Hair algae can be helpful?

[lance]

Hi fellows,

just a wild thought... Hair algae can be helpful if we keep them under control?

My riccia lawn is now entangled with hair algae. I'v removed most of the outgrowing hair algae and the remaining ones help to cement my riccia nicely in the lawn (i'v grown them out of meshes tied to stones).

My points:
1. Hair algae is not that unsightly. they are just like thin green threads. we use threads to tie our moss and riccia to driftwoods anyway, they are more an eyesore than the hair algae.

2. Hair algae is quite easy to remove. just use a toothbrush to pull them up (turn the toothbrush and wrap the algae around it first)


I'v read in this forum where some members suggested throwing the riccia away once they are infested with hair algae. Why so? My riccia is still pearling with photosynthesis and growing well.

am i missing out anything? will appreciate any counterpoints.

thanks :>

[lance]

Hi fellows,

just a wild thought... Hair algae can be helpful if we keep them under control?

My riccia lawn is now entangled with hair algae. I'v removed most of the outgrowing hair algae and the remaining ones help to cement my riccia nicely in the lawn (i'v grown them out of meshes tied to stones).

My points:
1. Hair algae is not that unsightly. they are just like thin green threads. we use threads to tie our moss and riccia to driftwoods anyway, they are more an eyesore than the hair algae.

2. Hair algae is quite easy to remove. just use a toothbrush to pull them up (turn the toothbrush and wrap the algae around it first)


I'v read in this forum where some members suggested throwing the riccia away once they are infested with hair algae. Why so? My riccia is still pearling with photosynthesis and growing well.

am i missing out anything? will appreciate any counterpoints.

thanks :>

[lance]

Hi fellows,

just a wild thought... Hair algae can be helpful if we keep them under control?

My riccia lawn is now entangled with hair algae. I'v removed most of the outgrowing hair algae and the remaining ones help to cement my riccia nicely in the lawn (i'v grown them out of meshes tied to stones).

My points:
1. Hair algae is not that unsightly. they are just like thin green threads. we use threads to tie our moss and riccia to driftwoods anyway, they are more an eyesore than the hair algae.

2. Hair algae is quite easy to remove. just use a toothbrush to pull them up (turn the toothbrush and wrap the algae around it first)


I'v read in this forum where some members suggested throwing the riccia away once they are infested with hair algae. Why so? My riccia is still pearling with photosynthesis and growing well.

am i missing out anything? will appreciate any counterpoints.

thanks :>

[lance]

Hi fellows,

just a wild thought... Hair algae can be helpful if we keep them under control?

My riccia lawn is now entangled with hair algae. I'v removed most of the outgrowing hair algae and the remaining ones help to cement my riccia nicely in the lawn (i'v grown them out of meshes tied to stones).

My points:
1. Hair algae is not that unsightly. they are just like thin green threads. we use threads to tie our moss and riccia to driftwoods anyway, they are more an eyesore than the hair algae.

2. Hair algae is quite easy to remove. just use a toothbrush to pull them up (turn the toothbrush and wrap the algae around it first)


I'v read in this forum where some members suggested throwing the riccia away once they are infested with hair algae. Why so? My riccia is still pearling with photosynthesis and growing well.

am i missing out anything? will appreciate any counterpoints.

thanks :>

[vinz]

It's a personal preference... most ppl find that algae is an eyesore and a pest. If you feel that algae can help you and you don't mind seeing them there, then by all means keep them.

I wish my cichlid tank would grow a nice layer of green furry algae on the rocks, but unfortunately all I get are ugly brown/black/greenish mats that pollute the water when they die. []

[juggler]

Lance: I have experience those hair-like stringy algae choking my Rotala sp. "Mayaca". As for the Riccia entangled with the algae, it blocked out some light and eventually the Riccia did not do as well.

[lance]

Hi Juggler,

so when your riccia didn't do as well, are they still growing? or bubbling?

besides throwing away the riccia with hair algae, what are the other ways of controlling this "problem"?

i wonder if algae eating fishes like Mollies, Ottos eat hair algae. i heard they only eat specific kind of algae.

[benetay]

seen my rocket pencil fish eating hair algae but it's usually more hair algae then the pencil fish can consume. Even with 10 pencil they can't even clean the amount of hair algae size of a thumb.