# How to get rid of hair algae



## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

I seem to be finding chunk of black hair algae atached to some of the plants in my tank.. I started pullin git out as i find it..

How does one fully get rid of it?

The tank is 84G with a FX5 and CO2.. I haver 2x54W t5HO lights and does 5ml metracide 14, 8ml macros, 8ml micros (PPS-pro method)... 
My photo period was 10-am-9pm.. I just turned it down so it hsould be 11am-9pm as of tomorrow.


What is the most likely cuase of the hair algae?


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

I think its your photoperiod. Try cutting it down to 9 hours tops. Pull out what thread algae you can.

I had my photoperiod at 8 hours myself through the winter, put it up to 9 hours a month ago and saw an increase in algae. As of yesterday I'm back down to 8 hours.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Okay, ill change it from 12-9 . (still gets morning ambient sun light but that shouldnt make to big of a differance)

I may also up the metracide doseage to 10ml


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Ambient light will play a factor in all algae, maybe not so much as green algae on your glass from the window's perspective, but it won't help by allowing that.

Manually removal and spot treatment afterwards with metricide and a syringe on the effected areas, (even diluting it with tank water so you can slowly apply it I found can be effective) can help, but won't prevent it. As you mentioned you wanted to know what causes it, I don't know first hand, as there's likely more than just one factor (I've increased co2, decreased lighting periods\added interruptions inbetween\play with nutrients). Even if it was just fertilizers, it could be any combination of just not providing enough, if not too much of any single ingredient.

Realistically, once you get your light level(S) in check, dosing and CO2, you shouldn't need to use metricide. You've got your co2 system all done up, that reactor was pretty bad ass, so now it's just fine tuning the system for preventives like you want Sorry I don't have a definitive answer, but someone with successful experience will no doubt mention what they did.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Well I will try less light and more metracide for now (since i have it) and see what happens for a quick fix.. but Its always nice to know exactlay why and get rid of it for good.!

Next step will be playing with the ferts.. since i have it already mixed up.. it may be a bit before i can change the rations.. so just add more or less for now.

Macros (per 500ml water) dosed at ~ 8ml/day
K2SO4 - 29g
KNO3 - 33g
KH2PO4- 3g
MgSO4 -20G

Micros (per 500ml water) dosed at ~ 8ml/day
CSM+B 40g


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

I agree with effox. The metricide will help kill some of the algae but if you get your dosing, co2, and light balanced you won't need the metricide. I only use excel with dealing with algae blooms and with turning down co2 when introducing new fish. I have my 30 gal right next to my patio door with lots of ambient light. It gets lots of ambient light but minimal algae. It has about 30ppm of NO3 and 5ppm of PO4 at all times; dropchecker color is a forest green like yours; 2 T5HO bulbs but only at 8 hours a day. 
I think start with reducing your photoperiod. If that doesn't help with algae we can look at dosing. Then finally CO2 (assuming you want to limit this).


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

shift said:


> Well I will try less light and more metracide for now (since i have it) and see what happens for a quick fix.. but Its always nice to know exactlay why and get rid of it for good.!
> 
> Next step will be playing with the ferts.. since i have it already mixed up.. it may be a bit before i can change the rations.. so just add more or less for now.
> 
> ...


It's hard to determine how much you are putting in. Perhaps convert your measurements to ppm?

Calculator here will help: http://calc.petalphile.com/


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Agreed. I would immediately start with blocking out the ambient lighting though if it's only facing one pane on the (western side?) in the morning, it's not too much of an eye sore if you do that, but you can rule ambient light out as the cause and then work on your powered lighting from there. IF it's on the far side of the window that you're getting thread algae, then I'd say you can safely skip that advice.

Photo period is the first thing to start with as far as I'm concerned, I'm in full agreement with Reckon for that. I haven't used t5ho's, but I would suspect even if the output was extreme you could at least minimize that with lowering the hours. I've found that wiith a higher wattage output, but on a smaller tank, if I reduced it to 8 hours it worked out better. Less viewing time, but you can have it on a timer and put it on "pause" during cooking\eating or otherwise away time if you have a routine.


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

Mike from Petland Langley told me that Royal Plecos eat hair algae.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm more of a "prevent it from occurring" kind of person, but I'd also prefer it to be organic rather than chemically treated. The only offset with having a pleco is if it did in fact target that specific algae, would be the nitrates eventually produced beyond it's growing potential if it was a hungry hippo. You'd have to adjust your measurements at either rate at that point for dosing of nitrogen at least, which may be easier after the fact, but I'd start of with lighting personally.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

SO "pausing" the light, you mean turning it off for a few hours mid day? Would this mess with the fishes clock at all?

The window iis on the west side of the house, the tank i son the east.. it is offset from the window and doesn't really receive direct sunlight.. mainly ambient. when the blinds are open.

Calculations from the calculator link:

K2SO4 
Element ppm/degree
K 1.33
S 0.55

KNO3
Element ppm/degree
K 0.63
N 0.23
NO3 1.00

KH2PO4
Element ppm/degree
K 0.04
P 0.03
PO4 0.10

MgSO4 
Element ppm/degree
Mg 0.10
S 0.13
dGH 0.02


CSM+B 
Element ppm/degree
B 0.02
Cu 0.0014
Fe 0.10
Mg 0.02
Mn 0.03
Mo 0.0008
Zn 0.01
dGH 0.0049


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

The clean nice version of daily PPM

Mg	0.12
S	0.68
dGH	0.0249
K	2
N	0.23
NO3	1
P	0.03
PO4	0.1
B	0.02
Cu	0.0014
Fe	0.1
Mn	0
Mo	0.0008
Zn	0.01


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

What kind of plants are you growing? I personally never have trouble with algae, since I favour easy plants that grow very quickly, and out-compete the algae for nutrients... Maybe toss in some hornwort or elodea or something just until your algae problem is dealt with?

As for the photo period, it's my understanding that plants can only grow so much in a "day" (about six hours), and then they need to be in the dark (complete darkness, don't even turn the light on for a minute) for six hours, then they're ready to grow again... 
Algae doesn't need to sleep though, so if you're leaving the light on for ten hours, then your algae spends 40% more time growing than your plants do, which ends up with you being taken over by algae. 

So in theory you could set your timer to on six hours, off six hours twice a day, and get twice as much plant growth per day... Kinda like turning the lights on and off in a chicken coop to trick them into laying extra eggs. 
I don't know if that would be stressful for your fish or not, though.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

I'm awaful with knowning the plant names but there is a ton of hygro in the back which grows like a weed in the tank.. and is by far my fastest grower


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Your tank looks good. IMO algea is part of having a fish tank. It grows in rivers and lakes in the wild so expecting it to not grow at all in our fish tanks is silly. Hair algea can be a nuisance and Ive found that most of the time it shows up in a tank that hasnt been getting enough water changes, too long of a photo period or the tank is too close to a window. Also Ive read that flake fish food is full of phosphates which algea loves. Every tank I setup for someone I strongly recomend using only pellet foods. It seems to make a difference from what Ive seen. My mom has a nice planted tank. Shes 62 years old. Only feeds pellet food and I do a water change once a month for her. She has no algea. She has what I call a well rounded little eco system with bottom feeders, mid swimmers, top swimmers and an algea eater. Perfect balance of fish. My dad doesnt listen to me works on his own tank. Over feeds flake food and always has hair algea. His tank is also near a window. If you read the labels on fish food you will see how much fill is actually in fish food. Most of the fill is useless to fish and just creates waste in the tank. You end up over feeding all the time because the fish are always hungry and pooping. 

Also if you are dosing co2 and adding metricide that could cause fluctuations. Im not saying you shouldnt double dose. Ive read adding organic carbon is beneficial to the plants but that might be something to look more into. It doesnt seem like to many people use both.

Also I didnt seen anyone recomending a UV light. I know they dont kill Hair Algea. From what Ive seen on my planted African tank that has a UV. The water quality seems to be better for longer even if I miss water changes. Which in turn helps fight off any algea that is trying to take over my tank. My African tank is spotless. My 25g Co2 tank sometimes has algea issues. Especially if I neglect it. It doesnt have a UV. 

Anyhow just my 2 cents. 

Good luck with the tank


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Thanks for the explaniation.. The only real reason i'm double dosing.. (low does of metracide) is because i bought a gallon of it before i had co2.. so mind as well use it.. I could use it in the smaller tanks but i have never bother to dose ferts in them.

I bumped my lighting down from 10- to 9 hours and did a 15 gallon ish water change today... so i will take baby steps and see what changes.. 

Just an observation but it only appears to be in the top 1/3 of the tank closer to the light (on plant leaves, driftwood, canister outflow).. ect


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

shift said:


> Thanks for the explaniation.. The only real reason i'm double dosing.. (low does of metracide) is because i bought a gallon of it before i had co2.. so mind as well use it.. I could use it in the smaller tanks but i have never bother to dose ferts in them.
> 
> I bumped my lighting down from 10- to 9 hours and did a 15 gallon ish water change today... so i will take baby steps and see what changes..
> 
> Just an observation but it only appears to be in the top 1/3 of the tank closer to the light (on plant leaves, driftwood, canister outflow).. ect


Good idea to cut back photo period. 8hrs is all my tanks get. Pick the hair algea off with your fingers if you can and cut off any leaves that have it that you cant pick it off. See if it comes back. A few minor changes can go along way.


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