# Zinc Oxide against hair algae



## Martin in Holland (6 Jul 2015)

Did anyone here ever tried zinc oxide (ZnO) for treating hair algae?...just wonder if this would really work and how to dose it. I've read about it a while ago ad I also would like to know if it effects other plants in a negative way.


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## zozo (6 Jul 2015)

I wonder how they would administer it, it seems to be insoluble in water.


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## Martin in Holland (6 Jul 2015)

It's a dry powder, but I guess it will be difficult to dissolve just as CaCO3 is.


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## zozo (6 Jul 2015)

Well if you look up wiki it says impossible to dissolve..  Sinc Hydroxide maybe could be the nearest alternative to poisen your tank. Never heard of sinc herbicide against algae did once read something about copper sulfate mixed with calcium hydroxyde or something being effective as fungi & algicide..

Here is a read about algae control and farmers health. There are several products put to the test 
https://books.google.nl/books?id=0M...ide&hl=nl&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Simazide&f=false


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## Martin in Holland (7 Jul 2015)

I need to find that article of that Dutch guy who was talking about that he used zinc oxide of some sort in his tank.


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## Martin in Holland (7 Jul 2015)

Found it....http://bart-laurens.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=30...it's only in Dutch...maybe Google translate can help.


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## zozo (7 Jul 2015)

Interesting. he even says it's a well known product from the old days to use as algaecide. Never heard of it, but that's maybe i'm not the powder type nor like to put my problems in a bottle. The only bottle i ever used is H202. 

Here is an other nice dutch read about zinc in water (not aquarium related)
http://www.lenntech.nl/periodiek/water/zink/zink-en-water.htm

Seems Ph values and temperature are important for solvability. even they say contradictively Zinc Oxide is unsolvable with a solvability of 580g/l. strange guys those chemists why cant they make up their mind.

And now im under impressions.. I'm patting myself on the back for years that i always keep my old Zinc pond tub in the garden free of algae. lol.


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## Martin in Holland (8 Jul 2015)

Maybe the zinc just floats around in the tank and attaches to the hair algae which they don't like...???
I'm not having a hair algae problem (yet) but there are some strings in the moss which I like to kill before I do my re-scape.


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## zozo (8 Jul 2015)

Zinc Oxyde seems indeed to have some fungicide and algaecide properties and it indeed still seems to go around in the pond world as a white miracle powder against algae and pond cleaning product.. Known products are "Algae Away" - "White Powder" (with some Jap symbols and stating it's miniral clay powder, but it isn't calcium chloride is added that's it) - "Eco Pure" with jap koi symbols seems to be a home brand from a not by name mentioned Dutch Koi Company..

but has an GHS Classification in Category 1: Carcinogenic - Dangerous for the environment (N) Fire Daimond - NFPA704

H/R Phrase - H410 - R50/53 - Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.

Because it is an unsolvable powder it has also cleaning properties and polishes the filter hoses clean. So it stays as a fine grainded residue in the soil, fish eat it and the zinc will accumulate in the organs such as the liver and possibly cause ill effects in long term and a slow painfull dead.

If you find or get offered a white powder as algaecide rub it between your fingers and it feels kinda greasy and smooth like baby powder. And your fingers repel water after that it most likely contains Zinc Oxide.

If you still like to poison your aquatic lifestock with it, you can buy it almost at any regular drugstore for 1/10 of the price. So it can be bought anywhere but it's more common sense that a aquarium or pond shop should not recomend and sell it as algaecide because of the above properties of the product. I guess it's also the reason why there is so little information to be found how it actualy works as a product to kill algea because of the hazard classification.

Now that said .. I lately tried H202 for the first time against clado and staghorn in my moss and plants, it works pretty good on staghorn don't need more than a small dose the moss can take that. Clado is harder to kill and needs an extra treat but that also did kill some of my moss especialy the liverwort, killed 90% of my Pelia with the extra treat. So if i used the sciccors instead on the pelia i would have saved more than i did with the H202. I also did spray some around during a water change on hardware and some plant leaves they took it well. Only the Potamogeton gayi was almost killed by it.

So i never use it again on moss and rather not advice to use peroxide on moss, it definitively damages it. Maybe more than a pair of sciccors does if you use a pinch to much.


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## Martin in Holland (8 Jul 2015)

Thanks zozo for this info on the topic...I do not want to harm my fish in any way, so I will look for some other ways to minimize the hair algae before replanting them in the new scape.


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## ian_m (8 Jul 2015)

Interesting that it is dangerous to aquatic organisms yet is put in food as whitener and as a zinc supplement as well as being used for numerous medicinal applications.


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## zozo (8 Jul 2015)

ian_m said:


> Interesting that it is dangerous to aquatic organisms yet is put in food as whitener and as a zinc supplement as well as being used for numerous medicinal applications.



As what i understand of it in laiman terms the ZnO isn't toxic by itself because it's pretty much insolvable and only will or could breakdown in certain acidic or alkalic solutions in nutral water it will do nothing  much. But again in higly carbonated water it slowly breaks down, that's why zinc pipes are no longer in use as water piping for households.

That's probably why ZnO is used in medical and cosmetic oinments and such for outside use. It even seems to be used as a growth stimulant in cattle food.

A human body contains 2,3 grams of zinc and it an important stimulant for enzymens and hormones like insuline. Depending on you body weight 4 - 8 grams intake of zinc will be an over dose. So in small daily amounts few mg is healthy.

So the danger is  putting it in an uncontroled way in an aquatic inveronment you'll never know when the livestock will get to much and suffer an overdose they don't ask just suck in and swallow whats presented on the dinner plate. In acidic higly carbonated water the danger is even higher.. It start to dismantle around Ph 6 and than again at Ph 11 in between it stays as is. SO you never want to much in your gut..


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