Correlation between CO2 & hair algae?

[njparton]

Has anyone using a CO2 system in their tank noticed the appearance of hair algae?

I've been plagued with the stuff for the past year and have removed my home made CO2 system thinking that it could have caused the outbreak.

I have also always had high NO3 and PO4 readings (high readings from tapwater) which I am reducing with the help of an RO system and Rowaphos (wonderful stuff ).

Are the high NO3 and PO4 readings more likely culprits than the CO2 system or not?

 

[nmarc3627]

I also had hair algae for a while, it grew all over my ludwiga. I had no CO2. I bought some stuff called flourish excel which says it adds carbon to the water and it got rid of all my algae. I now have a clean tank except for a little stubborn green algae on the back glass.

I also have no idea what PO4 is. Could you explain please.

 

[njparton]

I also had hair algae for a while, it grew all over my ludwiga. I had no CO2. I bought some stuff called flourish excel which says it adds carbon to the water and it got rid of all my algae. I now have a clean tank except for a little stubborn green algae on the back glass.

I also have no idea what PO4 is. Could you explain please.

PO4 is phosphate. It's present in most people's tapwater and a lot of dried food as it's harmless in low concentrations but is also a very good fertiliser.

I've used Seachem's flourish excel in the past and it hasn't touched the hair algae - why would adding carbon to the water help?

 

[njparton]

No one else had any problems?

 

[Dubby]

The culprits are NO3 and PO4 as you had guessed. CO2 would have just encouraged the growth.

 

[jimbooo]

i second that, more Rowaphos needed by the sounds of it and maybe a nitrate removal sponge (if you have a Juwel tank)

 

[njparton]

i second that, more Rowaphos needed by the sounds of it and maybe a nitrate removal sponge (if you have a Juwel tank)

My nitrate readings are now permanently below 10 mg/l thanks to the RO water. Do they need to be lower than that?

 

[jimbooo]

no that should be fine, mine are 20-25

 

[njparton]

I guess the big problem is finally getting rid of it once your tank becomes infested!

 

[jimbooo]

yeah it's a bit of a waiting game.

what is your lighting schedule by the way that may not be helping matters??

 

[Ob1]

i have had the same problem - i am starting to think that

once you add c02 / increase lights algae will become a problem, i too removed po3. but still had the hair algea, i think it may be tolo much fertiliser.or no3 levels are tooo low!


i have just purcheased some kno3 (thanks to gf225 for the url)

also when i had blue green algae i shut down my lights for 5 days - this removed all the hair algae. it did come back along with the bga


cya ob1

 

[njparton]

yeah it's a bit of a waiting game.

what is your lighting schedule by the way that may not be helping matters??

My lights are on a timer for 10hrs a day.

I have 3x25W T8s of varying flavours - I wonder if this is too much?

 

[njparton]

i have had the same problem - i am starting to think that

once you add c02 / increase lights algae will become a problem, i too removed po3. but still had the hair algea, i think it may be tolo much fertiliser.or no3 levels are tooo low!


i have just purcheased some kno3 (thanks to gf225 for the url)

also when i had blue green algae i shut down my lights for 5 days - this removed all the hair algae. it did come back along with the bga


cya ob1

What's kno3?

If the hair algae came back after 5 days of lights off then I'm never going to get rid of it!

I guess once the spores are in your setup it's impossible to get rid of them...

 

[Aulonochromis]

What are your phosphate levels in your tank?

 

[Dubby]

My nitrate readings are now permanently below 10 mg/l thanks to the RO water. Do they need to be lower than that?

If your nitrate readings are too low and you have phosphates then this seems to encourage algae. I had this situation in my tank once. And silly though it may seem, increasing the nitrates actually got rid of algae.