Thread Algae Rebounds - Algae

DJKronik57 · 09-04-2006, 09:14 PM

I have had a bad case of thread algae in my 10 gallon tank for a few months now, it started out as just a small cluster in my moss and has spread everywhere around the tank. I've tried manually removing it but it is strong and often rips out the plants to which it is entangled in. It also breaks easily and is, sadly, everywhere. I removed most of it before I left on vacation but it rebounded and looked worse when I got back:

I thought it was CO2, so I upped the CO2 by replacing my DIY 2 liter bottle every week and by injecting the CO2 directly into the filter intake. Plants are pearling like crazy, but the algae keeps growing too. As for ferts and parameters:

Weekly 40% water change
Dosed every other day:
1/4 tsp K2SO4
1/4 tsp KNO3
1/8 tsp Plantex CSM+B
1/16 tsp or less KH2PO4
normal dosage of Excel
pH 7.0
KH 80ppm
GH 50ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20-30ppm
72W screw-in CF for 9 hours a day

Any ideas on what could be causing it, how to remove it, or how to kill it?

MatPat · 09-06-2006, 06:32 AM

How long were you on vacation and did anyone fertilize the tank for you while you were gone and are you using timers on your lights?

It does appear to be thread algae and in my experience this is brought on by either a deficiency in ferts (doesn't seem to be the case here) or unstable CO2 levels. Since you are using DIY CO2, I would guess unstable CO2 is the factor.

Assuming there are no typos in your dosage regime, it looks like you are adding over 60ppm of NO3 to your tank weekly along with 15ppm of PO4 weekly. This is a lot of ferts to be adding to a 10g tank. You do have a lot of light over the tank but I am assuming they are the screw in type CF bulbs and not quite as intense. I would cut back on the NO3 at least by half and even more than that on the PO4. While I am a believer the excess ferts do not cause algae, you are adding a lot more than the tank needs. Even though dry ferts are cheap, this is still a bit wasteful

I would also see about increasing your CO2 levels. this can be accomplished by adding a second DIY CO2 bottle or somehow increasing/stabilizing the production of your current CO2 bottle. There ae some good CO2 recipes in the sticky section at the top of the DIY Forum.

I have had thread algae in the past when using a faulty regulator that required a daily adjustment to the buble count every day. I have also had it everal times when someone (I suspect my 3 y/o son) managed to turn off or unplug my CO2 solenoid. Once the CO2 issues were identified and corrected the thread algae was eventually conquered. This took daily (sometimes twice daily) manual removal with a toothbrush and trimming off the affected parts of your plants.

Everytime you feed the fish, simply stick an old toothbrush in the algae and give it a twirl. If plants get pulled up in the process you can either spend the time to thoroughly clean them or just toss them out. Adjusting your fert levels (including CO2) and manual removal will do wonders in ridding your tank of this algae but it will take time and persistence on your part.

DJKronik57 · 09-07-2006, 12:29 AM

Okay, I will cut back in my fert dosing. CO2 is replaced every other week and I've worked out a good recipe, so it remains fairly constant. Pressurized is not in the budget right now. It was not fertilized while I was away, and the lights are on timers, however it only missed one fert dosage. Manual removal will be almost impossible as it is all throughout my christmas moss. Will a blackout work? Apart from that, I'd have to break down the tank and bleach everything.

Edit: What about an Excel overdose? Does that only work on Hair Algae?

dhavoc · 09-07-2006, 02:13 PM

excel overdose does work on thread algae, i just did an overdose to get rid of staghorn, hair and thread algae. hair and thread took a little longer to kill than the staghorn, but it did die none the less. couldnt up the co2 enough to retard the growth as the ph in my tank is already low with ADA AS. manual removal was pointless for me, it just grew back by the next day....

DJKronik57 · 09-07-2006, 09:15 PM

Alright, sounds like grounds for an experiment! I'm now adding 5ml of Excel every other day (a 4x overdose), continuing to do weekly water changes, and maintaining a fertilizer dosing schedule according to the EI method (although reduced from the above levels by half). Most of the thread algae does grow back within a few days, I've noticed, so manual removal is both impossible and overwhelming. I've taken a few of the larger easy to remove clumps out, but left the majority of it which is deeply tangled in my moss and plants. I'll give it some time and report back as to how effective it is in clearing out the algae. If it works it will be a viable (albiet a bit expensive) method for those of us without the luxury or pressurized CO2.

Any comments or suggestions on dosing Excel or using it to kill algae would be appreciated!

P.S. I think a blackout is the backup treatment in case Excel overdose doesn't work out.

Laith · 09-07-2006, 11:20 PM

I've never used Excel on thread algae but I'd say you'd get better results (if Excel does have an effect on this stuff) by dosing it daily, perhaps daily at 3x the standard dose.

I'm pretty sure I remember Seachem saying that Excel breaks down relatively rapidly once in the tank.

dhavoc · 09-11-2006, 03:13 PM

yes, do the overdose daily. what doesnt die off you can spot treat with a dropper or syringe, this kills it immediately (turns white by the next day as if chemically burned) i spot treat on mosses and it doesnt seem to harm the moss at all. just make sure to do water changes as it will build up over time and excess chemicals of any kind are not good for any tank, even though excel breaks down rather quickly it does leave byproducts.

standoyo · 09-12-2006, 01:33 AM

Phosphates feed algae. Perhaps not a cause but having a lot of it isn't a good idea IMHO.

The hair algae is quite tough to rid. The best I do is to twirl it with a toothbrush like what Dennis suggested. Keeps it down for awhile at least for nice patches to grow out of. I have learnt to live with it. sigh. Bleach dip is the last option. here's a recipe from aquamoss

MatPat · 09-12-2006, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by standoyo

Phosphates feed algae. Perhaps not a cause but having a lot of it isn't a good idea IMHO.

The hair algae is quite tough to rid. The best I do is to twirl it with a toothbrush like what Dennis suggested. Keeps it down for awhile at least for nice patches to grow out of. I have learnt to live with it. sigh. Bleach dip is the last option. here's a recipe from aquamoss

The bleach dip for plants is definately the last option in my opinion. Most of the time a bleach dip will do as much damage to the plant as the algae. If you cannot manually remove the thread algae with a toothbrush as has been suggested, and the Excel doesn't work (I have little experience with Excel overdosage and thread algea), I would simply remoe the plants and replace them. This will be a temporary solution to your algae issue and unless you treat the cause (low fertilizer levels or CO2 levels) it will come back again.

I would still say your DIY CO2 levels are the culprit. I keep 2+ ppm of PO4 in my tanks at all times and recently mistakenly dosed 6ppm in my tank. After a 2 week period the extra PO4 caused no algae and may have even caused better plant growth. Many people now keep elevated PO4 levels without algae issues and still have good plant growth.

Look for a deficiency of some type versus an excess whenever algae shows up in your tank.

DJKronik57 · 09-12-2006, 07:11 PM

Well it looks like the Excel has at least slowed or stopped the growth of the thread algae. It has not re-conquered my tank after I thinned it out a bit so this weekend I'll probably go to work trying to get as much as I can out and hope the Excel takes care of the rest.