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Re: Is this algae?



At 03:51 AM 3/22/2003, T. Mathews Jr. wrote:

>I have some strange (at least to me) filamentous stuff growing in
>my tank and would like to know what it is and how to deal with
>it.
>
>The details:
>I have a 10 gallon tank illuminated with 28W of compact
>flourescent lighting. The tank has lots of some sag. species,
>lobelia cardinalis, a couple of hygro. species, some java fern,
>and some 'christmas' moss. I'm using DIY CO2; I haven't checked
>the pH level lately, but in the evening before the lights go off,
>I've noticed some pearling so I assume the CO2 level is OK.

It's pretty hard for us to comment on "OK." You can easily calculate your 
CO2 from pH and KH.

>I
>change the water every two weeks or so. I dose with KNO3, K2S04
>and KH2P04 twice a week or so.

Is this the complete list of your ferts? If so, it sounds like you are not 
dosing a trace fertilizer mix, with stuff like Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, etc?


>There is, however, this fine thread-like stuff growing in
>the tank. It seems to originate from amongst the christmas
>moss, but there could be more of it elsewhere that I haven't
>noticed. The stuff has a diameter approx. the same as a
>human hair, and branches many times. It is a dark, dull
>green. It is suprisingly tough, having the tensile strength
>of a few strands of human hair, and is attached quite firmly
>in amongst the moss. That said, it can still be removed
>fairly easily by pulling on it. I would post a picture but I
>don't have a camera.

That's green hair algae, and the most obnoxious thing about it is that it 
is the same color and similar density to Java Moss. Before you know it, 
your Java Moss is really 50% or more algae.

This is the first algae I defeated through nutrient control. In my case, 
the tank had nearly no Nitrate and excess Iron. Your mileage may differ.

Start reading here:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/