FW: Green Hair Algae

Discussion in 'The Planted Tank' started by Kevin_E, Oct 18, 2012.

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  1. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    Does anyone have any as as to what type of hair-like algae this is, why this algae is growing on my plants and do you have any suggestions on how to eradicate it?

    Thanks!
     

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  3. tharsis

    tharsis Peppermint Shrimp

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    Algae is almost always a sign that your tank is out of balance between the light and the nutrients. Even more commonly, it is a sign that you do not have enough available carbon to keep up with the growth. The lights are what drives the growth rate, so you need to balance the amount of light with the amount of available carbon, by either decreasing the amount of light or increasing the amount of available carbon.

    Some specs will help to determine if lighting is the issue. What size tank do you have, how old is the tank, what lights are you using, what is your photoperiod, how high are the lights above the substrate, are you dosing anything (CO2/nitrates/phosphates etc)?
     
  4. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    You have black beard algae. Tharsis is right on the causes. You can get rid of it by dosing Seachem Excel directly onto the algae, this will kill it faster than dosing it into the water column. Turn off all of your flow for an hour when you dose this way.
     
  5. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    The tank is 45 gallons, the tank is at least 10 years old, I have one 6500 K bulb, the lights run 14 hours, 18 inches above substrate, dosing all of those.

    Based on the lighting, or lack of, my guess is a lack of carbon.
     
  6. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    Thanks. I'll give this a try. Should I consider another source of carbon to keep up with the demand?