What are the effective ways of getting rid of hair algae in shrimp tank

[es88k]

Hello all,

I have read quite a few threads here about this hair algae here and most of them end up without a complete answer that I need.

I try to sum up what have I learn and hope to get a more conclude answer.

For a shrimp tank, the hair algae like to grow on the moss, I understand the ways of getting rid of them are :

a) Black out for 3 days : But I do not know what happen after that, the algae just gone without a trace or there will be the dead algae to remove from tank.

b) Increase the CO2 : I have some problem understand as I may not understand how algae is form, but to me, is the plant, is just a unwanted plant. More CO2 to me means more chance to do photosynthesis, how will it get rid of the algae?

C) Use of chemical : stright forward, but in a shrimp tank, try not to.

d) Add shrimps : Yamato or malayan shrimps. May not clear all but seems effective. The problem that comes into my mind is how to take them off after they help me clean the algae ? shrimp thank usually has a lot of hiding space (like mine). But I do not want to run after them to take them out as that might cause the change in water parameter due to the cat and mouse chase and the re-arrangement of the plants. Also read that they will distub the shrimplets if they do not have enough food, so is not wise to leave them in the same tank. Some say no problem, some say they saw it.

e) Add endlers : 2 conclusions I got, 1) most of them eat the algae, but some did not, depend on .... luck ? no idea at all. 2) Endlers may disturb the shrimplets as well causing no new generation of shrimps.

f) Take out the plant, put it in bleech, remove the algae manually.

Of all the above mentioned, maybe the last one is the best, but, but, but , but I really do not want to do that, I can give a dozen of excuse for that but the reason may be only 1, that is lazy.

I really do not want to go into the discussion of the amount of effort = the degree of beauty in the tank here, I just wish to seek your experience advise on the above mentioned methods to see if I have any wrong understanding so that I can make a decision on which method to use or is there a better way to get rid of the hair algae

Thanks
EK

[barmby]

Hi EK,

Sad to hear about your plight. After reading. I can conclude. The shrimps are very important.

Short term solution I suggest is manual removal, and other means of killing the algae through spraying of Excel at infected spot.

Since shrimps are priority. Keep plants that suit to this style. Go low tech. Forget about CO2. Slow down the light. And algae will take long time to break in.

Either way, high tech means CO2 with good lights with chiller.. You have to look at that from a plant perspective. We grow plants here. Everything else becomes secondary includes the shrimp.... Therefore: need KH/PH chart to determine that you have sufficient CO2 (20-30ppm) through out the lighting period. Once you get it. you slowly adjust your fertilization until the plant has progress.

Anyway, immediate solution is manual removal. whatever is there will be there unless you do it. or endler do it. or other algae eater do it.. the fact is algae can be growing too fast in which your algae cleaning crew cannot handle..

so... back to KH/PH chart..

It goes on and on ..

[Shadow]

I'm trying to answer your question one by one if possible but please note it may not be 100% correct . Will try my best

a) Black out for 3 days : But I do not know what happen after that, the algae just gone without a trace or there will be the dead algae to remove from tank.

Black out will kill algae because algae do not have the ability to store energy. Thus without light they will die first and shrimps or other algae eater will finished them off. Some would say that algae will come back after black out because algae recover faster. After the black out plant will take time to recover.

b) Increase the CO2 : I have some problem understand as I may not understand how algae is form, but to me, is the plant, is just a unwanted plant. More CO2 to me means more chance to do photosynthesis, how will it get rid of the algae?

Increase CO2 is not directly kill algae but it will prevent algae to grow further. If you dose enough fertilizer into your tank and algae still growing, it is most likely due do CO2 limited. Thus increasing CO2 will help. By increasing CO2 plant will grow healthier and hopefully out compete algae. You and other algae eater still need to do manual algae removal before it completely disappear.

C) Use of chemical : stright forward, but in a shrimp tank, try not to.

No comment.

d) Add shrimps : Yamato or malayan shrimps. May not clear all but seems effective. The problem that comes into my mind is how to take them off after they help me clean the algae ? shrimp thank usually has a lot of hiding space (like mine). But I do not want to run after them to take them out as that might cause the change in water parameter due to the cat and mouse chase and the re-arrangement of the plants. Also read that they will distub the shrimplets if they do not have enough food, so is not wise to leave them in the same tank. Some say no problem, some say they saw it.

Personally never have problem with them, but you can catch them using trap.

e) Add endlers : 2 conclusions I got, 1) most of them eat the algae, but some did not, depend on .... luck ? no idea at all. 2) Endlers may disturb the shrimplets as well causing no new generation of shrimps.

Endlers most likely will eat your shrimplets

f) Take out the plant, put it in bleech, remove the algae manually.

Only work in hardy plant like fern or Anubias. Also if not wash properly it might kill you shrimps.

[beetroot]

hello!

here's a thread that we can refer to:
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...985#post452985

as for catching the shrimps, the trap that Shadow mentioned is like this:
http://www.planetinverts.com/DIY_Shrimp_Trap.html

good luck in your fight!

[vt_snowman87]

have anyone tried Neocaridina Heteropoda, aka wild cherry.. they are also named algae shrimps and i remember my dad used to use this species of shrimps to control algae..

i am intending to add them in large amounts to my CRS tank to battle hair algae..

[Shadow]

I would say most of shrimp will help clean algae, it is just Yamato is strongger, more appetite and faster .

[vt_snowman87]

I would say most of shrimp will help clean algae, it is just Yamato is strongger, more appetite and faster .

but yamatos are BIG BULLYS, haha very undesirable for CRS especially, seen them snatching, picking, and disturbing any CRS in their way..

[Shadow]

yeah they will fight for food

[es88k]

Black out will kill algae because algae do not have the ability to store energy. Thus without light they will die first and shrimps or other algae eater will finished them off. Some would say that algae will come back after black out because algae recover faster. After the black out plant will take time to recover.

OK, Understand. Should worth a try, the only thing to watch out is to not to weaken other plants.

Increase CO2 is not directly kill algae but it will prevent algae to grow further. If you dose enough fertilizer into your tank and algae still growing, it is most likely due do CO2 limited. Thus increasing CO2 will help. By increasing CO2 plant will grow healthier and hopefully out compete algae. You and other algae eater still need to do manual algae removal before it completely disappear.

I do not use any fert of any kind. Does this means that increase in CO2 may not be the solution in this case ?

Personally never have problem with them, but you can catch them using trap.

Will refer to beetroot link

Endlers most likely will eat your shrimplets

That is what I understand and worried as well.

Only work in hardy plant like fern or Anubias. Also if not wash properly it might kill you shrimps.

Oh yes, Thanks for the reminder. I have 1 more excuse not to do it manually.

hello!

here's a thread that we can refer to:
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...985#post452985

as for catching the shrimps, the trap that Shadow mentioned is like this:
http://www.planetinverts.com/DIY_Shrimp_Trap.html

good luck in your fight!

Thanks for both link. Some how I missed the first thread after using the search function. Will study hard.

yeah they will fight for food

Fighting for food is a good chance to get them (maybe) but I worried that before they fight, they will fill themselves up with the shirmplets.

More suggestions are welcome
Will spent some time on the link and work it out

Thank you
EK

[es88k]

g) Let BGA thrive over BBA

Oh I really hope that the hair algae has somthing like that, the I will for sure use your method G

EK

[Shadow]

No fert? how many watt is the light?

[es88k]

Lights are as above. 60 cm


My tank 60 X 30 X 36 cm

I would say that my light are not that strong. On for 8 hrs per day(1000hrs - 1200hrs & 1800hrs - 0000hrs) daily. CO2 at 0.2bps through difuser with surface skimmer (CO2 may not loss as much as they are block by the frogbits)

EK

[Shadow]

is that 2x24W or 3x24W or 4x24 watt?

[es88k]

2 X 24 W

only 2 tubes inside

[ghim]

Try increasing your CO2 to 1-2bps. If you are serious of making this a shrimp tank, then forget about the CO2.

Do a manual clean up by taking out the moss and treat them with chemical. Wash them clean. Then perform a 50% water change. Afterwhich you can put back the moss.

You will have to repeat these steps a few times. BBA will be very much controlled in time to come.

It took me months before the BBA in my tank became under-control.

[Shadow]

Even if yuo want to do siesta, you should turn on yiur light at keast 4 hours.

your CO2, 0.2bps is way too low but your drop checker color is yellow. did you use kH = 4 in the drop checker?

[Philosophos]

CO2 is the problem. You will see the amount of algae reduce in the aquarium as you turn it up. CO2 makes sure that the plants are out-competing the algae in terms of speed of growth; they'll choke them out for light and space. CO2 is the limiting nutrient; you've got enough of everything else, but the plants can't use it fast enough because of the lack of CO2.

Give this a read. This is the official article/thread for EI, and it covers algae-CO2 relationship: http://www.barrreport.com/estimative...test-kits.html

-Philosophos

[es88k]

Even if yuo want to do siesta, you should turn on yiur light at keast 4 hours.

your CO2, 0.2bps is way too low but your drop checker color is yellow. did you use kH = 4 in the drop checker?

My light and CO2 are working 8hrs a day.

hehehehee just to refresh you a little, take a glance at this:

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=47135

But I did not use 4:4 drops as it is too concentrated and the color is too dark, cannot tell the difference. I used 2 drops of solution and the rest(more than 10 drops)are KH4. I think it still works, right?

By the way, Usually how often do u need to change the solution in the checker before it becomes not effective?

I add in the frogbits this week and slowly the check turn yellow, without them, is greenish, that is why I said the CO2 was trap by the frogbits and absob by the water.

CO2 is the problem. You will see the amount of algae reduce in the aquarium as you turn it up. CO2 makes sure that the plants are out-competing the algae in terms of speed of growth; they'll choke them out for light and space. CO2 is the limiting nutrient; you've got enough of everything else, but the plants can't use it fast enough because of the lack of CO2.

Give this a read. This is the official article/thread for EI, and it covers algae-CO2 relationship: http://www.barrreport.com/estimative...test-kits.html

-Philosophos

I am quite reluctant to increase the CO2 bubble rate, reason being that my KH and GH is very low, less than 1dgh. the buffer is not there, even with the 0.2bps, my Ph still drops 0.2-0.3 when the light and CO2 is turn On. If I do further increase in CO2, I worried that the high swing in the ph level will kill my shrimps.

I also need to recheck my drop checker instructon manual again, If I remember correctly, the chart says that blue is lack CO2, Green is OK while yellow (like mine) is too much....

EK

[Shadow]

it is interesting to know that you got yellow color with only 0.2bps with diffuser some more. Unless you inject CO2 24 hours.

If you are using ADA soil, you no need to worry about pH swing due to low kH. ADA soil have pH buffering capability.

[es88k]

I am using Magic soil. 8 hrs of light and CO2

EK