Hey guys,
I have had a problem with black hair algae for the last two-three years. I have gotten rid of it before and it always returns. I have tried treatments which don't seem to work, hydrogen peroxide used to kill it off but doesn't seem to any more.
It is on the stones (can't get it off), the fake plants (put them in boiling water and it kills them, fish then eat it after), the glass (Use magnetic glass cleaners but as a result I have a few scratches on my tank ) and basically everywhere. Does anybody here know how I can stop this from growing any more? I only have the problem in one tank so I have no idea what it might be.

Cheers,
J.

Welcome to fishstuff.info forums everyone

Can you post your water parms? Include Phoshate level if possible. BBA is a bear to deal with. Spot treating with H2O2 will help but you have to get the tank in balance.

hi j
this might help
dont overfeed your fish(the more your fish eat the more waste they produce and uneaten food is extra nutrients for algae)
do regular water changes(a monthly change of 30%)
control your aquarium light exposure(make sure there is no direct sunlight on the aquarium and only have the lights on for 10 hours a day)
scrub plants and turn over gravel(denies it light and it dies)
try algae fix or excel
if that fails you can always get some amano shrimp that will eat it

I will get them asap, I only have PH strips atm so I will get a new test kit this week/ early next week whenever I get into a decent petshop (The one closest to me only sells strips and the testtube ones are better).
Also it only started when the tank was moved out of my room for about a year (house being decorated and built in wadrobes etc so had to move it) and since then it has never been 100% rid of it.
The reason I got otos once is because I read that they will eat it but they disappeared after a few days, James do you know if this is true and if so should I get more? I have a list of fish that I read will eat black hair algae, I must find it and see what they were, when I say list I mean three fish I think and the otocinclus being one.

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Just saw mossys post.
I do about a 20% change of water every two weeks mossy, sometimes more as I have to do the axolotl tank twice a week. I turned the gravel last week actually and added some new ones as I never really had it deep enough for plants to root in.
Aquarium light exposure could probably be reduced And once I tried changing the timings and durations every day as I heard "confusing" the algae could kill it but it did not.

If I get more real plants (running low with fish eating them and will be getting some soon anyway when I am getting new fish in the next couple of weeks) will they use up more of the nutrients and then have less for the algae and then it will be easier to control?

Welcome to fishstuff.info forums everyone

hi j
the more real plants the better as they do take in the nutrients that the algae love
but it gets expensive if your fish are eating them
treating the tank with excel will deffo work

What kind of fish do you currently have in the tank? As for Oto's, no, they will not touch it. The fish that I know will are the "true" SAE and flag fish.

Excel may be a viable option depending on what plants you have in there currently. It will actually kill some plants like vals and liverworts. You'll up the dosage on it. Keep an eye on your fishies too. Don't want to harm them. If possible, move them out when dosing.

the hair algae eaters that I found out about before are:
Epalzeorhynchus Kallopterus (flying fox) - I have had them before but I think they only eat it when they are young if I remember correctly.
Ancistrus hoplogenys - Spotted Bristle-Nosed Catfish
either otos or emperor plecos, I am not sure which I ment to bookmark

mmm you are right James real SAE's will eat it... maybe I will get some of them.
current tank fish are these (needss a restock remember!):
guppies
kissing gourami
yellow gourami
black widow
corydoras
danios
clown loaches
glass catfish

Welcome to fishstuff.info forums everyone

You can scratch the Flying Fox off that list. That is one of the misnomers about the species. Them, CAE and the False SAE won't touch it. I've also heard the Rosy Barb will eat it but have never been able to confirm that.

Stick with the H2O2 about 2ml/gl. Apply directly to the algae. Another thing that I have heard is that for best results, to apply it when the lights first come on. As for the ornaments, I would just remove them and scrub using a bleach solution.

Well two of the ornaments are ok, only after being repainted. I scrubbed the fake plants today and then put them in boiling water to kill the remains. I cleaned all the glass all around the tank and removes pieces of real plants that were badly effected (When the snow is gone I can get some new ones outside and will be getting new plants when I go to the new place in carlow). I will take out the big ship tomorrow and clean that. Then I will use the H2O2 again and see how things fair out.

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I forgot to mention, part of the problem may be iron content in the well water, I don't think it is particularly high though according to my dad.

Welcome to fishstuff.info forums everyone

same problem i have with my fish tank , but it was on the glass not on the stone !!!
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