Black Fur on all plants

[marto]

Hello everyone,

sorry i dont have any pics to start but for the last month i have had this black fur like substance on some plants, well its not on almost all of my plants and growning on my rocks as well.

What is it? is it bad? and how tdo i fix it and stop it from growing? its making my tank look dirty

Any ideas ppl?

thanks

 

[loafybones]

It's only algae so don't worry about it! It means the water is just right if you get algae but you're right, it does look ugly. What fish have you got? you might be able to get something to eat the algae. I've heard that Flying Foxes are good for this, although mine don't really seem bothered, my new Corys are good though, my rocks and plants are all clean since adding them!

 

[Nuttygal! :0)]

Yes it's algae! I would get some corys! They're really active and they'll clean your tank up! I'm a bit stuck at the moment because in one of my betta tanks, I've spawned them and the fry are all in there. I haven't done a water change for AGES for the fear that I accidentally kill all my babies, as I did last time! ) This is my first successful spawn, but the whole front of the tank is covered in this disgusting brown algae! They're getting bigger now so I will do a water change soon!
Good luck!

 

[BigC]

Hi.
This is a particular form of algae called brush algae, which is very hard to get rid of by all accounts. Below I have copied and pasted some info from another forum.
Hope this is of some help, Although probably not what you wanted to hear..
Brush algae
This grows in feathery black tufts 2-3 mm long and tends to collect on slower growing leaves like Anubias, some Echinodorus and other wide leaf plants. Also tends to collect on mechanical equipment. This is actually a red alga in the genus Audouinella (other names: Acrochaetium, Rhodochorton, Chantransia).
It cannot easily be removed mechanically. Remove and discard the affected leaves. Equipment can be soaked in a 25% bleach solution, then scrubbed to remove the dead algae. Siamese Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus siamensis) are known to eat this algae and can keep it in check. A more drastic measure is treatment with copper.

 

[anna_panna]

Hi,

Try and get some siamese algae eaters (SAE)!
I had the same problem for months, I would try and rub it off the plants but didnt work, I got 2 SAE for my large tank and 1 for the small tank about 8 months ago and they cleaned it up in 24 hours, and it has never returned.

 

[marto]

Thanks for the replys!
yeah its kinda annoying, i had a fully planted tank but i have removed alot of it due to the fur getting out of control!
Will look into some alge eaters

 

[rdd1952]

Beware of some of the algae eaters, Chinese AE for one. They will clean up your tank but will turn very aggressive as they get older and start to attack your other fish.