Staghorn Algae advice

[Pacers94]

Hi everyone. I've been really struggling with a staghorn outbreak in my 55 gallon. I've read many forums on here and other websites for advice, i just want to ask again and see what worked best for others. I bought 4 siamese algae eaters for my tank yesterday, as i can't have shrimp due to my other fish in the tank. I don't run CO2 but plan on getting a setup pretty soon. Other options i see that have worked best are a tank blackout and spot treating with liquid carbon. Any advice would be great. And to skip any questions, yes it is staghorn algae, PH 7.2, Ammonia and nitrite 0ppm, nitrates 40ppm, lights on about 8 hours but at 85% intensity 

[Mmiller2001]

https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/algae-control/how-to-get-rid-of-staghorn-algae

[Zenzo]

Using a liquid carbon like Easy Carbon can help. I have had success in the past by using hydrogen peroxide and putting it directly on the areas of algae. I also inadvertently found that using cichlid salt on the algae also seemed to "burn" the algae and cause it die back. 

I hope you find a way to get rid of it. I have a tank that also requires similar treatment...I've just been a bit lazy to do it. 

[Patrick_G]

It sounds like you’re on the right path with the clean up fish and a little liquid Carbon. I’d also reduce your photo period 1-2 hours and depending on what light/tank combo you have you might need to reduce the intensity also. Try and manually remove as much as possible and don’t be afraid to remove older leaves with a heavy algae cover. If you have Epiphyte plants you might remove them from the tank and give them an dip in a week liquid Carbon solution. 

On 9/29/2021 at 9:21 AM, Zenzo said:

also inadvertently found that using cichlid salt on the algae also seemed to "burn" the algae and cause it die back.

Interesting, I wonder it’s the alkalinity. It’s be a good experiment to put some affected plants in a high PH bath and see what happens. 

Edited September 29, 2021 by Patrick_G

[Torrey]

On 9/29/2021 at 6:14 AM, Pacers94 said:

Hi everyone. I've been really struggling with a staghorn outbreak in my 55 gallon. I've read many forums on here and other websites for advice, i just want to ask again and see what worked best for others. I bought 4 siamese algae eaters for my tank yesterday, as i can't have shrimp due to my other fish in the tank. I don't run CO2 but plan on getting a setup pretty soon. Other options i see that have worked best are a tank blackout and spot treating with liquid carbon. Any advice would be great. And to skip any questions, yes it is staghorn algae, PH 7.2, Ammonia and nitrite 0ppm, nitrates 40ppm, lights on about 8 hours but at 85% intensity 

There's a thread with a lot of discussions surrounding siestas and noticing a reduction in algae as intensity of light, plus length of siesta ( @Streetwise has a post on 'one siesta or two' but I am still too technologically challenged to figure out how to link / share posts) are dialed in for the tank.

I use the siesta period, in combination with applying H202 directly to algae with all water movement turned off for 15 minutes. 

So far, that's been the easiest method for me.

[Pacers94]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:51 AM, Torrey said:

There's a thread with a lot of discussions surrounding siestas and noticing a reduction in algae as intensity of light, plus length of siesta ( @Streetwise has a post on 'one siesta or two' but I am still too technologically challenged to figure out how to link / share posts) are dialed in for the tank.

I use the siesta period, in combination with applying H202 directly to algae with all water movement turned off for 15 minutes. 

So far, that's been the easiest method for me.

Thanks for the feedback. What happens with the algae once it dies off with spot treatments, will i need to physically take it out or will it dissolve?

[JoshStover]

Flagfish cleared mine up quickly. 

[Torrey]

On 9/30/2021 at 5:50 AM, Pacers94 said:

Thanks for the feedback. What happens with the algae once it dies off with spot treatments, will i need to physically take it out or will it dissolve?

My guppies and snails made short work of it.

[Jennifer V]

I added wondershell to my snail tank and to my surprise and delight, it killed all of the staghorn within a day. Once the staghorn died, the snails cleaned it right up. Could be anecdotal, but that was the only thing I changed in the tank so it had to be the cure. 

[WestFishTanks]

What is your fertilizer regimen? Lots of great fixes here for getting rid of it at first, but algae will come back if the root problem isn’t balanced. Usually when I’ve had stag horn it was from too many nutrients, especially iron. Would love to know more about the plants in your tank, if it’s high light, and of course the fertilizing!

[Pacers94]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to provide an update. From what i can see all the algae has gone! anything left has died and is being eaten by my siamese algae eaters. just need to do some light trimming of plants but it's back to normal!