Green hair algae + planting question

[beastie]

Hi

I know it is a repeated topic and it doesnt really have a solution, but maybe someone will have a tip for me.

I have a not that well planted 360l tank which has had a green hair algae problem forever. I used to have 50% of the tank filled with hornwort, had to get rid of it since it was too full of algae. Had it filled with 50% of naias, same story. Bought another echinodorus, got rid of floating plants, added some other plants. Still algae. Most recently I replaced the bulb lights with white led light, am hoping it will fix the issue, but it has been two weeks and frankly the plants are all the same and the algae too. Light is on 7-9:30 am 90%, 9:30-12 9%, 15:30-21:30 90% which is 8,5 hours of almost full light. Someone says more light, but I dont have that many plants, can try ofcourse.

I dont fertilize, only the echinodorus have a root tab. Weekly water change is 25-30% once a month I will wash the prefilter sponge, which is now covered in bba, will have to do a peroxide dip, and once every 3 months I will wash through the media in eheim 2217. Quite recently I put in a 30cm large pennywort plant, died and completely dissolved, have like two stems hanging on for dear life, covered in algae... 6 otocinclus in the tank, one five year old nerite, but I feed them so they dont suffer, but all the glass has spot algae on too.

Second question is, I recently purchased a bacopa and put it in the fine sand I have. The snails uprooted it, I put it back again, the fish uprooted it, I put it back again, now two stems are on the surface (with hair algae btw). Any tip? It is in a hard to reach spot for me, my tank is 60cm high and I always get wet all the way to the shoulder, no planting tools here 🙂

Thanks

 

[Mmiller2001]

Too much light and you need to fertilize the water column. Also, increase water changes.

[JoeQ]

Hair algae is tough, focus on factors that stress the plant, namely too much light, not enough fertilizer, over crowding, low flow,  unbalanced nutrients (water change prevent this), ect. Also im not sure if this is coincidence or a cause, but in my expirecence white light in perticular seems to be a huge factor in hair algae growth.

Edited February 13, 2023 by JoeQ

[knee]

I'd lower the intensity of the light and lessen photoperiod to 6 hours and observe for a couple of weeks for any changes. You might need a deeper substrate if your bacopa is getting uprooted that easily.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by knee

[John Henry]

Plant mid way through a water change, that way you will only get wet up to your elbow.😀

On 2/13/2023 at 2:29 AM, beastie said:

Any tip? It is in a hard to reach spot for me, my tank is 60cm high and I always get wet all the way to the shoulder, no planting tools here