Ideas for stoping finger/hair algae growth

Boo Boo Magoo

The weather here has been really warm and the increased temperature in my tank seems to have stimulated a large growth of finger/hair algae. Is there anything I can use to reduce the amount? Or is it a case of just pulling it out as and when?

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3437

Algae is caused by too much light and too many nutrients in the water. So to combat it, you should decrease the amount of light/how long it's on, feed less, and do more water changes.

Out of curiosity, how big is the tank and what fish are in it?
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte?
How much light is on the tank and how long are you leaving it on?
How large and how often are your water change?

-Chelle

Boo Boo Magoo · Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:25 am Post subject:

My tank is a bit on the small side at 18" x 12" and I now have 3 neon tetras, 1 adult swordtail, 1 betta and 7 2-6 week old swordtail fry at varying sizes from 5mm to 2cm.

The light is a 15" 14 watt Interpet Triton which is on for 14 hours a day. I don't think its working to its full protential as its a little black at both ends though. The light used to be on for less time but I was having lots of problems with my plants dying.

I tested the water on sunday and every thing was on zero although I have had a problem with the pH. As I said its been real hot here for a while and the pH of the tap water has changed from being very alkaline to acidic so I'm correcting this at the moment with pH up (its at 6.6 at the mo). I usually do a 30% water change every 2 weeks with having the swordtail fry but I left it over for this week as the readings were good.

The hair algae only started in the last 4 weeks or so which corrisponded with thwe hot weather. The water temperature in the tank has been up to 30 degrees C.

kc5gvn · Moderator Joined: 15 Mar 2004 Posts: 1147

I generally don't like or recommend using a lot of chemicals in a tank. You run into more problems the more chemicals you add. However, a PH of 6.6 is getting marginal and if you are going to use PH up I would recommend using a good PH buffer like Novaqua to avoid any PH shock. With the aged bulbs in your lighting system they are not putting out the light spectrum they were designed for. Increasing to 14 hours a day is probably not gaining you very much with regard to your plants. The increased temperature has a definite effect on algae bloom. I would recommend replacing the bulb and cutting back to 8 hours a day maximum run time. You can also add more plants to help contain the algae bloom. The additional plants will use the nutrients that the algae needs to flourish. I would also recommend cleaning the inside of the glass once a week and doing a 25 to 30% water change immediately after wiping the glass down rather than every 2 weeks. This will break algae seeds loose from the glass and remove them with the water change.

Also be very careful if the water temperature gets any higher. When water in a pond or aquarium reaches 90 degrees F, it can develop a very nasty amoebic bacteria. Be especially careful about touching your face after having your hands in pond or aquarium water above 90 degrees F. Amoebic bacteria entering the nasal cavity is almost a direct pathway to the brain. Be sure to wash your hands very well.

Boo Boo Magoo · Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:54 am Post subject:

There isn't any algae on the glass it just seems to be growing from some artficial plants I put in the tank to give the fry more cover, according to the packaging the plants are made from Sertularia Argentea. I have taken them out and removed the algae, then given them a good soak in some boiling water.

Thanks for the advice about the light.