[ShaneSmith]

I have hair algae pretty bad. Its not enough for me to try chemicals but it is enough for me to get frustrated with it. I've heard using a tooth brush will work, but i think i'll rip out my Rotala green and Hemianthus Umbrosum. Is there any technique or other tool i can use to take it out. My hands are not nimble enough to get it all out. I think if i remove enough and let my plant density improve a lot it will eventually lose its foot. I fertilize with everything and experiment alot with the ratio's. But even when i keep them steady at 10ppm NO3 1ppm PO4 i still notice very little difference in algae growth.

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Get some siamese algae eaters. They will take care of it for ya ;-)

 

[ShaneSmith]

I've got 9 . I thought they ate black beard algae, this is the algae that likes to form green tangled up globs.

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Hmmm....well....um....maybe some mollies or flag fish?

 

[ShaneSmith]

I tried them a while ago and killed them, are theyre special requirements i should see too so i can try them again? Their fins clamped and they just stayed on the bottom or in the mollies case at the top.
Tank parameters:
GH 8
kh 6
NO3 5-10ppm
po4 .8-1.8ppm
Planex csm dosed pretty heavily
co2 level can sometimes get high if i dont check the co2 every couple days. Maybe 40ppm is the highest it gets for any period of time. I keep the sae's harlequins and cardinal tetras fine. I had a farrowella for almost a year until it died. And shrimp seem to do bad for me as well.

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Maybe your water isnt hard enough? I'm not as knowledgable as some around here, so you might want to start a topic in the "fish" section to get a better response. I'm not sure what else might eat that algae. Good luck

 

[Gomer]

Your excessive plantex dosing might be the problem. Here is my formula for my HIGH light/ pH controlled tank.

3 tbs in 500mL. Dose 2mL/30g daily.

I use 1/2 of this in my medium/high light tank.

 

[litesky]

how's u'r waterchange?

 

[MiamiAG]

Shane,

For that tricky hair algae that seems to tangle itself in the stem plants, I use an old toothbruch and gentle run it through the plant bunches. It works wonders and shouldn't damage the plant if done gentle. I first run my hands through it to remove as much as possible that way.

I think your PO4 is a little on the high side. I''m not sure what you mean when you say you let your CO2 get too high. Are you using a yeast generator?

Please tell us your water change regimen and your fertilizer regimen. Also, tell us about your lighting and substrate.

If CO2 got too high and dropped pH excessively, your mollies or FFF could have been adversely affected.

 

[ShaneSmith]

Ok here is everything i can tell you.
1ppm of Po4 is what i try to hold but sometimes more or less because its hard to tell when you use Phosapha Soda and test kits.
1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 dosed 2 times a week or as many times as needed to get 10ppm.
2tbps of Plantecx csm+B in 250ml of water dose 50ml of that throughout the week but i am expirementing and usually do much less.
Substrate is well aged Flourite with some plain gravel and plantex csm in it. I put Jobes sticks in it a while ago (Months). 30 or so fish in the tank mostly guppies and small tetra's like Neons.
Water cahnges are done Once a week religously. 50% water changes. GH is 8 and KH is 6. I use a pressurized system but i have no PH controller. Its hard to get a groove where it stays 25-30 for me. Fish fed 3 times a week.