long black hair like algae?

Question

I have an "infestation" of this algae in my tank. It is really long black threads all over my plants. I have been told that is just black hair algae but pictures i have seen are not as close to being as long as mine. Maybe it is just mine is overgrown? What can i use to get rid of it. I have heard of Siamese algae eaters as being really good?

i have a high output light strip, co2, my ph is a little higher then 7.0 cause of the water change i did. And my temp is around 79 to 80

Answer 1

I am not sure why my anaswers are stivkings...


Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.

Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:

Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.

Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment.

When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.

First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).
This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.

be sure to clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.

Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well.

If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them.

You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.

Test your water. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.

If you need any more help, you can im or email me.

Answer 2

Plecostamus, suckers, fresh water snails, all of those work if you don't want to treat it with fish-safe algae killer. Or, just scrub your tank, and clean the plants gently, then add the algae eating fish. It sounds like the temp in your tank isn't adequately regulated, or perhaps the tank is getting direct sunlight? (bad), get testing strips and test the PH cuz that black algae can ruin the attractiveness of a tank.

Answer 3

I'm more familiar w/ the salt water world. but from what i understand hair algae only grows were phosphate levels are high. test the levels of phosphate in your tank. ideally it should be around 0. if your test is high(anything over 0) i suggest a phosphate remover. i use Phosban in a reactor. it works great and keeps the hair algae at bay

Answer 4

This what you have? http://www.floridadriftwood.com/brush_algae.jpg

You can find info on the web under the name "black brush algae".

Suggestion for getting rid of it have included using Siamese algae eaters (the only fish that will eat it, but are nasty fish and will eat the slime coat of others in the tank, especially flat-sided fish [like arowanas]), bleaching everything infected to sterilize, regulating growth by adjusting pH, using phosphate removal pads, and using aquatic plants to compete for nutrients. See the atricles below for more information

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/al...
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant...

Answer 5

black algae is introduced from plants bought from the shop that has a problem go to gardenweb.com the site will tell you every thing you want to know.