# Planted Tanks > Fertilisation and Algae >  How to remove algae from moss

## Green Baron

I accidentally disconnected the CO2 system before I went overseas and when I came back 10 days later, some of the more fragile plants such as Toninia died, Erect Moss wall has a big brown patch and Christmas moss wall infested with dark green algae (not hair algae or BBA) :-( The rest of the more hardy plants seems to be OK.

I have redo the Erect Moss wall as it Erect Moss grows pretty fast. I am very reluctant to prune/tear down the Christmas Moss wall as it takes quite long for Christmas moss to grow back. I was told that dipping the moss in a 2.5% bleach solution for 1 minute will kill/remove all the algae. Has anyone here tried using Bleach solution to remove algae ? 
Any advice on how to remove the algae ?

Thanks
Gan

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## PeterGwee

A blackout should do the trick if the plants are not in very bad shape. Works for all kinds of algae except for BBA that is.

Regards
Peter Gwee :wink:

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## Green Baron

> A blackout should do the trick if the plants are not in very bad shape. Works for all kinds of algae except for BBA that is.
> 
> Regards
> Peter Gwee :wink:


Hi peter,
My plants are in good shape. You mean blackout will remove the algae from the leaves ? 

Thanks
Gan

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## PeterGwee

Do some manual removal of the algae if possible, a large water change (remove algae spores) followed by a 3-5 day blackout should kill the remainder algae. Just make sure no light gets in during the period of blackout.

Regards
Peter Gwee :wink:

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## Green Baron

> Do some manual removal of the algae if possible, a large water change (remove algae spores) followed by a 3-5 day blackout should kill the remainder algae. Just make sure no light gets in during the period of blackout.
> 
> Regards
> Peter Gwee :wink:


I assume I have to stop CO2 during the blackout period right ?

Gan

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## PeterGwee

Yes, add an airpump or increase surface agitation during the blackout period for the O2 as plants are not going to do so.

Regards
Peter Gwee :wink:

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## Green Baron

Instead of blacking out the whole tank, I have decided to take the moss wall out and put it in a separate container and keep it in the dark for 3 days. Let's see how it works out.

Gan

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## kc

Hi Gan,

I guessed you zebra snails got a great time while you were away.  :Laughing:   :Laughing:   :Laughing:

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## Green Baron

> Hi Gan,
> 
> I guessed you zebra snails got a great time while you were away.


Actually no. I don't see any algae on the wall or plants other than the mosses.

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## hammy

Hi all,

I'm facing the same situation as Gan. In fact, to be precise, only my christmas moss and java moss are 'stained' with black (it looks black to me :P ) cotton-like algae. Cotton-like as their texture feels like cotton, like some lump of cotton attached stubbornly to the moss.

What I've tried so far was to remove all of them (the moss), leave them in a container and tuck it under a low stool in my balcony. I believe there are some small degree of light entering the container.

I've placed both the christmas and java moss in a separated container and the container that held the java moss turned bad and I had to throw them away. Sigh....what a pity. But the christmas moss seem to be surviving, AND SO IS THE ALGAE, ARRGHH!!!  :Sad:  

Previously, I've tried the black-out method (I left the container in a cupboard - 100% darkness) and it didn't seem to work. 

So how else can I remove (and keep them from coming back) these algae from my moss?

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## Green Baron

For me, the black out method worked to a certain extent. There were new growth and some algae disappeared but not 100%. Maybe we should try to put some shrimps, snails and Otos in the black-out tank.

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## RonWill

Guys, total darkness is not an absolute requirement. Leave the removed moss in a small plastic tank with a few yamatos, 1 oto and about 6 ramhorn. Tank is best left in the shade, no feeding and with at least 80% water change every 2 wks.

I am conducting an experiment and have a small moss tank, so heavily covered with algae... you can't see the moss! Will repeat what worked previously for me but I must say that these things takes time... lots of it actually.

Lemme go charge up some batts for the DC...

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## tony.ch

Have you tried putting your moss in a container with easy plants that sap up a lot of nutrients like cerotophyllum demersum and lemna minor? Plant growth is the best weapon against algae. 
Cheers Tony

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## hammy

Thanks guys!!  :Smile:  

Oh yes, I DO have some snails in the container (ramhorns, and some malaysian trumpet). They were there because I didn't bother to remove them when I place the moss patch in the container. Anyway, they are multiplying by the days. I can see some egg patches along the sides of the container. Oh yes, they do leave quite a bit of excretion. I was wondering if that is feeding the algae. (Heard that someone is breeding ramhorns...hee hee...)

Yes Tony, there are quite a bit of fast growers in the tank, but not fast enough I guess... Ok, I'll try everything, that is, I'll put some duckweeds and salivania in the container, I'll change 80% of water in the container and I leave it tuck under the stool (its not shut out from light completely). So the question is, should I put some yamatos and oto in as well? (The container isn't a tank, it was used to hold the base fertilizer I had)

Just one more question...how do I know if the snails/yamatos/oto are doing their job? I mean, do they actually eat this algae?  :Confused:

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## timebomb

> So the question is, should I put some yamatos and oto in as well?


I'm not so sure about the Yamatoes as I've heard many times that they eat mosses. It could be only the adult ones that do that though as some hobbyists don't seem to have problems with them.




> Just one more question...how do I know if the snails/yamatos/oto are doing their job? I mean, do they actually eat this algae?


I would suppose you will know when the algae's gone. Besides the creatures you mentioned, fish like Tiger Barbs, Guppies and Mollies are useful for eating algae too. A friend I know swears by the Tiger Barbs; he says they are like lawn mowers and will remove all algae. What I know, however, is that algae-eating creatures, be they snails, fish or shrimp, are very specific as to the algae they eat. For instance, snails will only remove green spot algae. I think this is true for Otos too. Yamatoes, I'm not sure as I don't have them in my tanks but I think they are more scavengers than algae-eaters. 

There's another 2 fish which are very effective against BBA. One is the Killie known as a American Flag Fish or sometimes Florida Flag Fish. The other is the one called a Cigar Fish. I can testify that they really eat BBA as I've seen them doing so in my tanks. I've seen the American Flag Fish on sale in many fish shops. As for the Cigar Fish, they are quite rare but Gan's Aquarium at Neo Tiew Road always have them in stock. Eco-culture used to carry them too.

Loh K L

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## hammy

Thanks for the generous advice Mr Loh.




> I would suppose you will know when the algae's gone. Besides the creatures you mentioned, fish like Tiger Barbs, Guppies and Mollies are useful for eating algae too. A friend I know swears by the Tiger Barbs; he says they are like lawn mowers and will remove all algae.


Ok, I will try them. Seems to me that tiger barbs have earned themselves a place as being 'Lou Han' (cichlid) food as well, together with catfishes, ghost shrimps, mix mollies and sword tails. Its quite a pity actually...  :Crying:  




> What I know, however, is that algae-eating creatures, be they snails, fish or shrimp, are very specific as to the algae they eat. For instance, snails will only remove green spot algae. I think this is true for Otos too. Yamatoes, I'm not sure as I don't have them in my tanks but I think they are more scavengers than algae-eaters.


Yes, exactly.  :Smile:  So, erhm...maybe I should put some of each in the container that holds the moss...hee...  :Smile:  




> There's another 2 fish which are very effective against BBA. One is the Killie known as a American Flag Fish or sometimes Florida Flag Fish. The other is the one called a Cigar Fish. I can testify that they really eat BBA as I've seen them doing so in my tanks. I've seen the American Flag Fish on sale in many fish shops. As for the Cigar Fish, they are quite rare but Gan's Aquarium at Neo Tiew Road always have them in stock. Eco-culture used to carry them too.


Mr Loh, any idea where I can get the Flag Fish? 

The other place that has the Cigar Fish is 'That Aquarium' in Katib. But be warned!! That fish has a peculiar habit of disturbing the other inhabitants in the tank, discus especially. I had to make a fish trap from a soft drink bottle to catch them out. It is very effective and the ingredients involved are a small amount of fish food (frozen blood worms in my case) and lots of patience. :wink:

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## RonWill

> I've placed both the christmas and java moss in a separated container and the container that held the java moss turned bad and I had to throw them away. Sigh....what a pity. But the christmas moss seem to be surviving, AND SO IS THE ALGAE, ARRGHH!!!


Selwyn, perhaps you should have an entire team of anti-algae agents while you've isolated the moss.

I tried algaed-moss in different experiments... most were plagued with stringy and furry types. BBA proved to be the most difficult...

*NANO 1* with xmas moss, narrow java fern & boblitis 
 
This has ramhorns, shrimps and an oto.

This is the tiny boblitis rhizome for Gan :wink: 
 

*NANO 2* with christmas moss, neglected and lots of water loss.
 

*NANO 3* with java moss creeping up tank wall. Black molly + 2 Taiwan 'Fire shrimp'.


Most of the moss in these plastic tanks have, over time, recovered very well. I do feed... just to keep the agents alive and hopefully, their poo will serve as nutrient for the moss. Keep them hungry most of the time and they'll have chew on some algae!  :Rolling Eyes:

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## Barbarik

RonWill, that's a very interesting experiments!
With the recent inrease in temparature in Singapore, I observe the rate of algae growth in my tanks is uncontrollable. Yet to find any algae-control 'troops' that are suitable for a planted community tank. My bigger-sized Yamato shrimps are feasting on my Xmass moss. My cigar fish is more busy in attacking other fishes instead of clearing the algae  :Mad:  .
A good friend of mine, who has xmass, java & erect moss in the same tank, found that his SAEs are clearing all his erect moss (java & xmass moss untouched) & not clearing the algae!!!  :Shocked:  
Yet, another friend of mine swears by the beauty of algae. He has a tank filled cardinal tetras & algae-infested driftwoods & rocks!!! No plants. Just algaes!!!  :Laughing:   :Laughing:   :Laughing:  

Regards,
Yandy

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## Green Baron

> Yet to find any algae-control 'troops' that are suitable for a planted community tank. My bigger-sized Yamato shrimps are feasting on my Xmass moss. My cigar fish is more busy in attacking other fishes instead of clearing the algae . 
> A good friend of mine, who has xmass, java & erect moss in the same tank, found that his SAEs are clearing all his erect moss (java & xmass moss untouched) & not clearing the algae!!!


SAE is one of the most destuctive fish for mosses and Yamato is known to eat mosses though they are Ok in small number.

I have given up on algae eaters in communicaty tank except for Zebra Snail and Lemon/China Alage eater for clearing spot algae on glass surface. I keep OTO only to clear the debris on leaves ;-)

Since I don't keep a lot of fishes and don't have plants that require a lot of light and nutrients , I fight algae by reducing lighting period and fertiliser dosage which I hardly use.

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