# Planted Tanks > Fertilisation and Algae >  What algae can't you get rid of?

## CK Yeo

Just wondering what is the worst algae you have been facing for the pass months and can't get rid of?.... or have learned to live with it.  :Grin:  

ck

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## brianclaw

Been getting quite a bit of BBA and Hair Algae in my non CO2 set-ups. The set-ups with BBA have got pretty good circulation in them and plants are all green with no signs of nutrient deficiencies. The tanks with Hair Algae are set-up exactly the same as the tanks with the BBA - same fert regime, same equipment, only difference is that the Hair Algae tanks are in air-conditioned rooms.

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## Ah_ZhaN

I do have some algae that's developed under my aquasoil which I cannot reach...However as time goes by, it slowly diminished. Should be BGA ?? My nerite snails do dug into the soil and consume at times...

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## fi5hkiller

actually some algae is quite beautiful and natural. 
unfortunately it is consider a failure in planted tank.
but it is very natural to see some algae on places like rocks and driftwoods but not on the leaf of our plants.
if only this can be achieved.

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## KeIgO86

I have some green brush algae (I think) in my tank and it seems beautiful. Its like a green version of BBA. Don't want to remove it.

Claudophora was my worst enemy before. Though easy to be physically removed, it is a super hardy algae, it seems immune to Excel. Once it entangles the delicate plants like HC, trying to physically remove them will destroy the lawn.

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## medicineman

GSA. Pesky and always there to bug me, right by the glass. It is not a real threat for most plants (expect for some extra slow ones) but who can cope with algae on glass to obstruct your beautiful tank view? I've suceeded in controlling this algae in some of my tanks, but it has never been eradicated to unvisible level.
BBA. Not too wild but also not too easy to remove.

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## Weirong

I really hate green water. The only algae problem for me recently and it always comes on for no reason, and in the tanks where I least expect them.

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## CK Yeo

I think the poll results this far are but not surprising (but quite interesting). Certain algae still seem to be the problem despite all the methods proposed by experts. Especially BBA. Does it mean that nothing works really well right now? Are we still in the dark about BBA biology? E.g. If CO2 really is the cause, then why I have no BBA in my sunlit, no CO2, corydoras tank by the windowsill? Cory ate them??  :Grin:  

GSA comes and goes in my tanks depending on how I dose the tank.

I have seen Greenwater unexpectedly in low stocked tanks with ADA substrate full of plants. Go figure.

And, no one has yet claimed that their tank is algae free. I wonder why... All the veterans too shy to share the state of their tanks?

ck

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## PeterGwee

> I think the poll results this far are but not surprising (but quite interesting). Certain algae still seem to be the problem despite all the methods proposed by experts. Especially BBA. Does it mean that nothing works really well right now? Are we still in the dark about BBA biology? E.g. If CO2 really is the cause, then why I have no BBA in my sunlit, no CO2, corydoras tank by the windowsill? Cory ate them??  
> 
> GSA comes and goes in my tanks depending on how I dose the tank.
> 
> I have seen Greenwater unexpectedly in low stocked tanks with ADA substrate full of plants. Go figure.
> 
> And, no one has yet claimed that their tank is algae free. I wonder why... All the veterans too shy to share the state of their tanks?
> 
> ck


BBA loves CO2 as well for your info but up to a certain point. You either need to keep it high or very low at stable levels and not bump it up and then drop it down into the mid range and then up. Water current is another issue if you add CO2 since you would current to move the CO2 to the plants and it is especially difficult in a larger tank.

GSA is both a CO2 or PO4 issue. EI rules out the nutrient part and all that is left is CO2 and of course good mixing within the tank.

ADA aquasoil has NH3 in them, you do not need the critters to induce it to trigger greenwater. Try having quite a bit of emergent plants in the tank to soak up the NH3 since they have no trouble getting enough CO2.

I do get BBA sometimes but I do know why (due to lack of current in some places when the tank grows in and become a cess pool of weeds). You might have miss the cause of it without knowing and when you actually tested the CO2, it seems good. That is why Tom Barr ask folks to be focus on the CO2 instead of so much on the nutrients since EI rules it out pretty good.

CO2 has much variability due to equipment we use:
1) Diffuser - Gets clog easily and need constant maintenance but you know you need to clean them via visual cues.
2) Reactor inline with filter - Folks don't clean filters that often and what happens to the flow when the filter clogs? The flow slows down and the CO2 mixing rate lowers hence a potential of CO2 level dropping or does not mix the CO2 well throughout the tank evenly.

You will always have doubts about why BBA is associated with poor CO2 unless you focus real good.

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## KeIgO86

A little algae here and there is inevitable i guess. For me, I have a little of all the different types of algae all around my tank, although they can only be spotted upon very (and i mean very) close observation, with exception to GSA on the glass because its right in my face. However it can be easily scrapped off.

But what is the fuss about BBA. Most of us here know that a squirt of Excel on it kills it. BBA is by far the least of my algae worries.

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## CK Yeo

:Laughing:  Did I mention that I have a partially sunlit tank with no circulation? au natural. No algae other then some brown algae on the glass. Maybe I should add CO2 and see if BBA grows.  :Laughing:  

I also have a high tech tank with moderate light, which I pump CO2 until fishes turn blue and gasp for air even though it was bubbling like crazy. And BBA still grows.  :Smile: 

ADA aquasoil has ammonia??!  :Shocked:  I just googled it. Apparently a few people reported it. wow!

Excel kills BBA. It kills other things too. Shrimp, Vallisneria, Riccia just to name a few. H2O2 does the same though it is not as "in" now. Bleach works too, but that's frown upon for some reason or another.

Still no claims of algae free tanks. Is it possible???

ck

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## ranmasatome

Tanks will never be 100% algae free... both will coincide..it just depends how controlled the algae is. 

BBA control requires high and CONSTANT co2 levels.. you can have high co2 levels but having it fluctuate around will still cause bba to grow... fish will still die due to co2 poisoning.. but since its not constant and evenly spread in the water.. the bba will grow.

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## Fei Miao

IMO as long as you can narrow to what's lacking in the parameters, you can tackle all visible algae, but as Justin points out, there will always be some algae in all planted tanks, it's a matter of keeping it under control.

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## valice

If you have ADA soil and ADA has NH3, should we still dose high on KNO3? Or increase the PO4 to counteract the GSA?

Just can't seem to solve my GSA problem which will come back 4 days after water change, with 2 doses of KNO3 and KH2PO4 in between... No other algae problems. No BBA or other algae... Just GSA...

How? Still CO2?

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## Fei Miao

I had the spot algae, especially on the glass, usually I scrap them off and do a water change. If they are on plants like A. nanas, I cut off the affected leaves, once I got my nutrient parameters and CO2 right, and with good current flow I don't see them anymore.

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## PeterGwee

> If you have ADA soil and ADA has NH3, should we still dose high on KNO3? Or increase the PO4 to counteract the GSA?
> 
> Just can't seem to solve my GSA problem which will come back 4 days after water change, with 2 doses of KNO3 and KH2PO4 in between... No other algae problems. No BBA or other algae... Just GSA...
> 
> How? Still CO2?


No, you do not lower the fert dosage. Plants would go after the NH3 first before the NO3 but the NH3 shouldn't be that much or else you would have greenwater.

Either not enough PO4 dosage (2ppm 3-4x a week should be the max) or poor CO2 (rate dropping off during the week? Poor water current in some spots.)

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## CK Yeo

Point taken. My idea of "algae-free" is no clearly visible or nuisance algae. The purpose of this poll is to have an idea of what problem algae our members are having and possibly share experiences in dealing with them. I suppose the different ways of getting rid of specific types of algae will/should be discussed in separate threads for easy future reference for others.

Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?

There are many ways to enjoy the hobby. Constantly meddling with CO2, water parameters, test kits etc is not my idea of a relaxing hobby.  :Smile:  

ck

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## PeterGwee

> Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?
> 
> There are many ways to enjoy the hobby. Constantly meddling with CO2, water parameters, test kits etc is not my idea of a relaxing hobby.  
> 
> ck


You do not need to have CO2 that high till it causes gasping fish to get good plant growth and no BBA. What you need to is to find the max rate of CO2 that will not produce much more growth when more is added and ensure that the rate remain stable (some regulators or needle valves are downright wacky. The other thing is to have enough surface current so that O2 would always be in a good range even if the plant growth is poor.). Circulation is important since plants cannot get to the CO2 or nutrients. Filters clog over time and that affects the amount of current in the tank.

Do the non-CO2 method type of tank then if you find the work of a CO2 enriched tank taxing.

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## ranmasatome

> Point taken. My idea of "algae-free" is no clearly visible or nuisance algae. The purpose of this poll is to have an idea of what problem algae our members are having and possibly share experiences in dealing with them. I suppose the different ways of getting rid of specific types of algae will/should be discussed in separate threads for easy future reference for others.
> 
> Just for the purpose of clarity here, are we saying that BBA (and many other algae) is a result fluctuating CO2 levels? It is either you have it high or you don't have it at all. If we want to keep it at bay, we should pump lots of CO2 (with favorable nutrient conditions of course) and have a good circulation in the tank? Although the fish might start gasping for air, we just have to find other ways to deal with that?
> 
> ck


If thats your idea of algae-free then yes...its possible..may past 3 tanks have been like that.. no visible algae...but it did take sometime to figure out the right parameters for each tank...but still.. i think its possible.

If common sense doesn't strike you NOT to pump in so much co2 that your fish dies.. then i guess go ahead. You dont see us saying to do that do you??

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## michael lai

I've been battling BBA for a few months now, excel overdose, CO2, waterflow, you name it, I've tried it. This is like the algae from hell! and worst now it seems to have grown immune to excel. OMG! If it weren't Bolbitis, I would have thrown away the whole lot. Geez.. :Mad:

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## CK Yeo

> If common sense doesn't strike you NOT to pump in so much co2 that your fish dies.. then i guess go ahead. You dont see us saying to do that do you??


No Justin, I didn't mean that. I know my cories don't like it when I crank up the CO2, but the tetras seems indifferent to it. High constant CO2 works for you? Good for you! 

ck

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## ranmasatome

> I've been battling BBA for a few months now, excel overdose, CO2, waterflow, you name it, I've tried it. This is like the algae from hell! and worst now it seems to have grown immune to excel. OMG! If it weren't Bolbitis, I would have thrown away the whole lot. Geez..


Mike..when i get back and have time maybe i go over see see your tank ok..;D.. can have kopi also.

Ck...pump the co2 high enough and any fish will die.. ive done it before.. killed all 20pcs of my Barbus faciolatus and some other rare fish accidently...
What i mean was to deal with it sensably...no one said to pump co2 so high such that it starts killing fish and then find another way to deal with that did they?? precisely only because its not sensable.

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## PeterGwee

> I've been battling BBA for a few months now, excel overdose, CO2, waterflow, you name it, I've tried it. This is like the algae from hell! and worst now it seems to have grown immune to excel. OMG! If it weren't Bolbitis, I would have thrown away the whole lot. Geez..


Is the bolbitis growing well in the first place? BBA actively growing? I'll suggest you use the mist method via a diffuser in the path of good current such that the mist is blast all over the tank especially to the plants. Make sure the CO2 bubble rate remain stable and eye-ball the plant growth and BBA. If the BBA grows actively, add a tad more CO2 and make sure the fish are not stress and then so on and fore till the BBA stops growing. Once you achieve that, you can trim the remaining BBA off good.

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## valice

> No, you do not lower the fert dosage. Plants would go after the NH3 first before the NO3 but the NH3 shouldn't be that much or else you would have greenwater.
> 
> Either not enough PO4 dosage (2ppm 3-4x a week should be the max) or poor CO2 (rate dropping off during the week? Poor water current in some spots.)
> 
> Regards
> Peter Gwee


I have no green water, so NH3 is low. So point taken... My NH3 is low.

Now, here is one thing which I am always confused about with EI. I need to achieve 2ppm 3-4x a week. But this 2ppm is per dose or over the week?
Logically, it should be per dose right? Since the plants will take in some, so the concentration in the tank will drop. Please clarify? This will also be the same for NO3? Each dose 15ppm? Or 15ppm divided across, say, 3 doses?

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## PeterGwee

> I have no green water, so NH3 is low. So point taken... My NH3 is low.
> 
> Now, here is one thing which I am always confused about with EI. I need to achieve 2ppm 3-4x a week. But this 2ppm is per dose or over the week?
> Logically, it should be per dose right? Since the plants will take in some, so the concentration in the tank will drop. Please clarify? This will also be the same for NO3? Each dose 15ppm? Or 15ppm divided across, say, 3 doses?


2ppm per dose 3x a week at high light (less frequency but same dosage at lower light.). Same deal for the NO3 but I dose at 10ppm per dose 3x a week.

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## Jungle-mania

> ADA aquasoil has ammonia??!  I just googled it. Apparently a few people reported it. wow!
> 
> Excel kills BBA. It kills other things too. Shrimp, Vallisneria, Riccia just to name a few. H2O2 does the same though it is not as "in" now. Bleach works too, but that's frown upon for some reason or another.
> 
> Still no claims of algae free tanks. Is it possible???
> 
> ck


Thanks for that info on ADA soil, explains alot now to me. For the excel, I haven't gotten a single death for my shrimps, in fact they blowing out of proportion, thinking of giving them as feeders eventually.

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## valice

> 2ppm per dose 3x a week at high light (less frequency but same dosage at lower light.). Same deal for the NO3 but I dose at 10ppm per dose 3x a week.
> 
> Regards
> Peter Gwee


Thanks... My light is high... 4xT5HO over 2ft... So threading on a thin rope...

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## PeterGwee

> Thanks... My light is high... 4xT5HO over 2ft... So threading on a thin rope...


Yah, things go south real quick if something goes out of line. All you get is faster growth and that is it.  :Grin:  

Regards
Peter Gwee

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## XnSdVd

Brown slime algae? the kind that you find on the glass after awhile...

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## GaspingGurami

> Brown slime algae? the kind that you find on the glass after awhile...


I'm having that now, one week after my Gyrinocheilus aymonieri died after a 5.5 hour power failure while the family was away.

Now I know why it is so big and fat. Mistakenly thought it was eating up all the fish food which it seem to hog. It must have been getting big and fat sucking up those nutritious bacterial protein on the tank walls.

Now I know how hard it was working. Go get one, but think hard before introducing it as it is rather difficult to catch out without CO2. More than 1, and it quarrels. Mine killed all its brethren, turned to kill the other loaches and finally became king in the tank - even an 8 inch Pacu is subject to it.

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## michael lai

> Is the bolbitis growing well in the first place? BBA actively growing? I'll suggest you use the mist method via a diffuser in the path of good current such that the mist is blast all over the tank especially to the plants. Make sure the CO2 bubble rate remain stable and eye-ball the plant growth and BBA. If the BBA grows actively, add a tad more CO2 and make sure the fish are not stress and then so on and fore till the BBA stops growing. Once you achieve that, you can trim the remaining BBA off good.
> 
> Regards
> Peter Gwee


Hi Peter,
Yes the Bolbitis is growing very actively just like its trying to outgrow the BBA. I'm trying the misting method now albiet an alternate method through the use of a powerhead. So far, the BBA is at status quo. Will see what happens later. :Smile:

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## michael lai

> Mike..when i get back and have time maybe i go over see see your tank ok..;D.. can have kopi also.
> 
> Ck...pump the co2 high enough and any fish will die.. ive done it before.. killed all 20pcs of my Barbus faciolatus and some other rare fish accidently...
> What i mean was to deal with it sensably...no one said to pump co2 so high such that it starts killing fish and then find another way to deal with that did they?? precisely only because its not sensable.


Well, you better get back quick cause I'm getting posted to the middleeast :Wink:  After Chinese New year to be precise. I don't want to drink arabian coffee with you ... :Grin:

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## eddyq

Dictionary defines algae an aquatic plant except not having true leave,root or stem (photosynthetic organism).

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## Ah_ZhaN

Well, I was harvesting/trimming my weeping & taiwan moss from my driftwood( Pull all out and re-tie the moss again) yesterday when I saw small clumps of BBA still clinging on to the branches despite being covered up entirely by the moss. Most of them turned white though, but still look pretty determined in surviving. Yet they did not infest my moss...pretty weird eh?

I will give credit to BBA and will vote them to be the toughest algae~!!  :Grin:

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## MiSs PiGgY

i've lots of blue-green slime algae and it keeps growing back even though i manually removed it. non of my shrimps are going near it and it's covering up my entire moss mesh and driftwood. can somebody advise how to get rid of it without affecting my cherry shrimps inside?

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## KeIgO86

> i've lots of blue-green slime algae and it keeps growing back even though i manually removed it. non of my shrimps are going near it and it's covering up my entire moss mesh and driftwood. can somebody advise how to get rid of it without affecting my cherry shrimps inside?


3 day black out kills all BGA. Thereafter, keep your NO3 levels at a good level (10 - 20ppm). Do a search, there's been several discussions covering the cause, solution and prevention on this topic already.

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## MiSs PiGgY

i've successfully got rid of my algae. thanks bro.

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## juggler

I have some sort of algae in my tanks all the while. I have learnt not to get paranoid about it.

Most headache is the Hair Algae. BBA can be controlled by extra CO2 but the Hair Algae seem to be always there. I have got Yamatos to keep them in control so tank can be enjoyed.

Any tips for me?  :Smile:

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## PeterGwee

> I have some sort of algae in my tanks all the while. I have learnt not to get paranoid about it.
> 
> Most headache is the Hair Algae. BBA can be controlled by extra CO2 but the Hair Algae seem to be always there. I have got Yamatos to keep them in control so tank can be enjoyed.
> 
> Any tips for me?


You need to trim them off good since they grow well with high CO2 and nutrients once induced and established. Make sure that you dose enough nutrients and maintain good CO2. (Are you still dosing lean and assuming nutrients coming from the fishes? CO2 24/7?)

Regards,
Peter Gwee

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## StanChung

Ditto hair algae[staghorn or cladophora] on moss.
This is something that is an unwanted permanent resident and grow so much faster than BBA. This is enemy number one for me because active[removal] and passive action[improving conditions] does not rid of it. It's 100X worse than riccia to rid of. It really has to be bleached-H202/clorox to be killed.

BBA grows near dead spots? I think the first place it grows is on the filter out where the flow is fast and the light intense!

IMHO lack of stable, high CO2 is being given *too much credit* for growth of BBA.
Plants near my diffusor are getting BBA. They are covered in CO2 mist daily but BBA still grows.

IMHO it grows following deteriorating conditions in the tank. Water not diluted by WC with high amount of organic debris- neglect, clogged filter, mucking with the soil, limited CO2 + _dozens of unknown to me reasons_.

Hi nutrients don't cause algae? Another incredible piece of news to me when I heard it more than a year ago. 
IMHO that's like saying flaunting your jewelry won't get you mugged. 
A more honest statement would be 'Hi nutrients don't cause algae BUT there would be a higher chance of getting a lot of it real fast!'

IMHO there's already a little algae here and there in your tank.[introduced via fish/plants/spores etc]
If they were fed of course it will grow- common sense.

I'd like to believe the plants outcompete algae in some ways like blocking light otherwise there's really no sense in all these so called mantra that's filling forums especially when experience tells otherwise.

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## StanChung

I think it's worth a try to get 'Mythbusters' to say it's plausible or debunk outright.

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## mtanec

I only have hair algae that comes from plants that were given to me.. well, I learnt to live with it and it can be quite beautiful in its own way.. just keep it under control by pulling out what I don't like to see while leaving those that seems to grow at the right place..

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## StanChung

Cladophora- my best friend. Oh why won't you leave me despite me hating you so?  :Flame:

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## KeIgO86

> Hi nutrients don't cause algae? Another incredible piece of news to me when I heard it more than a year ago. 
> IMHO that's like saying flaunting your jewelry won't get you mugged. 
> A more honest statement would be 'Hi nutrients don't cause algae BUT there would be a higher chance of getting a lot of it real fast!'


Do you mean you still get high amounts of algae when using EI method to dosing? When I started planted tanks, I was plagued by so much algae it was frustrating. I was not really dosing much then. But ever since I read about EI and decided to try it, especially after a rescaping the whole tank (restarting with minimal algae), I never had any algae problems that cannot be removed/killed within 2 to 3 minutes of excel spot treatment or physical removal every week. BTW, my tank is a 2x1x1ft tank under 55W PL lighting and I do a 50% water change every 2 weeks. I am also using an internal reactor which means there is minimal CO2 mist effect. Yet, BBA is the least of my worries. IMO, low nutrients will have a higher chance to cause algae than high nutrients as low nutrients will mean that there is a higher chance that one or more nutrients is insufficient in the water column, which is the widely agreed common cause of any sort of algae.




> I'd like to believe the plants outcompete algae in some ways like blocking light otherwise there's really no sense in all these so called mantra that's filling forums especially when experience tells otherwise.


Don't really think so as almost every time when algae grows, they grow on top of the leaves of plants and in the most brightly lit areas. If I am not wrong, one of the main food for algae is NH3. And plants outcompete algae by absorbing any NH3 missed by our biological fitration before algae does. When there is a certain nutrient deficiency, the plants' ability to take in NH3 is inhibited, thus giving a chance for algae to feed on the NH3 and grow.

I am not trying to go against you, but just sharing that I have experiences that are contary to those you have expressed. Perhaps bad feng shui is causing your algae problems?  :Laughing:  

I do agree that neglect and lack of water change is a big invitation for algae to come visit. Claudophora is also my most feared algae as it is very hard to remove. I learnt a painful lesson once when it infected half my HC lawn and I had to remove the whole portion of the infected lawn to stop the infection. IMO, proper water conditions cannot totally stop algae growth. Algae can be spotted even in aquascapes maintained by professionals under close scrutiny. But proper water conditions can slow down algae growth to a point where it is managable with minimal efforts of removal.

What I do is, whenever I am viewing my tank, I take some time to scrutinise it for any algae that is threatening to spread. Then of course when I spot them I will remove them. Algae like plants, have their masses grow exponentially. So by removing them when there is only a little of them, coupled with proper water conditions and adequate plant masses, their rate of growth is actually very very slow.

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## StanChung

> Do you mean you still get high amounts of algae when using EI method to dosing? When I started planted tanks, I was plagued by so much algae it was frustrating. I was not really dosing much then. But ever since I read about EI and decided to try it, especially after a rescaping the whole tank (restarting with minimal algae), I never had any algae problems that cannot be removed/killed within 2 to 3 minutes of excel spot treatment or physical removal every week. BTW, my tank is a 2x1x1ft tank under 55W PL lighting and I do a 50% water change every 2 weeks. I am also using an internal reactor which means there is minimal CO2 mist effect. Yet, BBA is the least of my worries. IMO, low nutrients will have a higher chance to cause algae than high nutrients as low nutrients will mean that there is a higher chance that one or more nutrients is insufficient in the water column, which is the widely agreed common cause of any sort of algae.


I never get outbreaks [except some dark green cottony algae that I don't think is clado, and the last time was in jan 2006 when i was away and co2 ran out]
Why, each time I raise the nutrient level, the whole tank feels like it's about to explode with GSA and the above mentioned algae.
IMHO EI is for people who don't have algae. Lol!

BBA is a minor nuisance to me. It only happens on things that are slow or inanimate near the light and especially on wood that is rotting. It's pretty harmless as its very very slow. It happens when I overload the tank with fish-discus. 
poop=algae and you are right.
Once a week WC won't cut it with 10 discus in my 120G tank.





> I am not trying to go against you, but just sharing that I have experiences that are contary to those you have expressed. Perhaps bad feng shui is causing your algae problems?


Not at all, it's me me that's going against all this hi nutrient and hi CO2 mantra! lol.
I think what you're getting is what I'm getting as well and it's minimal-Except that this cotton stuff is pretty fast. Once introduced in your tank it's very hard to rid off. So happens I have it and it really bugs me because my precious mosses are infected. [fissidens, flame etc]

The difference I think is just this one type of algae that is hard to kill/remove as it gets tangled in mosses and fern roots. It loves hi nutrients and high CO2. [yes I repeated it for measure] and it doesn't go away on it's own. It has to be removed/killed.

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## ronald_t80

hi all, read this thread and hope anyone here can help out.

1) what is Green water? is it the water inside your tank that looks green cos mine looks abit yellowish....even after every WC, it will turn back yellowish after a few hours. Or isit bcos of the base fert that i'm using that leak out the color?

2) noticed some fuzz algae appearing after dosing 10ml of Brighty K yesterday, today the condition seem worse...isit due to overdosage?

mine is a 90 x 45 x 45 tank, Co2 2bps, temp 24 degrees, ph 6.7, kh ?? and 204w lighting for 10hrs.

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## StanChung

Hi Ronald,

It doesn't sound like green water you're having. Yellowing, could be due to your driftwood leaching tannins. Is this the same setup you posted in aquascaping thread?

Try reducing your lighting to 150W and 7hours photo period. Your plants if it's the one mentioned don't really need so much light. Tennelus and E quadricostatus? 

Exposed wood tend to get some algae, some manual maintenance is necessary periodically.
As far as i know Brighty K is a 'K' supplement. Should not promote algae.

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## ronald_t80

morning Stan,

Glad its you that reply... yeah its the same setup i post a few weeks ago. I also suspect its the DW initially but doubt it so cos its been with me since the previous setup liao.

For the plants at the foreground and midground its E tennelus and E quadricostatus. the reason why i add so much lighting cos i read from some threads that there must have enough light to reach the bottom so that both e plants can grow/spread well. BUT will reduce it to the amount you mentioned  :Grin:  

For the fuzz algae i hope using toothbrush can remove them on the DW, but how about those on the leaves? add in oto can help?

THanks for ur help  :Kiss:

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## StanChung

Hi Ronald,
Otos only eat brown algae well, for fuzz you need juvenile SAE. You can afford to keep 2-3 since you haven't' got any mosses. 
However since tennelus grow so fast, I'd just trim it. 


The wood I think would be a problem for a long time. I suggest to use a small pack of carbon for a month to absorb this yellow colour for long term or... take out driftwood to boil.

----------


## ronald_t80

Stan bro,

thanks for all the advise...will add another SAE later. hopefully the fuzz algae problem will be solve asap. thanks again

----------


## StanChung

You're welcome.  :Smile:  Post updates...

----------


## ronald_t80

> Stan bro,
> 
> thanks for all the advise...will add another SAE later. hopefully the fuzz algae problem will be solve asap. thanks again


No more fuzz algae.....thanks all for helps!  :Well done:

----------


## StanChung

Good job! Saw your updates. Nice work on the tank. :Well done:

----------


## fisherw

A late query. I have seen pictures of hair algae and they are always long stringy things. One pic, possibly in AQ, shows it tangled onto a toothbrush.

Question. What does it look like when it starts? I saw short hairs, about 1 cm long, on my vallis (tape grass). Having read of the drastic measures required following an infestation of hair algae, I removed the plant immediately. Was it hair algae? If not, what could it be? What remedy?

----------


## StanChung

It would help if you have a pic. There's thread algae, hair algae and fuzz algae. The differences are SAE will effectively eat all except hair algae.[the one you saw stuck to a toothbrush]

----------


## fisherw

How about otos? Will they eat algae on plants or just on the glass? Concerned that SAE will trash my plants, especially the moss I am trying to grow.

Will try a photo.

----------


## StanChung

Can't help it about moss eating SAE. Keep one or two only then.
Otos will only eat brown algae but they help clean the leaves and reduce other types of algae.

----------


## ah fat

read something about 10k lights will not promote algae growth as much as 6.5k temperature lights. why is that so? anyone can help explain?

----------


## PeterGwee

> read something about 10k lights will not promote algae growth as much as 6.5k temperature lights. why is that so? anyone can help explain?


It's a myth....not true at all. NH4/Poor CO2, nutrients or combo are the likely issues.

Regards,
Peter Gwee

----------


## StanChung

Poor plant growth due to poor plantkeeping issues as said by Peter and to add long term issues like not servicing filter regularly[2 months].

----------


## Hanako

> Poor plant growth due to poor plantkeeping issues as said by Peter and to add long term issues like not servicing filter regularly[2 months].


When you say not servicing filter regularly, do you mean wash the filter? I didn't know that I have to wash the filter once every 2 months.

----------


## StanChung

Hi Hanako,
It's not a requirement but I find the worst infected tanks are those with clogged filters, poor circulation and accumulation of organic debris.

I use the term 'service' because washing implies cleaning[using soap, chlorinated water etc  :Grin: ]. IMHO what we're doing is 'unclogging' rather and leaving the beneficial bacteria[BB]. 
Reseeding it with [BB] from branded makers would be ideal but that get's expensive if you have a lot of canister filters.

----------


## nerr2

what is the reason some angel fishes mostly died..? what can be the possible reasons??please help me.. :Sad:

----------


## Hanako

> Hi Hanako,
> It's not a requirement but I find the worst infected tanks are those with clogged filters, poor circulation and accumulation of organic debris.
> 
> I use the term 'service' because washing implies cleaning[using soap, chlorinated water etc ]. IMHO what we're doing is 'unclogging' rather and leaving the beneficial bacteria[BB]. 
> Reseeding it with [BB] from branded makers would be ideal but that get's expensive if you have a lot of canister filters.



Got it, thanks! I have not checked my filter for more than 6 months.  :Smile:

----------


## xjia

Those brush algae are annoying, even with light control there will be some brush algae on slow growing plant.
Spot algae on gravel and glass...

----------


## taygu

Used to have BBA real badly, there are almost everywhere in the tank. After coverting it to a low tech tank and a little discipline in weekly water change, it is almost gone. Lately, it will just pop up here and there..

----------


## Leeson

I've been battling BBA with chemicals since coming back to office off a week's holiday during the Xmas-NY period and found the tank an algae disaster with GSA, hair algaes, and of course BBA. Every single other algae has been killed and the tank is absolutely clean except for the BBA! grrr....

----------


## heeroyu16

For me, hair algae is a problem, it seems to infest on all my mosses even with 100 malayan shrimps. I tried using the Hydrogen Peroxide(H2O2) method as advised on plantedtanks.net
but to some extent only, within two days the hair algae fought back. Sigh~~

But I managed to combat BBA using the blackout,Seachem excel method.

----------


## dwgi32

BBA is a real headache for me, been fighting them since i started my 1.5ft shrimp tank. Tried to control the light intensity and install a CO2 system but it doesn't seem to solve the problem. Finaaly, deploy a few piece of SAE, and they managed to keep the BBA in track.

----------


## ct13

> BBA is a real headache for me, been fighting them since i started my 1.5ft shrimp tank. Tried to control the light intensity and install a CO2 system but it doesn't seem to solve the problem. Finaaly, deploy a few piece of SAE, and they managed to keep the BBA in track.


The SAE won't harm the shrimplet?

Please advise.

Thanks.
Ct

----------


## dwgi32

So far so good, they seem to live in harmony.

----------


## TheDane

Is there no biological warfare method for BBA? Any snails or other? 

Excel seems to work and is easy on infected driftwood, but its really hard to kill BBA on edge of leafs.

----------


## FishSoup

SAE seems like the only consumer of BBA, and even then its not very effective  :Opps: 

Best biological warfare would be to try to outcompete the BBA with fast-growing plants, maybe?

----------


## soulfinder78

Hair algae. Never won any battle against them. normally ended up with me removing the entire plant to get rid of it. I notice that hair algae seems to attack mosses most of the time. Never had any problem with it on other type of plants.

----------


## Jaffar

I have given up hope eradicating the BBA. Can't get rid of them no matter what I do. I have learned to live with them. Also had problems with hair algae. After removing the moss, I managed to control it . Hair algae seem to attack only my moss. Other plants are not affected.

----------


## Leeson

> I have given up hope eradicating the BBA. Can't get rid of them no matter what I do. I have learned to live with them. Also had problems with hair algae. After removing the moss, I managed to control it . Hair algae seem to attack only my moss. Other plants are not affected.


how do you "live with" BBA?  :Confused:

----------


## neon

> I have given up hope eradicating the BBA. Can't get rid of them no matter what I do. I have learned to live with them. Also had problems with hair algae. After removing the moss, I managed to control it . Hair algae seem to attack only my moss. Other plants are not affected.


Use syringe to spray Seachem Excel on the BBA and additional dose in the tank. Do this in alternate day . After all BBA die , ensure all your co2 circulation is good with no dead spot.

----------


## Jaffar

I have 2 choices on the BBA. Either live with them (you can't get rid of them entirely) or throw away your affected plants. Since I can't bear to choose the second option, I try to remove as and when I can manually (not easy). 
Reduce hours of lighting did not work. Reduce or stop temporarily the use of plant fertliser did not work Blackout for 3 days did not work. SAE more interested in fish food. BBA seem to affects even those areas with good circulation. 
The only thing I did not try is Seachem Excel. Just worried it may overdose my tank with CO2 and affect my fishes.

----------


## neon

As long as you don't have shrimp in the tank. It should be fine. I overdose to 120ml for my 6x2x2 tank each time.

In long run, the only way is to ensure good water circulation.

----------


## sfk7

Excel is only good for BBA?

Can it be used for hair algae?

----------


## Kaidohishida

BBA, very hard to wipe off plastic tank with tissue paper...

----------


## StanChung

That's impossible, you're probably better off with a glass tank and using a dental scraper. I think ADA makes one but not in stock around these parts if my source is correct.

That said, I'm sure a swiss army knife or any hand held tool would do the job.

----------


## pleco4me

Fuzz algae  :Sad: 

Getting me down at the moment!  :Embarassed:

----------


## dagger13

for me ill just remove GSA which appears on the glass surface using a plastic ruler or protractor

----------


## Loopy

Hi all  :Smile:  New here and first post  :Smile:  Anyhoo, I suffered with all the different algaes for about 6 months as a trial tank at work. It is a small 2FTX0.7FTX0.5FT Nano setup. And since any change (I found) is like an atomic bomb I learnt very quickly (6 Months NOT! quickly) what works and not, for me at least.

After messing around with timers, fertilization cycles, lights and losing everything that lived, including the plants! I stopped all that fussing and did 24/7 CO2 fertilization with an Inverted Rain Bar (i.e. I place the rain bar slightly under the surface of the water) facing up for the water agitation.

*Office Tank*
- I change the water by 20&#37; every three days. (Religiously)
- 1ML of SEACHEM Flourish (Everyday with a syringe directly into the filter)
- 1ML of SEACHEM EXCEL to areas I think look dubiously like algae is a cometh (With a syringe directly on the plant - Dilute with 10ML of water)
- PH is 7 point something something  :Smile: 
- KH is 3 to 4
- I broke an API Root tab into 4 and placed them randomly around the filter intake which goes all the way down into the soil, which done not even act a direct root fertilizer. Just far enough for what I think is enough to slowly "seep" into the intake.

*What I think is helping after 6 months?:*
1.) Frequent Water Changes (I was doing it every 5 days previously)
2.) Controlled Water Agitation (Water Flow/Circulation and Balances the CO2)
3.) Controlled Fertilzation (I was one of those more is more instead of less is more)
4.) Stopped Thinking Too Much! (Chill baby, walk away from the tank for awhile and stop fussing!)
5.) Use The Pearling as an Indicator (Some veterans would probably cringe, but I tweak the bubble count and rain bar with the some plants I use as "Indicators") - Riccia and a Nana as the 2 Indicators.
6.) Use The Fish as an Indicator (If the fish is at the surface and I am pearling I increase the agitation and drop the bubble count) 

*Home Tank*
My 4FTX2FTX1.5FT has since been setup at home, actually yesterday to the date of this post which is why I am here  :Smile:  

I did the same things and amazingly I have a nana already pearling, and the fish have now come to the bottom of the tank. I know the advice is not to add fish till after a week or more. I just sat in front of the tank for 6 hours and kept tweaking it till now. Also, I am changing water 20% of the water everyday for week. Let's just say I never have been conventional, because when I was in some way - I kept having crashing tanks.

BTW my setup is, EHEIM 2028, TECO Chiller, 5L CO2, CO2 Mixer and X2 3 Bulb 10K EA Lights - PL's.

----------


## WiNd08

i'm facing slight problems with hair algae in my less than 1 week old tank.

problem lies with me for not readin up enough! i actually dosed liquid fert on the 3rd day of planting! the next day i saw the hair algae on some of melted plants ! :Exasperated:

----------


## dkk08

I have this bright green stringy algae that looks like Moss ball (I thought the moss ball left some of itself behind when I remove it) and it seem like its overtaking my tank.

----------


## Loopy

The best thing I ever did for my tank was to stop messing with it and tweaking this and that. Everyone else in this thread has given advice, all I say is stop messing with it. AND PLEASE don't dose CO2 till your fish are gasping, the school of thought would be not to work AROUND it but no let it happen at all.

----------


## Shadow

> Can it be used for hair algae?


Excel does not work for hair algae

----------


## Shadow

> problem lies with me for not readin up enough! i actually dosed liquid fert on the 3rd day of planting! the next day i saw the hair algae on some of melted plants !


Doubt that the cause, I dose fert since day 1, no algae issue. According to Tom Barr excessive fert dosing does not cause algae unless you dose Amonia  :Opps: . This is the basic idea behind Estimate Index (EI) fert dosing

----------


## Plantbrain

Causes are generally not direct, many think that all causes must be direct.

If you do not enough CO2, then dose NO3 as well, the rate of uptake of NO3 will not be as high as it might be in an aquarium where the CO2 is amply supplied.

This will lead to higher NO3 in the poor CO2 aquarium.
This leads folks to think that the root cause is higher NO3 = algae.

But the real issue was CO2. The NO3 was merely the effect that they measured, they did not look at CO2 etc.

Another example is where there's enough CO2, but the tank is limited with K+.
Adding non limiting K+ causes stunted tip growth and progressively smaller tips.

Is excess K+ causing this?
No, we can go back and increase CO2 and then add as much K+ as you want, 10ppm, 30ppm, 50ppm, 100ppm even, no stunting.

While cO2 was fine at a slowed and limited rate of growth in the fist tank, adding K+ to non limiting levels causes a shift.

Many assume it's only K+ because they only changed that one thing.
However, the test and conclusion are flawed because CO2 was not independent in each aquarium.

This lead to a confounding conclusion and one that was incorrect.
The way around that, is to ensure there are no limiting factors when you test one thing at a time.

Most algae issues are CO2 related or they are limiting something. Excess is rare....... and is generally much like adding too much salt to an aquarium. There is no inhibition or weird stunting or the tables of plant deficiencies etc.

Algae are perhaps better indicators than plants are at issues. 
Riccia is good for CO2(if it pearls well after a few hours of lighting, then you are likley doing fine).

More attention to basic care, pruning, cleaning, water changes, reasonable stocking, and a large focus on CO2 generally takes care of things.

Problems also do not manifest themselves immediately, some algae take a 1-2 week time frame to bloom after the exposure.

The "cure" is to trim and remove as much algae as you can and reset the tank so that you have good plant growth. You can do this very agressively or oce a week etc. After things are back to normal, you can do less work, but that time frame while you are trying to fix things will require work.

I prefer to stay on top of things maintenance wise, that way I do not chase problems around and reduce the total work.

This is easy to do with light(use moderately to low light) and with nutrients/water changes. It is difficult for CO2 for many, but it gets easier as you get experience and know what to look for.

Regards, 
Tom Barr

----------


## blue33

> ...This is easy to do with light(use moderately to low light) and with nutrients/water changes. ...


I notice most of the time what people face is also the lighting problem, the plant dont get enough lighting to create photosynthesis, thus before plant can create photosynthesis taking up the CO2 and nutrients, algae starts to roam in, especially BBA.

----------


## Shadow

If not enough light for photosynthesis, plant will eventually die. No need to worry about algae  :Grin:  because you have a bigger problem.

----------


## blue33

I think you get the wrong idea, if you notice those leggy plant, thats what i mean.  :Laughing:  Eventually lots of thing going to happen later, that is one of the sign beside i've mentioned.  :Evil:  Alot of plant still can survive but the problem is leading to algae and more things going to happen. Currently i'm testing this on my old tank before i decommission, many things are happening from my observation. I've tested the extreme and also to the simplest, you can try it out.  :Grin:

----------


## Shadow

it is probably not because of light. I have low tech tank with almost algae free. Only brown algae that stick on the glass, nothing that otos can't handle. Maybe those melted leaves are causing amonia spike thus algae grow. I just thinking loudly here.

----------


## Plantbrain

> I notice most of the time what people face is also the lighting problem, the plant dont get enough lighting to create photosynthesis, thus before plant can create photosynthesis taking up the CO2 and nutrients, algae starts to roam in, especially BBA.


Give this some thought for a moment.
Not enough, this implies what?
You are light limited, not nutrient limited, or CO2 limited.

Plants are not going to grow and slowly rot.
You can add all the CO2.nutrients, and it will not matter. Algae, at a small amount, will grow. 

But you will not have some horrible infestation, you just will never grow plants and watch them rot slowly(The old days this was a typical routine for many, folks had few lights and fewer options), like in the 1970's, live plants where bougtht, then we'd watch them slowly rot over 8-12 weeks and replace with fresh plnts.

Clearly you have larger issues if you do not have enough light than algae if light is really limiting. It will never be an issue because you will repalce the plants often since they will slowly die off :Well done: 

But these days, with T5, HQI, T8, PC lighting, this is really much less likely and tolerated, seems 99% of the folks are not light limited. There may be a few who still replace plants every few weeks I suppose and only have a single T12 FL light etc, But this is a rare case these days.

Regards, 
Tom Barr

----------


## Loopy

Tom, thanks for your informative replies.

As for the subject; I have 2 forms of algae that plague me and the most amazing thing they are only stick to 2 specific plants.

1.) Narrowleaf - BBA
2.) Hair Algae - Fissiden

----------


## Shadow

I'm curently fighting Green spot algae on the rock. I have been doubling the PO4 dossage for 2 weeks, so far no different. The Good news is hillstream loach seem to eat this algae.

----------


## taikiat

BBA's my problem now, althought i wouldn't really call it a problem haha. Haven't been battling all out, because my tank is just a low tech tank and I don't have the means to get medication or whatsoever, and I try to limit methods to control of lighting etc. Thought it was going to overrun my tank at first, and I cut down the lighting and now, it's only limited to my driftwood. My plants are all ok, althought they're all fast growing except for my java moss, which is still bright green. GSA occurs time to time, but some scraping will do the job. Will be doing some trimming soon and increasing density of planting, see if that helps ^^

----------


## Verminator

BBA, GSA and thread/hair algae are all present in my tank. Although my Anubias looks quite natural with little clumps of dark brown hairy algae on.

Just the thread algae and GSA that really p*ss me off :/ Other than that i think algae can look very natural if kept under control. I'm yet to gain control though :P

----------


## Viper007

I notice my riccia on mesh are infected by hair algae no thin that careful inspection is needed to see the algae. Put in 2 SAE, 3 Oto, 7 Yamato, 50 plus cherry shrimps also cannot get rid of it till I have to clear the hold mess.  :Crying:  

Fortunate thing is Riccia is easy and fast growing.

----------


## Aquaboyy

Green spot... for me

very hard to scrub them off  :Mad:

----------


## Storeman

cant seem to get rid of brown algae on my glass, the amano shrimp only eat those on plants and occasionally eat from glass and i dont like to stick my hand into the tank too often to contaminate the water, i guess i learned to live with it  :Smile:

----------


## razornova

Otocinclus should clear brown algae easily.

----------


## StanChung

A hard plastic card[Visa/Master?  :Grin: ] is handy to scrape GSA[green spot algae], GDA[Green Dust Algae] and brown algae.
I use a 'Hard' Toothbrush for the silicone areas.

----------


## feide

having war with staghorn
manual remove, excel overdose, water change, increase flowrate.. tried all but still not improving...

----------


## inque

list of algae and what i do with it

1) hair - let it glow abit then pull out the clump manual 
2) bba - remove affected portion and put in clinic tank
3) spot - manual removal, or leave it to the snails and shrimps


algae prevention routine/steps
1) dun over dose fert ..... find your tank's balance
2) use some floating plants, it helps 
3) invest in your algae cleaning crew
4) i got a tub of moss floating in the tank also
5) do your WCs

----------


## Gucci

My malayans are still doing a great job on it i see some aglae gone already and with the help of excel it works doublely good thumbs up for my hard working malayans

----------


## edwardchuajh

After putting in 10 yamatos 2 otos and 2 SAEs, with 2 nerites and 2 red ramshorn, all my green and brown algae disappeared.

However, ever since the green algae appeared my SAEs stopped eating the BBA I have on my moss. (The first week they actually did tug at the BBA and consumed and cleared one patch of my moss)

So this afternoon, I took a syringe of 3ml Excel and spot-dosed the areas of BBA. I just checked them tonight and the BBA has turned this red colour and I believe its dying soon =) Shall observe for a few days more and continue dosage.

----------


## minute_me

I have 2 SAEs in my planted 2 foot but I noticed green and brown algae getting from bad to worse. I also noticed that my plants mainly anubias are covered with brown stuff. my rocks also slowly turning brown. I thougth my canister filter is ineffective and did maintenance once every 2 weeks. 

I thought SAEs are supposed to clean the algae. In my other 1ft tank, I have 2 golden algae eater and the tank is spotless. So I decided to take one golden algae eater and introduced it into my 2ft planted. Wow!! within a few days, almost all the brown stuff on my tank, plants and rocks are gone! Still some green algae on the walls of the aquarium but it's under control. 

Quite impressed that one golden algae eater can clean up the 2ft tank. I did not put it in earlier because sometimes it can harrass other fishes. But after oberserving for a while, I think it's doing more good than harm. So I leave it in my 2ft to do cleaning job.  :Very Happy:

----------


## Plantbrain

I've been able to rid every species that is bothersome.

Mostly lowering the light is the 1st step.
This reduces CO2/nutrient demands, and slows algae growth.

Algae are not CO2 or nutrient limited, they are light limited in aquariums.
So this is for the plant's mostly to reduce the stress on them, not to limit algae so much.

Dose good non limiting plant nutrients, this is easy to do.

Next is tweaking CO2 and providing good current to reduce CO2 stress and increase O2, which since respiration of fish is both the sum total of the O2 and the CO2, provides a much better margin or error, making management over time of CO2 much easier and less stressful to fish.

So low light, good CO2, good nutrients(sediments and water column), provide the best management practice(BMP's) for most aquarist.

Tropica suggest this also.

ADA's system is pretty much based on this, but leaner nutrients, but the light is relatively low, 40micromols is hardly the higher light one might predict.

So use less light, limit light, do not limit nutrients. 

This is about the plants, and getting the most out of the system. You get the highest light use efficiency with good CO2, low light and good nutrients.
This also reduces the electric bills which cost far more than water bills etc.
And living in SG, this also reduces heat and evapoiration using less light and the rates of growth, slows everything down and makes things much more manageable,.

If algae still grows, you have more work to do.
However, with lower light, it also means less algae and each shrimp or otto cat will be able to clean more area than in a higher light aquarium.

So they(herbivores) have a higher use efficiency as well.

I'd focus more on light/CO2/current, less on nutrients, just add them, add some sediment like the ADA As or similar brands etc.
Do water changes, add Excel or generic equivalents etc.
Clean filters, trim etc.

Regards, 
Tom Barr

----------


## Navanod

> I have 2 SAEs in my planted 2 foot but I noticed green and brown algae getting from bad to worse. I also noticed that my plants mainly anubias are covered with brown stuff. my rocks also slowly turning brown. I thougth my canister filter is ineffective and did maintenance once every 2 weeks. 
> 
> I thought SAEs are supposed to clean the algae. In my other 1ft tank, I have 2 golden algae eater and the tank is spotless. So I decided to take one golden algae eater and introduced it into my 2ft planted. Wow!! within a few days, almost all the brown stuff on my tank, plants and rocks are gone! Still some green algae on the walls of the aquarium but it's under control. 
> 
> Quite impressed that one golden algae eater can clean up the 2ft tank. I did not put it in earlier because sometimes it can harrass other fishes. But after oberserving for a while, I think it's doing more good than harm. So I leave it in my 2ft to do cleaning job.


Are your SAE "real" ones?
You probably got the moss eating subspecie

----------


## Navanod

> having war with staghorn
> manual remove, excel overdose, water change, increase flowrate.. tried all but still not improving...


Spiky nerite snails cleared my staghorn quite rapidly  :Grin:

----------


## StanChung

> Are your SAE "real" ones?
> You probably got the moss eating subspecie


I haven't kept an SAE that doesn't eat moss.  :Grin: 
Are you sure there's a sub-specie that doesn't?  :Shocked:

----------


## Navanod

> I haven't kept an SAE that doesn't eat moss. 
> Are you sure there's a sub-specie that doesn't?


My info is based on some web searches and a fair bit of observations.
Perhaps I should start a thread on this?  :Grin:

----------


## StanChung

I think there's a window in their young life when they wouldn't eat moss but once they are older they certainly will.

It's relatively easy to differentiate SAE and Flying Fox. By now most resellers know the difference and do not stock the 'fake' one purposely.

----------


## Navanod

> I think there's a window in their young life when they wouldn't eat moss but once they are older they certainly will.
> 
> It's relatively easy to differentiate SAE and Flying Fox. By now most resellers know the difference and do not stock the 'fake' one purposely.


You may be very right about the moss eating portion. Perhaps even the BBA eating SAE will eat moss at some point in time.
However, I'm not referring to the common "fake" SAE like the flying foxes and chinese algae eaters.

I'm writing a very long thread on it...will post once done  :Opps:

----------


## StanChung

Can't wait to read it.  :Grin:

----------


## Navanod

> Can't wait to read it.


Standby for wall of text
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...657#post517657

----------


## TyroneGenade

> If you stand by the river long enough, you will see the bodies of your enemies float by.
> 
> Sun Tzu



For a long time I have been suffering with hair and staghorn algae. Some months ago I simply gave up trying to fight much more than remove the hair algae with a tooth brush now and then. I was so disenchanted that I even stopped bothering with my DIY CO2. Where I used to do water changes every week now I do it whenever... I put the cover glass back over the tank (I had removed it to let more light into the tank) so the light was reduced a bit. The "easy" plants have continued to grow: crypts, long-leaf Hygro etc... And, as these plants have grown the algae has gotten less and less. The staghorn has vanished as have the large green patches on the leaves of the Anubias. And as far as hair algae goes, it is still there but I now only remove a small ball every other week where previously I had removed handfuls. I am NOT fertilizing other than feeding the fish. When I eventually do a water change I add some DSD water hardening mix and that is that.

Whether the receding of the algae is because I have stopped messing with the tank, reduced the light or simply it decided it wasn't worth being a nuisance because I was not longer irritated I do not know. But I am thankful that my tank isn't as hideous any more. Maybe in another year I will be algae free.  :Smile:

----------


## widjajas

hair algae for me

----------


## Swimerpool

green water is really hard to eliminate ~_~
- pool supplies

----------


## admael

Spot algae for me... Manual removing is easy but it's the biggest algae issue for me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## pfelix

Black Beard Algae for me. No matter what I do, it's always come back. I tear down the whole tank, start anew and a few weeks later they return.  :Mad:

----------


## Peanut8787

Every algae I can managed them very well and my tank is almost algae free with the right balance. 

Every now and then will always have green algae on glass but can be manually scrub off. 

Cheers

----------


## weijie1986

Algae that i hate most is BBA, it just keep coming back.
BBA doesnt just stick with my moss, but they attach to OHKO rocks, after plants everything nicely, shrimps start to carry eggs, then BBA attack.
Its about 5 months now i only able to control the growth of BBA.

Anyone knows how to kill this thing? Overdose excel is not an option as i keep moss and shrimps in the that.
Sometimes i see yamato chewing on the BBA, but the effect is sooooo slow. Maybe i should put 10-20 yamatos inside? LOL~

----------


## Azzurri3

I have never seen BBA in tanks with high CO2 content

----------


## felix_fx2

> I have never seen BBA in tanks with high CO2 content


Does 3bps count as high?
I'm having slight but aggressively spreading bba.
Excel makes them pink then white.

----------


## Shadow

bps pretty much mean nothing. Get drop checker, it is not the best CO2 measuring equipment but at least it give you the feeling what 3bps mean to your tank.

----------


## StanChung

Cladophora.

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## marimo

I have green dust algae which looks light lime neon green on my rocks. 
Is it because of high light?

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## milk_vanilla

> I have green dust algae which looks light lime neon green on my rocks. 
> Is it because of high light?


I guess thats because with high light, especially if your rock stand vertically high and closer to the bulbs.

I have the ohko stone with green/brownish algae (can't identify what algae is that) sitting on the stones, especially to certain areas that facing toward the bulbs. 
I don't know how to remove it actually. My SAE and otto seems doesn't do their homework well to this particularly.

As long it seems natural, doesnt really bother me. Though i curious how to clean this if possible.

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## StanChung

For this I like to reduce the water level to expose the affected parts to air. The paint some diluted Excel on the lime green parts. Leave on for half hour.

* Note-save the water and put it back or just do it during your regular weekly WC. Be extra careful not to drip too much Excel especially for tanks below 2 ft.

The algae will die slowly and turn white. Your shrimps will have a feast. You can hasten it's removal the next week with a toothbrush & WC.

2nd way is to remove the rocks and bleach it. Soak in some anti chlorine, then return it to the tank. I do this for BBA, GBA[Green brush algae] & GSA. Lilypipes and other stuff that gets all this sticky algae also gets bleached. Bleach is a very useful product but don't touch it and do it in well ventilated area.

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## milk_vanilla

Whats is the comparation of the diluted excel / easy carbo and water should be? 

As well as the diluted bleach for the other option

Sent using Tapatalk 2

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## mkt

I have staghorns and bba in the low flow areas - how do you guys ensure the flow goes through out the tank?

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## StanChung

> Whats is the comparation of the diluted excel / easy carbo and water should be? 
> 
> As well as the diluted bleach for the other option
> 
> Sent using Tapatalk 2


I just guestimate.  :Blah: 

2-3X for excel

Bleach- if it's going to be a big rock i use it pure and only 'painting it on'.

Small rocks- if you have a sealable container 3X dilution should be potent enough to do the job quickly.

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## milk_vanilla

Thanks Stan, 

Anyone has experienced with hydrogen peroxide?

i bought 3% level from one of our health store, thinking to clean my co2 diffuser. Seems it's not strong enough compare to bleach. I didn't delute it, straight away pour it on ceramic surface. 

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## gid

Green hair Algae...especially when i have it growing beneath my glosso carpet!

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## tetrakid

For treating things outside the fish tank, household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is best because it's cheap and effective.

Peroxide is good for treating small spot algae inside the tank with a dropper. Small amounts are safe because it will disssipate after a while. But since peroxide is expensive, using household bleach is better for treating things like pipes rocks, ornaments etc. Make sure to rinse the bleach properly after treatment.

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## qngwn

I usually spot nuke them with excel, then send in my commando cherries to clear the mess.. Prevention is definitely better than cure when it comes to algae..

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## Sleepy_lancs

> green water is really hard to eliminate ~_~
> - pool supplies


Green water is the easiest. Just get a Aquarium UV sterilizer, pipe it through your filter or use a powerhead to drive for a week and your tank should be clear of green water. Add more plants (floating ones are good for temporary measures).

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## Sleepy_lancs

> I have staghorns and bba in the low flow areas - how do you guys ensure the flow goes through out the tank?


Use additional Powerhead to drive water around the tank  :Grin:

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