algae all over the sides of the rocks , at least what isnt consumed by the fish, when you have a water parameter problem you will get an algae bloom and have GREEN WATER, dangerous to fish yes. Hair algae, im afraid not. as long as there are nitrates and other trace elements combined with the presence of strong lights you will have algae. That is why they recommend in BEGINNERS tank books that you do not have too strong of lights if you dont want algae. All tanks have nitrates save a few very advanced reef tanks, unless you do 80 to 100 % a day, LARGE fish produce waste and waste produces the fuel for algae. BEGINNERS dont like to clean their tanks that often thats why they dont like algae. If i were to skip water changes for any amount of time i could theoretically grow a jungle, but i care for my tank and make sure it doesnt get out of control. and as a matter of favct many salt water aquarists use it as a means of nutrient export along with their water changes. algae uses nitrates and phosphates etc. if you harvest the growing algae out of your tank you are removing nutrients and creating room for new growth for the uptake and removal of more. save me the stuff about algae is bad. algae grows in all water with lights. the only thing determining how much and what type is you. remember we are in total control of our systems. are we not. and fishkeeping is about self expression. some dont like algae some do. it is not bad. why is it that pond fish look so much healthier and happier than aquarium fish. i believe it has something to do with great light from above and the availability of all the delicious algae and microfauna.
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CentralMayhem said:
and daddyo72 must have planted tanks and reef tanks both of which despise algae, i know cause ive kept reefs for years, cyanobacteria, not just the mats, but the hair, and derbesia are almost impossible to get rid of once they get started. same as hair algae growing on the leaves of your aquatic plants. but all in all in a fish only tank it is a benefit to the fish. if you dont like it get rid of it its not hard. take away the sources it needs to thrive and it will die. prevention is always the BEST cure, but not the ONLY cure. if you despise it get rid of it otherwise prune it back and let the fishes eat their spinach
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http://www.pet-mart.com/education/algaecontrol.html






HAIR ALGAE

The Source- Hair algae matches its name- hairy. And green. And everywhere, attaching to any rock, coral or object in the tank. This form of algae is very normal in small quantities but can be devastating if left unchecked. Excessive nutrients, including pho sphates are the culprit here.



The Cure- Since hair algae is a natural part of the reef, the goal is to control it, not to wipe it out completely. It feeds on any biological process, so the natural processes in your tank allow it to grow. In order to combat it, you need to take a methodical approach to removing organics from your tank. Clean any filters regularly.
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Q: I have a hair algae problem. What can I do to keep it under control?


A: Green hair algae is probably the most annoying problem that most reef aquarists face. The problem rarely occurs in fish only tanks because the algae is inhibited by copper treatments for parasites. Reef tanks, however, almost always suffer from bad growth of hair algae due to the fact that they can not be medicated, because the same copper that kills ich and oodinium will kill all invertebrates.

What is a reef aquarist to do? First, lets see why the problem occurs. Reef tanks require good lighting for proper growth of invertebrates that have algae cells growing in their tissues. Strong lighting also spurs hair algae growth. (Fact of life, plants grow faster with stronger light—chlorophyll etc) The main problem is evaporation, through. High evaporation rates, combined with city water, high in PHOSPHATES, spell sure trouble with hair algae. Although lighting and other things contribute, the point to remember is PHOSPHATE = HAIR ALGAE. Stop the phosphates and the hair algae growth will stop, or at least come down to a manageable level where snails etc. can keep your tank looking good.

Phosphates generally enter through city water, but some "trace element" mixtures available on the market have substantial amounts of phosphates. In fact, the two best known trace element supplements, have phosphates added on purpose, so BEWARE! (Kent Marine Essential Elements is an excellent trace element supplement without phosphates or silicates!) Of course algae growth fertilizers generally have phosphates also. (Kent Marine Micro Algae Iron Supplement with Manganese has NO PHOSPHATES OR NITRATES1) Some sea salt mixtures have more phosphates than others, so read up on these and use one with the lowest phosphates possible.(Recommended salts are Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals and of course Kent Sea Salt) Several popular calcium and strontium supplements contain gluconates or other sugars. One new product promises to "turbo charge" natural enzyme systems and can cause ich to go dormant. That product is loaded with sugars. There is some evidence that hair algae can make use of these carbon sources, so beware! They also will cause other problems such as cyanobacteria growth. Sugar has no place in a reef!.
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Hair algae: Long green strands. Easy to pull off by hand. I've seen strands of this stuff over 4 inches long.
Primarily a problem when there is excess iron in the water. High iron normally results from excess fertilization, but some water supplies have high iron levels (especially well water). When I was over-dosing my 29g tank with Seachem Flourish, I got lots of this stuff. Reducing dosage of iron containing fertilizers completely eliminated the problem.

I've seen my Tiger Barbs, SAEs, and Algae-Eating Shrimp
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all nibble at this
 
all tanks go through a procees where it is dangerous at the beginning thats why we are on the careful side with the fish. so you are tryin to tell me that you have a pretty clean low light algae free system and you then put it in a window or something and that once SAFE tank you had just went through a drastic dangerous change. wrong, algae grows if you do not get other stuff to keep it out. you got your info from pet-mart. HAHAHAHA. joke all in itself. in a reef tank you dont use straight tap water like most cichlids, you use nitrate and phosphate free salts and r.o. or deionized water. you could also use OZONE, yet its more dangerous to fish than any algae. in a reef tank if you get algae like that, you didnt do you job right. i have been talking FRESH system talk and you bring in reef **** when this is MFK. and if you keep monsters in your reef then you are gonna have algae and an unsuccesful reef. i have had healthy disease free fish for a long time, and never had a fish die of ammonia poisoning or other NTS. reef tanks and planted tanks have no place for algae thats why they use other organisms to out compete it. Plants and photosynthetic corals for starters. and in marine fish only tanks, hair algae is also a great benefit my friend. some of the hard to keep fish need tanks overflowing with the stuff. most moorish idols are known to be hard to keep, yet they thrive in tanks with heavy algae growth, tangs as well, as well as angels, so in fact you would only want to totally exclude algae if you have a reef or planted tank. Thank you and have a good night
 
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