Hair Algae EVERYWHERE

[FaintingGoats]

Hi All!

I have a case of pretty severe hair algae.  It grows really, really quick (like inches a day in some places).  I have tried manually removing it from all the places I can but it has started growing on every leaf and surface available.  I have also tried increasing the amount of fertilizer I put in the tank and turning down the lights but that didn't seem to do anything after several weeks.  I also tried not adding any fertilizer but that didn't stop it either.

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with hair algae?  I am almost to the point where I am thinking about ripping out all my octopus plants cause that is where it seems the thickest.

Thank you so much in advance for any help.  My fish and I really appreciate it!!

[Guppysnail]

This stuff grows close to lights in all my tanks. I cut the plants back low when it gets to be messy. I do not cut back my lights I want the plants sucking up any available nutrients. I don’t use fertilizer but I would stop for a bit if I did. Hope that helps. 

[Streetwise]

Algae loves blue light, continuous light, and window light. I invested in blackout curtains for one room.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/10/2022 at 5:02 PM, FaintingGoats said:

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with hair algae?  I am almost to the point where I am thinking about ripping out all my octopus plants cause that is where it seems the thickest.

Whatever your light is at right now, turn it down by half.

You have to continually manually remove it, and then give your plants a chance to out compete.

[Torrey]

On 6/10/2022 at 6:02 PM, FaintingGoats said:

Hi All!

I have a case of pretty severe hair algae.  It grows really, really quick (like inches a day in some places).  I have tried manually removing it from all the places I can but it has started growing on every leaf and surface available.  I have also tried increasing the amount of fertilizer I put in the tank and turning down the lights but that didn't seem to do anything after several weeks.  I also tried not adding any fertilizer but that didn't stop it either.

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with hair algae?  I am almost to the point where I am thinking about ripping out all my octopus plants cause that is where it seems the thickest.

Thank you so much in advance for any help.  My fish and I really appreciate it!!

My recommendations:

1. Get some nerites
2. Get some shrimp
3. What are your parameters?

Manually removing it helps, but until the root cause is identified it will keep coming back and making you frustrated. I accidentally left a submerged LED on with the bubbler is attaches to for a week before I realized the timer wasn't on. Back corner of the tank was hair algae paradise (I had intentionally introduced hair algae for the nerites, to make sure they didn't starve) and was a thick mat by the time I figured out what happened.

I removed it, transferred some more snails, painted a few plants with a little H2O2, and now I'm struggling with plants not having nutrition because I was still underfeeding and underfertilizing.

our plants and fish are constantly growing and changing, and we have to adapt our practices according to what the tank says it needs.

[JoeQ]

Whats your schedule for fertilizing? Have you tried cutting down on fertz? Do you have a lot of surface agitation? Do you run a bubbler at night? Do you run co2? Often, unstable co2 levels are the culprit in hair algea, that along with too much unused iron in the water colum. Also what is the temperature of your tank? 

Edited June 11, 2022 by JoeQ

[FaintingGoats]

Thank you all so much for your feedback and help!!  
 

On 6/10/2022 at 6:43 PM, Torrey said:

My recommendations:

1. Get some nerites
2. Get some shrimp
3. What are your parameters?

I have 2 neterite snails in there currently.  They are doing a fantastic job at keeping the glass and some of the rocks and sticks clear of algae.  But I think some of the other stuff is just too long for them.  Do you think I should get more for my tank?  It is a 29 galleon.

My parameters are mostly good.  My nitrates are a little high (I measured right before a water change), Nitrites and Ammonia and Chlorine are 0.  My water is considered hard and the Ph is in the 7.4 range.

 

On 6/11/2022 at 8:01 AM, JoeQ said:

Whats your schedule for fertilizing? Have you tried cutting down on fertz? Do you have a lot of surface agitation? Do you run a bubbler at night? Do you run co2? Often, unstable co2 levels are the culprit in hair algea, that along with too much unused iron in the water colum. Also what is the temperature of your tank? 

I put 3 squirts of Aquarium Co Ops fert in once a week usually but have been cutting back on it since the hair algae has taken over.  I do have surface agitation from two bubblers and a decent current from an external cannister filter.  The bubblers run 24/7 and I don't have any CO2.  Temperature stays between 74 and 75.3 F.

 

 

Thank you all again for your help!  

[JoeQ]

On 6/12/2022 at 6:45 PM, FaintingGoats said:

Thank you all so much for your feedback and help!!  
 

I have 2 neterite snails in there currently.  They are doing a fantastic job at keeping the glass and some of the rocks and sticks clear of algae.  But I think some of the other stuff is just too long for them.  Do you think I should get more for my tank?  It is a 29 galleon.

My parameters are mostly good.  My nitrates are a little high (I measured right before a water change), Nitrites and Ammonia and Chlorine are 0.  My water is considered hard and the Ph is in the 7.4 range.

 

I put 3 squirts of Aquarium Co Ops fert in once a week usually but have been cutting back on it since the hair algae has taken over.  I do have surface agitation from two bubblers and a decent current from an external cannister filter.  The bubblers run 24/7 and I don't have any CO2.  Temperature stays between 74 and 75.3 F.

 

Thank you all again for your help!  

 

 

You might want to try only running your bubbler while your lights are out for a week or two, See if it helps. In my experience I feel hair algea seems to grow slower when their isn't aggressive 24/7 gas exchange. Hopefully someone will give some science behind my observation. Temp looks good, also consider breaking up your fers to 1/2 ml every other day. My thinking is less nutrients in the water column for algea to feed on while the light is insufficient for your plants to feed on it as well. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by JoeQ

[ChippieJoe]

If you use a tooth brush and twist the brush in the algae (like your twirling up spaghetti with a fork) then it comes off super easy.

Just make sure only people close to you see you doing this because its got to be one of the strangest thing to see for a non fish person "Hey you guyss! I'm brushing my plants 🙃"

[JoeQ]

Also, If you want a quick stocking suggestion to easily take care of it. 

 

[Cinnebuns]

I didn't read all the comments so sorry if this is a repeat. I get hair algae when I dose too much iron fertilizer. Maybe watch that. Before I realized this I went "iron makes red plants redder so I'm gonna do more iron!"  The red plants looked the same and I had hair algae.