# Green hair algae problem



## Neb@@ (16 Aug 2021)

Hello! 
I have been trying to figure out how to eradicate this green hair algae but still without success. 
Aquarium specs:
60L-60*30*36
Filtration- Atman CF800, 760 l/h, filled 2 full baskets with matrix +Purigen, and 1 basket with coarse, medium and fine filter pads
Light - Chihiros wrgb2 60cm, intensity 70%, 8 hours per day including ramp time 2x30min
CO2 - pressurised, 1,5h before lights ON until 45 min before lights OFF, with Neo diffuser 
Supstrate- Tropica soil with added tropica nutrition caps 
Lilly pipes, skimmer Eheim... 
Ferts - Apt complete (recommended dosing) + Potassium Seachem + easy carbo
Plants- Monte carlo (growing like crazy), Rotala Rotundifolia, Lobelia sp mini and what is left of cryptocorine parva and Rotala bonsai
6 rasbora espei + 6 simulans tetra+ 5 amanos +5 red shrimps + 3 snails
Ph drop from 7,6  to 7,1  ( when injecting CO2) with KH 9 drop checker light to medium green
Photos attached, have few ideas how to proceed, just wanted to hear you guys with more experience 😉
Cheers, Neb@


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## Zeus. (16 Aug 2021)

Neb@@ said:


> Filtration- Atman CF800, 760 l/h, filled 2 full baskets with matrix +Purigen, and 1 basket with coarse, medium and fine filter pads



Sounds like you may be over loading your filter, I use course and medium sponges only and a little ceramic media bio media for fluval 305, as for Purigen it may be good but as @ceg4048 has pointed out regular WCs work just as well and are cheaper and you will get better output from your filter to boot, I find my Amanos deal will any hair algae as in one tank I have no Amanos and it gets hair algae - plants are in pots so I just pop the pot in tank with Amanos and 24hrs later no hair algae.

So the better flow should help, plus have you done a pH profile to check how stable your [CO2] is from lights on till CO2 off ?


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## PARAGUAY (16 Aug 2021)

Of course a number of factors need to be considered purigen and w/c will help ,lighting and filtation but I cured mine when adding a powerhead and a wavemaker in a previous set up. So in my expierence then it was flow not getting all around . Hair Algae can thrive in poor flow CO2 tank  .JMO


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## erwin123 (17 Aug 2021)

After you correct the flow, you might need algae eaters to remove the algae.

Cherries also eat hair algae. Like many others, I have had Amano problems once they developed a taste for certain plants like Alternanthera reineckii. I initially stocked them at 1 amano per 10 litres as that was the ratio I read on the internet. However, amanos can triple in size from their store-bought size and become aggressive.  1 amano per 20 litres + other algae eaters may be a more reasonable number.

Here's a pic of a Bacopa with algae problems that I moved into my cherry shrimp tank 🦐


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## Libba (17 Aug 2021)

When you have algae growing all over your plants like this then your problem is actually poor plant health. The algae is just a symptom of the real problem. Stop framing it in terms of "how do I get rid of this algae?" and start framing it as "what do I need to do to improve plant health"? Your problem in this case is too much light and not enough CO2. I'm running the same light as you on the same size tank but I run mine at 60% and I run my CO2 a lot higher than you seem to. So the short answer is: turn the light down, turn the CO2 up or preferably do both.
It would also help to fix your flow pattern, which looks incoherent to me. I would reposition your skimmer to try to get a circular motion moving around the tank.


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

Zeus. said:


> Sounds like you may be over loading your filter, I use course and medium sponges only and a little ceramic media bio media for fluval 305, as for Purigen it may be good but as @ceg4048 has pointed out regular WCs work just as well and are cheaper and you will get better output from your filter to boot, I find my Amanos deal will any hair algae as in one tank I have no Amanos and it gets hair algae - plants are in pots so I just pop the pot in tank with Amanos and 24hrs later no hair algae.
> 
> So the better flow should help, plus have you done a pH profile to check how stable your [CO2] is from lights on till CO2 off ?


Tnx Zeus, i am not sure about the filter, it may be that it is overloaded with media-at least I thought more media -more efficient filtration, but probably it has flow impact
and regarding CO2 - you are sure right -so far i just measured pH randomly -i should definitely make all day ph profile  ...


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

PARAGUAY said:


> Of course a number of factors need to be considered purigen and w/c will help ,lighting and filtation but I cured mine when adding a powerhead and a wavemaker in a previous set up. So in my expierence then it was flow not getting all around . Hair Algae can thrive in poor flow CO2 tank  .JMO


Right, I am trying to figure out do I have good flow haha   or it is just injection rate which is lower than it should be ..


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

erwin123 said:


> View attachment 173236
> 
> After you correct the flow, you might need algae eaters to remove the algae.
> 
> ...


Actually I have both - 5 amanos and 5 cherries ... tnx


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

Libba said:


> When you have algae growing all over your plants like this then your problem is actually poor plant health. The algae is just a symptom of the real problem. Stop framing it in terms of "how do I get rid of this algae?" and start framing it as "what do I need to do to improve plant health"? Your problem in this case is too much light and not enough CO2. I'm running the same light as you on the same size tank but I run mine at 60% and I run my CO2 a lot higher than you seem to. So the short answer is: turn the light down, turn the CO2 up or preferably do both.
> It would also help to fix your flow pattern, which looks incoherent to me. I would reposition your skimmer to try to get a circular motion moving around the tank.


Libba tnx
absolutely agree- actually that was my conclusion too  just wanted to hear some more opinions..
now my idea is to decrease the light significantly, but I wonder would it be too much to cut it lets say at 30-40%?
Also I should have ph values around 6.9 but still cant stabilize that value..I guess one of the main parts of equipment for this hobby is fine needle valve .. i have issues when trying to fine tune co2.....
and for the skimmer , it was positioned in top left corner, with flow towards the middle of the tank - and today i thought to put it in position to point it in direction of diffusor...
Cheers


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## Libba (17 Aug 2021)

Neb@@ said:


> I wonder would it be too much to cut it lets say at 30-40%?



Possibly. Theres a lot or guesswork involved. But as someone with the same light unit and the same size tank I would recommend 50% intensity as a pretty safe place to start from. I'd try to avoid extremes at either end. Start with 50% intensity for 6 hours. If everything else is right I can guarantee you'll grow most plants in good form. Once everything is stable and healthy you can adjust it up or down based on your goals. Now that light is sorted you can focus on the most challenging part of a high energy tank: optimising CO2.


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

Libba said:


> Possibly. Theres a lot or guesswork involved. But as someone with the same light unit and the same size tank I would recommend 50% intensity as a pretty safe place to start from. I'd try to avoid extremes at either end. Start with 50% intensity for 6 hours. If everything else is right I can guarantee you'll grow most plants in good form. Once everything is stable and healthy you can adjust it up or down based on your goals. Now that light is sorted you can focus on the most challenging part of a high energy tank: optimising CO2.


yes definitely... CO2 is the key just tell me, in your opinion where would be the best place to put skimmer :/ not sure about it...
I will update how the things are going  
Neb@


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## Libba (17 Aug 2021)

Neb@@ said:


> yes definitely... CO2 is the key just tell me, in your opinion where would be the best place to put skimmer :/ not sure about it...
> I will update how the things are going
> Neb@



I would put it on the back of the right panel and aimed towards the left panel so that its flow direction is moving left across the back of the tank. (Left and right as viewed from the front)

Does that make sense?

At the moment all of your flow is aimed into the front right corner.


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## Neb@@ (17 Aug 2021)

Libba said:


> I would put it on the back of the right panel and aimed towards the left panel so that its flow direction is moving left across the back of the tank. (Left and right as viewed from the front)
> 
> Does that make sense?
> 
> At the moment all of your flow is aimed into the front right corner.


That quite makes sense...actually I positioned with no brain - in left corner towards the right  - and probably messed the circulation :/
sure will try this, thanks


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## Neb@@ (19 Oct 2021)

Neb@@ said:


> Hello!
> I have been trying to figure out how to eradicate this green hair algae but still without success.
> Aquarium specs:
> 60L-60*30*36
> ...


Hello to all

quick update - someone may find it helpful I guess 
I changed my layout a bit, wood is out one nice seiryu stone is in. All infected plants are out, i introduced  Ludwigia, Alternathera mini, Staurogyne repens as well as Eleocharis montevidensis and rotala green.
Light- reduced intensity from 70% to 40% and light period from 8 to 7 hrs. now it is 50% intensity
I increased CO2 and my measurements (ph + kh) were somewhere between 25 and 30 ppm after that 
I also increased ferts - now I am adding 3 ml/day of Apt complete + easy carbo
I also changed position of skimmer to point in direction of inflow pipe..and one more thing I accidentaly realized - my glass inflow pipe broke and I put original Atman black plastic inflow pipe - and guess what - my flow from outflow pipe was way better...  so I left it though it is pretty ugly 
I have currently lot better situation with algae..green hair is there but not so much, also BGA appears but I think I will manage it with higher nitrates and regular water changes..that is it for now..

thanks guys
Neb@


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## PARAGUAY (19 Oct 2021)

Looks like good progress🙂


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## Neb@@ (19 Oct 2021)

PARAGUAY said:


> Looks like good progress🙂


Tnx mate, I hope I am on the right track 😂


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