# Staghorn and Hair Algae.



## Cyworld (19 Apr 2009)

I FINALLY get a decent amount of my glosso carpet and other plants growing and then I notice that there is staghorn algae choking my glosso and e. tennellus. Also, hair algae on my blyxas and ludwigias.  There is even a batch of hair algae growing on the side of my tank!    
Any ideas on how to GET RID OF IT and how it got to grow in my tank?


Thanks in advance.

p.s.,
Its also growing on my precious moss. 
BTW,
The ferst I'm using are ADA greent brighty step 2, ADA special lights, and TPN+.


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## Ed Seeley (19 Apr 2009)

You need to detail your CO2 as this is almost certainly a CO2 or flow issue.

More details please!


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## ceg4048 (19 Apr 2009)

Yep, 99.99% probability that this is poor CO2/flow. Turning down the lights will help as well.

Cheers,


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## Cyworld (19 Apr 2009)

Thanks for the reply guys.
I dont think its a flow issue cuz there is a spraybar across the tank.
I don't keep a bubble counter, instead I just use a speed controller and manually control the amount.
Could it be a dosing issue? Becuase I did kind of mess up my ferting schedule and some of my plant's growth have been stunted.
Should I be lowering my co2? or increasing it?


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## ceg4048 (19 Apr 2009)

Having a spraybar is nice but you also need to have sufficient flow form the filter as well. Assuming the filtration follows the 10X tank volume rule then you should be OK.

Unless you have misidentified the algae, Hair and staghorn are almost always associated with insufficient CO2, therefore increasing the CO2 is the correct response. CO2 should only ever be decreased if it becomes a toxicity issue with the fish.

Cheers,


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## Cyworld (19 Apr 2009)

Awesome. Thanks a ton for the advices.   
Just one last question.
Lets say that I increase co2 to the point where it won't get my fish high, will the increase in co2 cause any problems?

I'll get some pictures of my algae asap.


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## Ed Seeley (19 Apr 2009)

You really need to be measuring the CO2 in your tank and the best way to do that is to use a drop checker with 4dKH solution in it.  They're not expensive to buy and the glass ones even look pretty good in the tank.  Without one of those you cannot be sure of the level of CO2 in your tank.

Generally adding CO2 to 30ppm will not cause problems but solve them.  But without a drop checker you won't know if you've got 30ppm CO2!  A bubble rate is a nominal measurement that will differ from set up to set up.


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## Cyworld (22 Apr 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I think Ive got this weird co2 testing thingy. But it is orange. Is the 4dKH orange?
I just need to get a glass drop checker.

BtW,
I raised my co2. Just by looking at how much bubble is coming out, probably doubled the amount.
But algae is still in my tank. Im even pretty sure that there is more hair algae in the tank now.
I am planning to get around 10 amano shrimps.
Should I be dosing 5ml TPN+ everyday?
I just did a 50% wc yesterday and added 5 ml TPN+.


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## vauxhallmark (22 Apr 2009)

Cyworld said:
			
		

> Should I be dosing 5ml TPN+ everyday?
> I just did a 50% wc yesterday and added 5 ml TPN+.



Try and think for a minute about the questions you're asking before you post them. How can people advise you on the amount of TPN+ (or anything else for that matter) if they don't know the size of your tank?   

Especially when you're asking for help with a problem, you really need to provide as much diagnostic information as possible - basically all the details of your setup and how you're running it. If you posted on a medical forum complaining that you were overweight without specifying your height, what you're eating, and what exercise you're taking no one would be able to help you without having to ask at least all the above questions!

But, as a starting point on the dosing issue, on my medium light tank I dose TPN+ at a rate of 1ml per 20l of tank volume per day, with a 50% water change every 4-7 days. So on my 60l tank that's 3ml per day.

If I had a 100l tank I would start dosing 5ml per day, and see how that went.

Hope you get your tank sorted out - and I hope you don't feel ranted at, the fact is that the more information you provide, the better advice you will get from the people on this (or other) forums.

Best regards,

Mark


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## ceg4048 (22 Apr 2009)

Cyworld said:
			
		

> Thanks for the advice. I think Ive got this weird co2 testing thingy. But it is orange. Is the 4dKH orange?
> I just need to get a glass drop checker.


Hi Cyworld, it would be a really good idea to go to the tutorials section and read the article entitled CO2 MEASUREMENT USING A DROP CHECKER . The article will answer just about all of your questions.



			
				Cyworld said:
			
		

> ...I raised my co2. Just by looking at how much bubble is coming out, probably doubled the amount.But algae is still in my tank. Im even pretty sure that there is more hair algae in the tank now.


Well, CO2 is not a magic wand wielded by Gandalf The Gray. The algae will not simply disappear overnight just because you added CO2. You have to physically remove the algae that is present. Remove all affected leaves and perform some water changes. What you are doing by adding more CO2 would be equivalent to giving proper food to a malnourished person. They will not change from lean to portly overnight. In time, with added CO2 they will recover and will be able to resist the algae. Without having a clue of the CO2 level in the tank you are not even able to determine whether doubling the injection rate is enough. Your original rate might have been so low that doubling simply made changed it from being extremely poor to being merely inadequate. 

CO2 is THE single most component in your tank so you really need to take it seriously, otherwise your tank will become an algae farm. As Mark suggested it would be helpful if you can give us all the details of your tank such as it's size, the level and type of lighting and a description of your maintenance practices, otherwise any advice we provide would be based on guesswork.



			
				Cyworld said:
			
		

> I am planning to get around 10 amano shrimps.


I would strongly advise against getting anything until else you solve your algae problems. You have plenty of time to get shrimp but you might easily kill them with CO2. 

Also please be advised that fish do not get "high" from CO2. The toxic effects of CO2 for fish are similar to your being bitten by a cobra, which results in extreme pain and is hazardous.

Cheers,


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