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Re: 5% Bleach Treatment



> You may have to resort to the bleach treatment.  it is drastic, but it
> gets rid of hair algae forever.
 
Thanks for the input, Paul.  I'm sure bleach would do the trick, but I
don't think *I* can weather such a drastic treatment.  That would mean
an aweful lot of work.  Plus I'd have to find new sources for some of my
delicate plants.  I've bleached plants before and some just never want
to recover.  Rotala, Cabomba, Java Moss, etc all are too delicate and
have always suffered greatly from bleach treatments.  The Java Moss I
ended up tossing anyway because it looked so bad and was impossible to
clean of algae.
 
Also, I wouldn't ID this algae as Hair algae.  It is closer to what
Baensch calls filamentous algae.  It looks and feels exactly like a
spider web.  Baensch states that its requirements are closest to those
of higher plants and usually only occurs in conditions that are also
optimum for plants.  He gives no sure fire cure either, other than to
say sometimes it goes away on its own.  I can only pray.
 
Ever since I got it I've been trying various means to get rid of it.
I've reduced the photoperiod, reduced fertilization, ceased
fertilization, and increased lighting.
 
I did an iron test today and discovered that it was low.  Unmeasurably
low.  It's been awhile since I had tested it.  I've been going along for
weeks and weeks just dosing two drops of Duplaplant24 per day.
Apparently I've been under-feeding.
 
So today I increased my fertilization.  I'm wondering if I've got a
nutrient in short supply causing the plants to suffer leaving the other
nutrients for the algae to feast on.  The Liebig Minimum Law at work,
maybe?  I do have a couple of plants that haven't done as well as I
think they should.  My Mexican Oak leaf did well for quite awhile.
Lately it hasn't done well.  I thought it might be that it was a little
shaded by nearby Rotala macranda.  Now I'm hoping that isn't the case.
 
Mike B. -- "Still on a quest for that ever elusive steady state"