This is a copy of a PM I’ve sent to a fellow member. I thought it may help others out there so I’ve made it available for all to see. The content is all based on my own experience so may not be applicable 100% but I think most of the principles can be applied.
The individual case was basically asking how to rid hair-algae.
1. Remove all algae possible, either by removing infected leaves or scrubbing off with toothbrush. When removing Sword leaves, tear them off as close as possible to the rhizome as this will allow regeneration. Avoid fertilizers.
2. Reduce lighting. If you don’t own a timer then I’d strongly recommend one. They’re cheap from most hardware stores. Initially, I would go for 6 hours a day, 2 on, 4 off, 4 on. I work back the last ‘on’ time from when I go to bed. The gap in lighting is hated by algae but is ok for plants.
3. Check water parameters. High Nitrates and Phosphates are excellent algae fertilizers. Aim for less than 20 mg/l Nitrate, and as low as possible Phosphate (ideally <0.2 mg/l). Water changes will dilute these as long as your tap water doesn’t have high levels. I use a Phosphate absorber in my filter as my tap water contains >5 mg/l. Also be aware that a high oxygen content will suppress plant growth and encourage algae so ensure your filter outlet doesn’t agitate the water too much.
4. Once the algae has stopped growing you can plant some fast growing species of plant, the more the better. Some fast and easy growers include; Mexican Oak Leaf, Egeria densa, Ludwigia sp, Hygrophila polysperma, most Vallis and some Echinodorus sp. and most floating plants(excuse the common and latin term mix.)
5. Once the plants show good growth you can up the lighting period, 10 hours should be enough (keeping a ‘siesta’ dark period between). At this stage if you want really good growth and even less chance of problem algae then CO2 addition will be beneficial (15 to 35 mg/l) especially if you have good light. Fertilisers can be used now with caution, ensure they do not contain Nitrates or Phosphates, Iron is normally beneficial as well as Pottasium and Magnesium.
6. Get some good algae eaters; Otocinclus affinis for brown algae and Siamese Algae Eaters for all other types. Other species are commonly sold as True Siamese Algae Eaters so be careful. There’s plenty of info on the net to spot the difference.
7. Try to avoid Algaecide. As a last resort, I have had good results with EHSa Protalon 707. In my experience it’s completely fish and plant safe. I’ve have used it once in two years.
In Summary
The primary goal is to create a perfect balance in which the plants out-compete the algae for nutrients. This can be achieved with choosing the correct lighting regime, water quality, choice of plants, stocking levels, filtration, and CO2 levels.
These choices are up to you and will become more apparent with experience. It has taken me almost 2 years to achieve a near-perfect balance but I learnt how to achieve this balance through my own mistakes, research and most importantly patience.
Hope this helps
I forgot to feed them any vegetables for about 2 weeks and one day, most of the hair algae were gone!
