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getting rid of hair (or any kind of) algae



Roxanne Bittman wrote:

>1.  Change water more frequently than normal for a
>couple of weeks. <snip>
>2.  Add algae-eating shrimp. <snip>
>3.  Cut back on feeding during the first two weeks of
>treatment.
>Wait for hair algae to disappear.

Right on Roxanne, especially the "wait" part. I read and hear a lot about
peroxide and bleach etc. etc. It is all unnecessary. I am thinking
seriously of taking photos and doing some proper documentation to prove
that alage is overcome by patience and a balancing act. Algae isn't
"catching" in a tank that has good algae eaters and is balanced with light
and nutrition.

On the weekend I removed a large Anubias from my goldfish tank. It only
gets low light and cool water and I have only some snails in there so it
slowly gets covered with black fuzzy algae (technically red algae, I
believe) and also some green slimy kind. It perseveres and even flowers but
I decided it needed a break. I put it into my large (I guess you could call
it my best) tank just how it was. <gasp> I didn't plant it...just shoved it
down near the bottom sitting on its roots. It looked pretty bad in there,
every leaf covered with black and green algae. Next morning when the lights
came on there it was...nice and green and perky looking with only a few
sooty spots. One leaf which was flattened against the glass was still badly
algaed. (is that a new verb? <g>) I moved the plant and when I came home
from work the leaf was clean and shiny. I wish I had taken a photo of the
plant before and after. It is now Wednesday, 3 days later....no sign of
various algaes running rampage my tank.

The weekend before I received plants from a friend with "hair algae" in his
tank. He warned my about it. I put them straight in. A week and a half
later...no sign of hair algae.

In the past I have used bleach. Sure it worked but the minute things go out
of wack the algae is there again and the poor plant has just been subjected
to very harsh treatment unnecessarily. I have had every kind of algae in
the book at one time or another. I have never torn down and bleached
everything and there isn't any algae now...well none that is obvious. Of
course, there is always algae in there some where. It's a part of the
ecosystem. <g>

Olga
being controversial in Vancouver