A question for Cory or anyone familiar with Easy Carbon

[Leo2o915]

What’s the best way to use it to help fight hair algae ? 

[Brandy]

No clue, haven't tried it, BUT could you post a pic of the algae? even just one from the internet.

I have recently learned that "hair algae" can mean several types, what I always called "hair algae" is apparently thread or string algae, or blanket weed, or Cladophora Sp. and there are about 6 other types that also go by the same common name, but look and act very different. @Daniel and @Streetwise and I were describing and discussing different "types" that we have encountered which helped me to realize we were not talking about the same thing at all. 

Hopefully someone can chime in with suggestions, because I am curious about this question too! I have only heard of using this as a spot treatment for black beard algae.

[KBOzzie59]

A topic with algae specific pics would be awesome!  

[Daniel]

This is what I call 'Green Hair Algae':

Grows all over everything when there is an excess of nutrients and light. Eventually the population crashes and it goes away. It is kinda slimey.

[Lizzie Block]

Personally never dosed Easy Carbon to remove any type of hair-like or filamentous algae, but you could give it a go. I'd recommend spot treating with your filter off and then doing a water change afterwards if you dose more than the recommended amount. In my experience, hair algae comes from an excess of nutrients that your plants cannot absorb. If you don't have plants, I'd say probably add some and if you do, you could add more. Either that or cut back ferts/feeding or anything adding nutrients to the water in excess. Also check on lighting, is your lighting too strong for the plants you're growing? That may be contributing as well. 

When I get a bloom of green hair algae (like Daniel posted above), I just take a toothbrush or something similar and remove as much of it manually as possible and continue with frequent water changes. It always does the trick. One day it'll just start disappearing and not come back. It takes some time to go away completely, but manually removing it helps speed the process along. 

The not-so-bad news is that your hair algae is absorbing CO2 and providing oxygen to the water, so it's actually probably adding a slight benefit for livestock. But, it's certainly unsightly.

Best of luck 🙂 water change it up!

[Leo2o915]

6 minutes ago, Lizzie Block said:

Personally never dosed Easy Carbon to remove any type of hair-like or filamentous algae, but you could give it a go. I'd recommend spot treating with your filter off and then doing a water change afterwards if you dose more than the recommended amount. In my experience, hair algae comes from an excess of nutrients that your plants cannot absorb. If you don't have plants, I'd say probably add some and if you do, you could add more. Either that or cut back ferts/feeding or anything adding nutrients to the water in excess. Also check on lighting, is your lighting too strong for the plants you're growing? That may be contributing as well. 

When I get a bloom of green hair algae (like Daniel posted above), I just take a toothbrush or something similar and remove as much of it manually as possible and continue with frequent water changes. It always does the trick. One day it'll just start disappearing and not come back. It takes some time to go away completely, but manually removing it helps speed the process along. 

The not-so-bad news is that your hair algae is absorbing CO2 and providing oxygen to the water, so it's actually probably adding a slight benefit for livestock. But, it's certainly unsightly.

Best of luck 🙂 water change it up!

Awesome thanks yeah want to Manuel remove it just scared id damage the plants 

[RovingGinger]

This is the hair algae I know. I’m not sure if it’s the same stuff that forms long hairs and forms little green cloud clumps that bubbles, but they go together for me. And it loves to engulf the guppy grass and java moss. I have just been manually removing it (hand or grab and roll with tweezers) when it get unsightly but in small amounts, I don’t mind it horribly and the guppies don’t seem to either? This tank needs tidying tomorrow. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by RovingGinger
Clarification

[Leo2o915]

1 hour ago, RovingGinger said:

This is the hair algae I know. I’m not sure if it’s the same stuff that forms long hairs and forms little green cloud clumps that bubbles, but they go together for me. And it loves to engulf the guppy grass and java moss. I have just been manually removing it (hand or grab and roll with tweezers) when it get unsightly but in small amounts, I don’t mind it horribly and the guppies don’t seem to either? This tank needs tidying tomorrow. 

Going to do that tomorrow got to Manuel remove it 

[Spitzzard]

you could try Hydrogen Peroxide, it's less potent than Easy Carbon but at the same time less harmful for your animals. i've had some success using it to spot treat green hair algae, but it always comes back a few weeks later. 

[KBOzzie59]

I forgot to give you my answer to the easy carbon (EC) question.  Most times it took (takes) me a multi-prong approach to rid/reduce a tank of this algae. 

(1) Reduce feedings to every other day, do not increase the quantity to make up for the skipped day.  This for my wife is a tough one because when we get near a tank most of the fish will come swimming up to the front like little hungry puppies and who doesn't want to feed a cute little hungry puppy.

(2) Reduce the light by lowering the brightness or reducing the hours of light per day.  If you have the option turn off any or all of the blue spectrum you can.

(3) Physically remove what you can without destroying/damaging your plants.

(4) Water changes!  Do them more often until the problem is under control.  Depending on stocking levels this may become a permanent part of your routine.  I'd try 25% every 3rd or 4th day to start.

It probably took a while for your algae to get going, it's going to take a bit of time to get it out without going to extremes.

Edited August 17, 2020 by KBOzzie59
Added "takes" as I still get algae.