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Hair algae [emoji51]

alex_l

alex_l

Member
Joined
12 Mar 2023
Messages
78
Location
UK
Hi all,

Any advice on what to try to rid me of this algae, please?

This is in my son's 54 litre. It's a Tetra starter tank with their LED... there are French doors around 2m away, curtains are usually partially closed.

Split photo-period of 8 hours over 3 sessions.

There's hornwort, java fern and frogbit competing for nutrients and PhosNitra chemical filtration in the filter.

Low tech, no ferts used.

I've got a couple of small amano shrimp in there but they've not made a dint... I'm thinking of adding more to give them confidence to come out and graze!

I'm reluctant to use a chemical treatment... I'd ideally like to lose the hair algae but keep whatever that beautiful algae is that is forming a lawn on the AT-AT decoration, as you see here.

Inhabitants are a few male guppy, a honey gourami, three nerite snails and some shrimp.

Thanks!



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The offending algae...
a615238a97442a13f2a9b97ce0380541.jpg


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Hello,

Can you please post a full picture of your tank? Is the tank CO2 injected? How old is the tank?

In general, one way to manage algae is to reduce light intensity. This said I would start by manually removing the algae. You can use an old toothbrush, it makes it easier. The chemical approach is not something I recommend as a first solution since that will just temporarily remove the algae and will not address the underlying cause.
 

Please read the guidelines for Algae help!

Dear Member Please give as many details as possible regarding your aquarium set-up, when requiring advice/help! The above will be posted at the start of each help request. Why do we ask these questions? It will stop the member posting multiple times, plus adviser's don't need to scroll through...
www.ukaps.org
 
1. 54 litres
2. 3 months old
3. Fluval U2 internal canister
4. Basic Tetra LED, 8 hours over three sessions
5. Inert sand
6. No CO2
7. No ferts
8. 15% weekly change, hard tap water, no nitrates in tap water
9. Java fern, hornwort, amazon frogbit, 3 months ago
10. N/A
11. 6 male guppy, 1 honey gourami, five shrimp, 3 nerites
12. Images to follow

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Three things l would change have a settled non interrupted photoperiod, although lighting siestas can work, Start an all in one fertiliser regime, Remove as much algae as advised above,add some more fast growers Hygro Polysmerma edxample
 
alex_l said:
2. 3 months old
Click to expand...
alex_l said:
5. Inert sand
Click to expand...
alex_l said:
7. No ferts
Click to expand...
alex_l said:
no nitrates in tap water
Click to expand...
I understand your plants are not high demanding plants, however the 4 quotes above are red flags. Plants need food and you are providing none (substrate or water column). Relying on fish alone will not cut it. So as Paraguay said, you should start adding some juice to the water and to avoid excessive algae you would also need to have faster growing plants.
 
Last edited:
Hey all,

About to do the school run then work so I'll read and digest your replies properly later.

Here are some quick snaps I took now the lights are on

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Hi all,
@alex_l that honestly looks fine, I'd actually look at the green algae as quite a good sign. Because it is quite a recently set up tank have a look at <"seasoned tank time">.

<"It (green algae) is a "plant"> and it just shows that you have all the requirements for plant growth. I'd just remove the obvious long strands and I use @Hanuman 's "toothbrush technique" as well. If you let the Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) grow across more of the surface it will act as a <"net curtain">.

Just like the others have said, I'd also start adding an <"all in one"> fertiliser. You dose it at quite a low rate, it just ensures that your plants <"have all the essential nutrients"> they need.
alex_l said:
hard tap water, no nitrates in tap water
Click to expand...
Where (which region) do you live? The only reason for asking is that there is virtually no hard tap water in the UK that doesn't <"have a measurable amount of nitrate (NO3-)">. You should be able to get values from your water company, I don't trust home test kits, because there are <"some issue with nitrate testing">.
alex_l said:
and PhosNitra chemical filtration in the filter.
Click to expand...
This one is a bit more serious, whoever persuaded you to buy this product really didn't have your best interests at heart, they just saw <"an opportunity to sell you a product">. You don't need it, you never need it, nobody ever needs it, it is a <"totally useless product">.

Nitrate (NO3-) and phosphate (PO4---) are two of the three macronutrients that plants need most of. Plants reduce the levels of nutrients, and <"floating plants"> reduce them most efficiently.

cheers Darrel
 
Thank you all for your replies

I am near Lincoln... our waterboard is Anglian Water. I'll look up their stats online as I know I saw them before as I wanted to see what they rated our hardness at. I never thought to look at the nitrates at the time.

My test kit is NT labs, for what it's worth. I wish someone would invent something accurate and digital for home use

I need to read over all the advice given a couple of times and then make the changes... my brain is absolutely frazzled just now but I have time off later this week.

But I do use this liquid fertiliser in my main tank... I'm guessing a squirt of this a day might do the trick?

Thanks so much!
194166f7ec7f4f3fea2787353e9a30e6.jpg


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alex_l said:
I'm guessing a squirt of this a day might do the trick?
Click to expand...
It doesn't contain nitrate or phosphate so not a "complete" fertilizer.
That said if your tap contains a decent amount of nitrate and will likely have a fair amount of phosphate, it should be ok for your sons tank for now.

No idea of % but here's what nutrients are in it for the curious:

Composition
Free from Nitrate, Phosphate & Silicate

Macronutrients:

K - Potassium, Mg - Magnesium, SO4 - Sulfate

Micronutrients:

B - Boron, Co - Cobalt, Cu - Copper, Fe - Iron, Mn - Manganese, Mo - Molybdenum, Zn - Zinc
 
Hi all,
alex_l said:
I am near Lincoln... our waterboard is Anglian Water.
Click to expand...
You will have quite a lot of nitrate (NO3-) in your tap water, particularly at this time of year the value could be near the drinking water limit of 50 ppm. It is the nutrients in your tap water that have allowed to your plants to keep growing.
alex_l said:
But I do use this liquid fertiliser in my main tank... I'm guessing a squirt of this a day might do the trick?
Click to expand...
Probably will do the trick.
John q said:
No idea of % but here's what nutrients are in it for the curious:
Composition
Free from Nitrate, Phosphate & Silicate
Macronutrients:
K - Potassium, Mg - Magnesium, SO4 - Sulfate
Micronutrients:
B - Boron, Co - Cobalt, Cu - Copper, Fe - Iron, Mn - Manganese, Mo - Molybdenum, Zn - Zinc
Click to expand...
Another competitor in the <"World's most expensive water"> contest.

cheers Darrel
 
Brilliant info as ever, thank you so much!!

Both tanks are due some TLC on Thursday so I'll have a read over the other threads and do some research with a cuppa while doing the water changes

Thank you!!

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