hair algae

[Sab_Fan]

Iron doesn't have anything to do with it, like someone said.

see the article below; soluble iron - - i.e., iron in the water, as opposed to in the soil - - is certainly considered a potential factor in hair algae outbreaks

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/red-algae.html

I've also come across suggestions that hair algae may thrive in tanks which are very low in nitrates; I don't know if that's true, but it is consistent with what I have experienced . . .

 

[dannyboiiii]

from my experience opaline an blue gouramis eat hair algea and im guessing most anabantoids do,
they dont make a meal of it but theyve been cleaning my jave fern mat of hair algea for a month now, my betta also nips at it once ina while and he claimed the mat his home im guessing so he has a close snack
their doing a good job...
the sae i had gobbled the stuff up..
i recommend saes they love the stuff

 

[Matt724]

american flagfish do eat algae and i think they're for sale on aquabid right now. You should go check them out.

I also had a bad case of hair algae in my tank. I had to strip it down, bath the tank in a hydrogen peroxide solution and I still get strands here and there, but my cichlids usually take care of it fast (it is no longer planted and the water is really hard for centrals, so plants normally wouldn't thrive anyway). Planted tanks are always tough and that's why I try to stay away from them as much as possible; though I do keep one really low maintenance one in my room just to experiment with.

If you can afford it, seachem excel also dissolves hair algae right before your eyes, it's pretty cool

 

[Fish-FAQs]

Balloon mollies and cherry barbs are voracious hair algae eaters. Give em a shot.

 

[knifegill]

So if I really wanted to culture green hair algae, I would add some steel and phosphates to an aquarium and keep the nitrates low?

 

[Winks]

see the article below; soluble iron - - i.e., iron in the water, as opposed to in the soil - - is certainly considered a potential factor in hair algae outbreaks

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/red-algae.html

I've also come across suggestions that hair algae may thrive in tanks which are very low in nitrates; I don't know if that's true, but it is consistent with what I have experienced . . .

Well considering we are talking about iron and its effects on green hair algae, and article about iron and red algae is irrelevant. But good research.

In my tank only high phosphates, low nitrates, and low C02 were the reasons for the outbreak of hair algae in my freshwater system. Also, using the same water in my reef system I also experienced hair algae. Im not sure if there is a correlation, but its certainly not coincidence.

Get some amano shrimp or mollies and that should help with maintaining it. or you could dose excel more than what the bottle says to. Another option is maybe setting up a cheap DIY Co2? Your Call.

 

[knifegill]

In my tank only high phosphates, low nitrates, and low C02

So massive water changes, find some way to add clean phosphate and only use an in-tank powerhead to avoid aeration? Would a need I fish in the tank or could it be empty? I found a good supply of wild hair algae, but it's growing in post-wetland freeway runoff, so it's not a clean supply. Maybe as seed for a starter culture, though?

 

[knifegill]

I thought this would be the right forum...

 

[ScatMan]

siamese algae eaters will eat hair algae, especially when younger, but I don't that's the best answer in your relatively small tank . . .

maybe you just need to step up your maintenance routine . . . and regular pruning of the worst affected areas will also help . . .

dosing with Seachem Prime and Seachem Excel can also have a positive effect . . . and if you are dosing any liquid fertilizers or iron, you might want to try cutting back to see if that helps

my siamese algae eaters (3 so far) never touched it (and yes, they're definitely siamese).

it did eat all my java moss though.

red-claw shrimps don't eat it either, i've heard people say this before.

 

[Sab_Fan]

Well considering we are talking about iron and its effects on green hair algae, and article about iron and red algae is irrelevant. But good research.

yeah, I considered that . . . if you go back to the original post, he says he has both green algae and "some kinda black algae"

red algae - - if you read the article, which I assume you did - - is described as:

"may have many colors (purple, gray-green, black) and resembles beard hair or fur. In the aquarium literature, this nuisance is often called beard or brush algae"

so, I passed the information along in case it might be helpful . . .