Algae??? Please help me!!

[Bristol]

I figured this would be the best site to ask about this on.....

I got some new plants about a week ot two ago and noticed this stuff was on it but not much at all...Since then it's been growing like CRAZY!!! I dont really know what it is - I am thinking the Brown Hair algae?- But how do I get rid of it?

It hasn't spread to my other plants yet but really don't want it to either!!!

Any ideas?

Thanks!!!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/kfiessel/Picture024.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/kfiessel/Picture023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/kfiessel/Picture022.jpg

Not the best pics Im sorry but they were the best I could get on this crappy camera!!!

[Bristol]

Sorry I think my fish were a bit to interested in the camera! :laugh:

[Osprey]

Is it soft and slimy to the touch, or wiry?
It could be hair algae, but it also reminds me of a carpet algae I've had a run-in with once while establishing a tank. If it's the wiry stuff, you should be able to twirl it around a toothbrush and remove it that way. The carpet algae is a bit more difficult to remove, but most algae eaters will eat the stuff.
What kind of algae eaters are in the tank, what's the lighting like, and do you fertilize?

[Bristol]

Thanks for the reply! It dosent seem to come off very easily when I pull at it - I currently have 4 oto cats in there (20 gallon tank) and I did have one Pleaco until today I gave him away.....

I have the coralife 65W lighting there & the ADA substrate with only Flourish as an extra plant additive.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Double dosing Flourish Excel for a week will get rid of that stuff. I've done it before and it worked great. It may be harmful to fish and invertabrates, though I never had any problems with my killies.

The best way to get rid of it is to make sure your water chemistry is in balance. In your case I would guess that there is too much light and nutrients, thus allowing the algae to compete with your plants. Adding CO2 would probably swing things back in favour of the plants.

[Bristol]

I will try the double dosing.....The plants already had this stuff growing on them when I bought them but I didnt think it would turn into a big deal with the Oto cats in there, I think it just spread super quick.

Thanks again for the help!!

[Gramma]

When I first set up my tank, I got an algae bloom of green hairy algae. Don't know what it is called. I got some Japonica Shrimp and they just devoured it. It was gone in 24 hours. Not sure if they would do the same with your algae. Does anyone know?

[Bristol]

This stuff has gone crazy,it is so gross now!! I am going to take it all out tonight and try and clean it off, if not I am just going to cut the plant and re-plant the roots.

[Soggybottom]

I'm going to sound paranoid about this, but you did you try the double dose of excel?
Not plain ol' flourish, but flourish excel...

[thegrandpoohbah]

BBA should not be able to survive a double dose of Flourish Excel. If on the other hand you double dosed regular Flourish by mistake then you just fertilized the algae which would explain it going crazy.

[Bristol]

I just double checked and it does say Flourish Excel. I came home tonight from work, and it was still the same.....I just cut the tops off them all and hopefully it won't grow back with it!

But out of curiosity what is the difference between the flourish & flourish excel?

Thanks again for everyones help!

[Katalyst]

You may want to look through Seachems Forum for the answer. Or post a thread about it. I was sure there was a post about it in the past but perhaps my eyes are in need of a rest because I didn't see it.

Shouldn't you be taking pictures of your new snail babies right about now? :laugh:

http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/archive/index.php/

[thegrandpoohbah]

Flourish is a fertilizer (trace minerals and stuff), Flourish Excel is a source of organic carbon (a substitute for CO2). That's the short version anyways. Seachem doesn't advertise the fact that a double dose kills BBA. It's just a nice side benefit.

Bristol, did you just double dose once? Try doubling the recommended dosages for a week and then do a water change and resume regular dosing. My BBA turned red and melted away within about a week.

[Bristol]

Yes I just did it once!! Next time I know now - the algae is on a few other plants as well so I will continue to do it for a week. Thank you very much for all the great information!!!

And Katalyst - I tried last night for about 30minutes!!! They are so small - and with the flash it dosent work, but without the flash its to dark!!! :mad: Gotta get some help taking them tonight!! But they are good little crawlers, woke up this morning and most are in the tank floating around!!!!! :wideeyed:

[Katalyst]

Yes I just did it once!! Next time I know now - the algae is on a few other plants as well so I will continue to do it for a week. Thank you very much for all the great information!!!

And Katalyst - I tried last night for about 30minutes!!! They are so small - and with the flash it dosent work, but without the flash its to dark!!! :mad: Gotta get some help taking them tonight!! But they are good little crawlers, woke up this morning and most are in the tank floating around!!!!! :wideeyed:
My babies ate all of my algae clean in one night (then again that was more then one clutch)...Maybe yours will have an appetite for algae as well. :laugh: No worries on the pictures you'll have plenty of photo opportunities I'm sure!

[Melody]

My snails have always mowed algae too. The only kind they didn't care for was the red hairy stuff. They loved the black version, but not the red. In fact, friends give me their algae infested plants as snail food.