Re: fuzz algae

[Paul Krombholz <krombhol at teclink_net>]

It was actually Oedogonium that drove me to develop the bleach 
method.  My plants got absolutely smothered with it.  I had lived 
unhappily for years with Cladophora, but the Oedogonium was the last 
straw.  Cladophora is the toughest of all the "hair" algae, (I define 
hair algae as the tough ones that snails can't eat as opposed to the 
soft ones that they can.)  Cladophora needs a full four minutes in 5% 
liquid bleach to kill all of it on a plant.  This is a long enough 
time to do serious damage to thin-stemmed plants, but, fortunately, 
thin-stemmed plants are usually free of Cladophora if you pick the 
newest growth.  Cladophora, fortunately, does not spread everywhere 
by means of flagellated zoospores the way Oedogonium does.  It tends 
to attach to the old parts of plants, especially old, thick stems. 
Plants like crypts, swords, etc, that have long-lasting rhizomes will 
get attached Cladophora.  It works out that the plants that tend to 
have Cladophora attached are the ones that can withstand 4 minutes of 
the 5% bleach.  I can't see how the treatment could have killed 
Barclaya, because that species has a very thick and resistant 
rhizome.  Java fern stem also ought to be thick enough to withstand 4 
minutes.

It is important to put the treated plants in a well lit, open 
situation with CO2 additions, if possible, to give them the best 
chances of recovery.
-- 
Paul Krombholz in well-watered central Mississippi, with another 
afternoon thundershower today.