green beard and hair algae help!

[Jovel]

Hey guys! i seems like some green beard and hair algae is growing on my rocks and side of the soil, and green fuzzy hair on my hc. how do i remove them safely and stop them from growing? I got some crs in my tank which I dont want to risk chemicals... pls help!

[Kyrojinx]

I also had that problem. Couldn't get rid of totally. To limit it's growth I cut down feeding to twice a week and lowered lighting period to 4 hrs daily. But one idea from a thread I read was to use a toothbrush. Brushed it against problem areas and twirl around gently. That helped remove quite a bit from my fissidens. IMO was pretty effective

[weijie1986]

will adding 2 yamato helps?
i treat my BBA problem by using yamato and SAE
Cant really just count on Otto alone

[Jovel]

hmm, i alrdy got 3 ottos and 4 yamatos in the tank but they aint doing crap haha! but my 4 nerites are actually eating them o.o

the thing is i also want to know how to control them without risking an algae bloom, and it seems to be spreading little fuzzy hairs on my hc which the nerites dont seem to bother to climb onto the patch. hmm.

[Shadow]

Unfortunately ottos will not eat any algae except brown algae or diatoms. Pick your algae crew wisely

[Navanod]

Quick way:
Overdose Seachem excel for a few days. Use the dose recommended for after a water change instead of the usual dose. Stop if the HC starts to turn yellow.

Slow way:
Throw in frogbits and hornworts to soak up excess nutrients and compete with the algae and try to balance the NPK ratio back to the recommended EI doses.

[Jovel]

Quick way:
Overdose Seachem excel for a few days. Use the dose recommended for after a water change instead of the usual dose. Stop if the HC starts to turn yellow.

Slow way:
Throw in frogbits and hornworts to soak up excess nutrients and compete with the algae and try to balance the NPK ratio back to the recommended EI doses.

Im using borneowild growth which is liquid carbon, with some other trace elements like calcium and magnesium, i suppose its the same right? just afraid that my crs cant take it.

threw some duckweeds and frogbits in there already, how do i know whether NPK ratio is ok?

[Navanod]

Yea, its very tricky once you have CRS in the tank...
Erm, I wouldn't recommend duckweeds...they're a bigger headache than algae!

Are you dosing any other macro nutrient ferts?
NPK ratio can be tested using test kits for Nitrate (try to keep within 30ppm, anything more is algae food and is bad for shrimps) & Phosphate (1-2ppm). When P is deficient, most other algae stops growing and green spot algae starts taking over from my limited experience. I am quite happy to deal with only the green spots. At least they can be scrubbed off and snails eat them, but most of the other plants will also stop growing so its not a long term solution to limit P.

K is kinda fuzzy to test for but plant growth kinda stops or slows significantly if K is deficient. I use my hornwort as a way of telling. The hornwort normally grows like crazy even without CO2 and require frequent trimming, so if they suddenly slows down, something is wrong. You can probably use frogbits too for this purpose. The good thing about potassium is that it is not very toxic to shrimps so we can safely just add according to the instructions without worrying too much about overdosing. I've not heard of a high K contributing to algae bloom either. If you are able to calculate your K dosing, try to maintain 10-30ppm.

Concentrate on getting your plant mass to grow and grow healthily, thats the best way to prevent algae, through competition from healthy plants. In the beginning, when your HC mass is low, you can add fast growing plants that are easy to remove later, such as frogbit. I strongly suggest you decide whether the tank is for CRS or for HC and get rid of the other. I had been able to maintain both in my scape for about a year but it was back breaking work and in the end I removed most of the CRS as they were not breeding well. The HC was gone recently due to stoppage of power supply for 3 times of 12 hours each (to service the aging switchboard for the block). Everything melted. haiz...

[Jovel]

Yea, its very tricky once you have CRS in the tank...
Erm, I wouldn't recommend duckweeds...they're a bigger headache than algae!

Are you dosing any other macro nutrient ferts?
NPK ratio can be tested using test kits for Nitrate (try to keep within 30ppm, anything more is algae food and is bad for shrimps) & Phosphate (1-2ppm). When P is deficient, most other algae stops growing and green spot algae starts taking over from my limited experience. I am quite happy to deal with only the green spots. At least they can be scrubbed off and snails eat them, but most of the other plants will also stop growing so its not a long term solution to limit P.

K is kinda fuzzy to test for but plant growth kinda stops or slows significantly if K is deficient. I use my hornwort as a way of telling. The hornwort normally grows like crazy even without CO2 and require frequent trimming, so if they suddenly slows down, something is wrong. You can probably use frogbits too for this purpose. The good thing about potassium is that it is not very toxic to shrimps so we can safely just add according to the instructions without worrying too much about overdosing. I've not heard of a high K contributing to algae bloom either. If you are able to calculate your K dosing, try to maintain 10-30ppm.

Concentrate on getting your plant mass to grow and grow healthily, thats the best way to prevent algae, through competition from healthy plants. In the beginning, when your HC mass is low, you can add fast growing plants that are easy to remove later, such as frogbit. I strongly suggest you decide whether the tank is for CRS or for HC and get rid of the other. I had been able to maintain both in my scape for about a year but it was back breaking work and in the end I removed most of the CRS as they were not breeding well. The HC was gone recently due to stoppage of power supply for 3 times of 12 hours each (to service the aging switchboard for the block). Everything melted. haiz...

Thanks for the great advice! Yea I must say my CRS are all bought on impulse to beautify the scape, and they have been dying recently. argh heartache. i should have focus on growing the scape instead. i have been worrying if my ferts that is killing the CRS, and i have been underdosing recently. Macros are elements like iron and stuff right? I do add Borneowild Boost A into the soil, which states that "containing 70 kinds of immediate and slow release macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, that stimulate plant growth, ensure proper balance and improves nutrient uptake" but so far my hc growth still isn't good at all. argh. Algae + CRS dying + HC browning. AHHH.

[felix_fx2]

New setup? Yamatos + Oto may help

[barmby]

Good to hear some experience from navanod

[xconnect.]

well i bought a wire mesh from a bro in arofanatics unfortunately it had the green hair algae. the next day i took it the threw it away. i think that is the best and a quick method unless the green hair had affected all or most of your plants then all the bestXD but if u want to save yamato shrimps to me better.

[Shadow]

since it on the wire mesh, you can save it by black out. Just take it out from your tank put in container and leave it in the total darkness for 3 days.

[barmby]

how about bleach bath? i don't know as I have not tried it. just my thinking

[Shadow]

o... thought the metal mesh with plant on it

[Jovel]

New setup? Yamatos + Oto may help

my original algae team consists of 4 yamatos, 3 otos, and 4 horned nerites, doing pretty good until the short green fuzzy hair starts to grow, now its growing on the soil. too much light? I'm currently cycling another tank now so i can house those sensitive CRS away, and I'll repeat my regular dosage again.

[Left C]

Are yamatos the same thing as Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata)? I just read an article in the new July-Sept 2011 issue of 'The Aquatic Gardener' by Ole Pedersen called" Grazing Control." He went on to say that Amano shrimp are the best for algal control including filamentous algae. He recommended 2 per 10L in startup and 1 per 10L for long term maintenance. Also he mentions that the Odessa barb (Puntius padamya) tends to take on filamentous algae such as Cladophora, Spirogyra and others.

[Tony]

Are yamatos the same thing as Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata)? I just read an article in the new July-Sept 2011 issue of 'The Aquatic Gardener' by Ole Pedersen called" Grazing Control." He went on to say that Amano shrimp are the best for algal control including filamentous algae. He recommended 2 per 10L in startup and 1 per 10L for long term maintenance. Also he mentions that the Odessa barb (Puntius padamya) tends to take on filamentous algae such as Cladophora, Spirogyra and others.

Hi bro, yes yamato and amano shrimp are referring to the same thing. In local fish shop here, yamato shrimp is commonly used.

[Left C]

Thanks! I thought that yamatoes are Amano shrimp.

[felix_fx2]

my original algae team consists of 4 yamatos, 3 otos, and 4 horned nerites, doing pretty good until the short green fuzzy hair starts to grow, now its growing on the soil. too much light? I'm currently cycling another tank now so i can house those sensitive CRS away, and I'll repeat my regular dosage again.

It's always one of the few common factors, Photoperiod (lighting) / Light quality or intensity / nutrient balance (your fert regime).
E.G: when i started glosso lawn it was great until i saw hair algae. i split and shorten photo period from 8HR to 4HR+4HR, after 6 mths i went NS for 3 weeks (so my fert regime went offline) and hair algae came back with a vengence. now the tank decomm LOL