jhunholz Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 We've dealt with all kinds of algae and have gotten pretty good at identifying the types but this one I'm not sure what it is and who eats it. Its primarily in this 29-gallon tank but has sprung up in at least one of our other tanks so far. I'm trying to find out what it is so I can find someone who will eat it. It turns into a "fuzz colony" like you see in the first picture and also spreads to the glass and filter intake. The mollies in the tank could care less about it. We've had green hair algae as well and the mollies love nibbling at that one. I've tried my google-fu but had no luck identifying it yet. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Struggle Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Looks like black beard algae and depending on your tank size I believe Siamese Algae Eaters may take care of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhunholz Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 We had Blackbeard algae when we first started out and it was long and stringy. This stuff just becomes fuzz so that’s why I wasn’t thinking BBA. I guess we’ve had it wrong all along! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Yeah that's definitely black beard algae. Looks cool on the wood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Yup, definitely black beard. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/algae-identification-guide-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhunholz Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 Thanks everyone! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BETTA999 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 black beard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 @jhunholzdo you have thought on how you’re going to deal with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhunholz Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 2:29 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: @jhunholzdo you have thought on how you’re going to deal with it? We are getting some SAE tomorrow so that should help hopefully. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I think the algae eaters will help, but you’ll probably need to lower the light intensity or photoperiod, do some manual removal and possibly treat with Easy Carbon. @Atitagain had the very sensible recommendation to turn off the filter when you’re scraping bba off the glass. That keeps it from spreading it around the tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer V Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 3:37 PM, Patrick_G said: I think the algae eaters will help, but you’ll probably need to lower the light intensity or photoperiod, do some manual removal and possibly treat with Easy Carbon. @Atitagain had the very sensible recommendation to turn off the filter when you’re scraping bba off the glass. That keeps it from spreading it around the tank. Great advice! @jhunholz I had the start of BBA in my puffer tank and since I couldn't add any algae eaters, I opted to lower the light period to 6 hours a day and added a midday siesta. The plants didn't suffer, the fish could care less and in a few weeks, no more BBA. My situation was a bit different because I just had the beginnings of a few patches, but the treatment worked. I think if you try adjusting the light and adding the SAE, you'll be in great shape in a few weeks. Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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