# Hair Algae



## Gary Murphy (30 Apr 2017)

Hey Everyone!

Ive got a hair algae problem on my ADA 60p. I am running 2x24w T5 Lights and pressurised Co2 running at 2bps. Light period 2pm-9pm (7 hours) and Co2 period 1pm-8pm (7 hours).

Could anyone offer any advice please.

Thanks You


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## Matty123 (30 Apr 2017)

Usually down to low levels of co2 or distribution of it through flow. It's also said high organics and low oxygen and too intensity of lighting can also cause it. The former 2 is usually the culprit (co2, flow). Shot blast it with either Easycarbo or excel. 


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## Gary Murphy (30 Apr 2017)

Hey Matty thanks for the quick reply. I was looking into getting some easycarbo and have also heard people using hydrogen peroxide but heard it can be dangerous for fish.

My Main concern is am i using too much light because Co2 levels are at a high level.


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## Matty123 (30 Apr 2017)

No problem. As your light isn't limited your co2 is striving to 'catch up' up with the intensity which probably won't end well if you increase it. I've experienced everything possible that could happen in a new tank and my learning curve is steep! We are all taut more is better and this also applies to lighting in aquariums. My LED's are stupidly powerful and since my learning curve I've lowered the intensity by half and since then I have achieved no BBA, BGA, GSA and diatoms which were all happening at the same time! Less is more in aquatic lighting I've personally come to learn. Apart from some micronutrient toxicity my tank is settling nicely 


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## Kezzab (30 Apr 2017)

Green hair algae us usually light related in my experience. Try keeping everything else the same but reduce intensity.


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## Gary Murphy (30 Apr 2017)

Would turning off one of the bulbs and running just one T5 24w help and also be sufficient for plant growth?


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## Kezzab (30 Apr 2017)

suck it and see. Probably yes, unless you have any very light demanding plants. There's no magic bullet, try it, give it time and watch the effect. Even if it doesn't work, you'll learn something.


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## xim (1 May 2017)

Yes, try it and see.

But 2 T5HO is not very much light. In my experience, I couldn't control it (green hair algae) using just light.
Well, years ago, I used to think I could. After an initial success I posted a comment in the barrreport that it was a success. Little did I knew, 2 months later I had to upped the light again because my Blyxa's were dying en mass because of too little light but I didn't go back to update that thread.

Some people have not had these stringy green algae or BBA, just some diatom and other kinds that are air-borne. Because they used all tissue cultured plants, new equipments, new soil, and the fish didn't have algae spores from LFS in their stomaches. Until one day, they introduced a plant from a friend's tank containing Spirogyra's spores.

And there are people with a tank that algae couldn't grow even with intentional introduction. They just die in that tank.

The thing is, we have to acknowledge that we don't know the reason why algae grow or germinate and why not. But there is a thing that will eat them: algae eaters.

ADA use and suggest using them. Tropica use and suggest using them. Tom Barr occasionally suggests using them but always uses them.

There are chemicals that will kill algae but I haven't tried them myself.

IME, Amano shrimp is the best. They don't seem to eat long stringy algae like Spirogyra but they will continuously disturb them by cutting them at the base while they are foraging. Spirogyra seems to need to stick or tangle with something to do well. They're gone after I introduced enough number of the shrimp. This algae had been a problem for me for 5-6 years.

Short hair algae? This is the shrimp favourite.

These days, my view on these green algae is that they are easy to eradicate and an indication that your tank's environment is also good for growing plants. The more difficult ones are BBA, BGA.

Before (Spirogyra)







After





Before (short hair algae)






After






BTW, the number of fish is about the same, just don't show up in the pic.

Another threads about green thread algae:
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/causes-and-prevention-of-green-thread-algae.37479/


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## xim (2 May 2017)

xim said:


> There are chemicals that will kill algae but I haven't tried them myself.



There are chemicals that will kill algae but I haven't tried them myself, except H2O2.

Sorry, feel the need to edit.


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## Gary Murphy (3 May 2017)

Thank You Xim. I dont think im going to be able to add any shrimp because I have an aggressive betta who most likely will see it as a snack 

Im going to try up Co2 and turn off one of the T5 tubes for now and monitor it for the next week or so. I will post with updates


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## zozo (3 May 2017)

Gary Murphy said:


> hydrogen peroxide but heard it can be dangerous for fish.



Both h2o2 and glut are equaly dangerous to fish if you spray it directly on them.. Both are chemicals originaly used as a disinfectant.. So it damages organic cel walls.. Most plants can take it, because they are build up much more complex with lots of different cells, the little damage it does to them is repaired.. Algae are mainly strains of single cells, so if these get damaged, it's usualy fatal to them. Some true aquatic plants also can get severely damaged, because they are build with a much more fragile cell structure in their leaves.

So if both products come in high concentration into contact with fish or what ever critter it'll damage their cells too. As long as this is not the case it is pretty safe to use. Peroxide is the safest of both, because when it is done reacting it is turned back to water and oxygene, hence the bubbling it does.

Easy carbo (glut) dose should never be greater than 2ml per 50L water, some do 4ml and state it's still safe. I don't know i do not use it anymore, i do not realy trust that stuff and i think my cat reacts alergic to it, he drinks from the tank. I think it's nasty stuff..

Peroxide, is actualy more agressive when used as spot treatment and because it reacts immediately is also is rendered harmless again in a few minutes after it is done bubbling. Once it is administered as spot treatment and it is reacting it already is deluted so much it wont harm fish etc anymore, fish and shrimp are sometimes even attracted by the bubbling and start grazing in it. It stays bubbling for about 10 minutes, that way it is very easy to see where you have been and spots you missed. With glut you see none of the like. Because peroxide is rendered harmless after a few minutes it can be used in a larger amount and more often. With 10ml with 50L you can already treat a rather large surface and you can treat several surface area several days a week, every day another spot.

Just do not spray it on the fish, chase them away and always spray very little amounts something like 1ml at a time, wait and see it react and go on to another spot and add 1ml more.

A safe way to spot treat is using this syringe needle, you can cut it to desired lenght if needed, depending on the height of your tank.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20ml-Syring...456566?hash=item2a2894a4b6:g:7GkAAOSwo6lWPWuO

Mount it to a smaller syrigne, very nice syrignes to use are the 5ml glass Luer lock syrigne, these are very smoothly in use and 1ml can be applied very gently. So you need no force and do not easily add unecessary amounts. You be surpriced how much surface can be treated with 1ml.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141911278358?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
The cheap plastic ones with rubber are buggers to use and buggers to clean. 1 word, Worthless.

And because of the long needle which because of the lock will never fall off into the tank, you keep your hands dry and have no mess to clean afterwards. Use the long needle to chase the critters away from the spot to be treated. Sitting in fron of the tank it is the easiest way to see what you are doing and still reach the substrate.

So if you are gentle and use it with respect in the least amount needed and do not spray it directly on fish etc. than h2o2 is absolutely safe and the best there is to spot treat and kill of algae. Cladophora (hair algae) also is killed by it, it'll turn gray within a few hours, than you know it is dead.  Be carefull with mosses if you have, these might not like it...


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