How can I get rid of this?

[Thomsk]

Hello.
This is my first tank and is around 5 months old, but the last month I been getting more and more hair on my plants. I know that my sword is close to the light but I'm also getting the same stuff on my crypts. Will shrimps eat this?

1. 180 liter Juwel vision
3. Canister filter
4. 7 hours light
5. Sand
6. No Co2
7. 2 ML Tropica specialized fert every day
8. 2 weeks between water change
9. Planted 5 months ago with swords, crypts, anubias, rotala (not doing well) and Limnophila sessiliflora
11. 2 Molly, 1 Brittlenose, 14 Black neon, 6 Cory, 9 Rosy tetra and 4 nerite

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi
As you are not dosing Co2 I would remove the Rotala....and swap with Ludwigia Mini Super Red or similar.
When was the last time you cleaned the filter?
What filter media are you using in the canister?

 

[Cazza]

I would make small adjustments, one at a time, and be patient e.g. add some floating plants, add more fast growers (hydrocotyl, hygro polysperma etc) reduce the light intensity (and possibly extend the hours), reduce ferts (every other day?), water change every week, add some amanos. There are a lot of tweeks you can try.

Have you made any changes recently? I had a similar outbreak of BBA a few weeks ago, which was a direct result of increasing the light intensity and removing most of my floaters, to try to increase plant growth. So, I reversed those changes and it's almost gone now in two weeks. I've also added a couple of Amano Shrimp.

 

[Thomsk]

Hello, I did a full cleaning of the canister April 17th
The media got a rinse a week ago, but I haven't swapped it since it was set up 5 months ago. I have Eheim mech and substrat with a course filter.
I haven't made any change recently. The light intensity is 70%.
What floating plants would you recommend and would two Amano be enough?
Thx.

 

[Cazza]

Amazon Frogbit and Dwarf Water Lettuce are a good shout. They have the added bonus of What is the “Duckweed Index” all about?

I'd probably go with 4 Amanos in that size tank. Good idea to make sure there's nowhere they can climb out!

 

[hypnogogia]

The Eheim mesh and Subtrat won’t need changing as they serve as biological filter media. The course filter just needs to be rinsed every now and then.

 

[Thomsk]

Can I get cherry shrimp instead or are they not as effective?

 

[Cazza]

Get both! Cherry Shrimp are great and you could easily get a colony going, so long as none of the fish are voracious enough to wipe them out. I've got Lemon and Cardinal Tetras and they don't touch them. I started with 10 and have now got around 70! Amanos are much better at dealing with the tougher algae, though.

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi I would purchase some fine filter floss or
JBL SymecMicro, Microfibre fleece... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000H6SSSS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
and add that to the top of the canister!