# Nasty Green hair algae bloom, how to fix?



## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Alright, I have a 20 gal high tank, heavily planted. a week ago, it looked beautiful, All the plants thriving. The CO2 ran out probably two weeks ago. I've been so busy/sick I didnt had the time to refill until 4 or 5 days ago. Refilled and BAM, green hair algae everywhere. Its all over the walls of the tank, the plants...everything. Its absolutely disgusting, and I'm so frustrated, I thought I was getting somewhere.

Tank specs:
lights, two 24 watt bulbs, one 6,700 K, one 10,000 K
nitrates 80 
nitrites 0
ph 6

Please let me know what I can do to clear it. I really don't want to have to throw the plants out and start over...AGAIN. Any advice on how to have a stable clean, and flourish planted tank would be wonderful. I've been struggling for years, just can't get it right in this tank.

Also keep in mind the tank currently houses a pair of angelfish who have a big bunch of wigglers, I do not wish to harm them..


Thanks!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Well don't put in a pleco, the parents will likely kill it. I have a similar issue in a cichlid tank where I left the light on for days to keep fish from eating their wigglers. I actually prefer the green stuff to the bba. II does seem to be good for cichlid fry, the powder food sticks in it and fry pick it out. 

I'm told planted tanks are all about balance, light, CO2, nitrate, and ferts such as potassium favor different green things in different combos. One of the most common fixes is a very large water change to "reset" trace levels. But you could also adding a little potassium sulfate or squirting flourish excel on the algae with a syringe. 

I would suggest changing one thing at a time every week and recording all the parameters. Starting with water changes. Once you start feeding babies there will be plenty of nitrate.

But I don't know enough to really help. I grow about 3 plants, hornwort, hygrophila, and java moss. Check a plant forum if you don't get a better answer.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Algae are annoying plants which take advantage of conditions not good enough for vascular plants. When you ran out of CO2, the big plants got stunted and let the algae take advantage of that 80ppm nitrate.

HOW heavily planted? My tank is truly a jungle, and I have no algae. I don't use very bright lights or CO2.

Don't throw out the plants. Just remove the algae and get the CO2 going again to keep the vascular plants happy.
80ppm nitrate is pretty high, too. The algae are using it as food, so change some water to get it back down where it belongs. 

If you know anyone with arthritis, see if they take a drug called Plaquenel. 1 crushed-up pill in 20 gallons of water should quickly wipe out any algae ( and ick! ) in a single day, after which you'd change half the water to keep it from hurting your plants. 

You might want to just wait until the baby angelfish have grown a bit before bothering to fuss about the algae. Make smaller water changes to start working on that nitrate.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

TheOldSalt said:


> Algae are annoying plants which take advantage of conditions not good enough for vascular plants. When you ran out of CO2, the big plants got stunted and let the algae take advantage of that 80ppm nitrate.
> 
> HOW heavily planted? My tank is truly a jungle, and I have no algae. I don't use very bright lights or CO2.
> 
> ...


Great advice, thankyou!! The Plaquenel method is interesting. Never heard of it. Too bad I do not have a way of getting any.

I definitely am waiting on the angels babies to do anything drastic. They should be free swimming in a day and I can finally do a water change. Parents have them on a plant at the very top of the aquarium, if I do a water change I'll knock them off.


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## Oldsalt777 (Mar 18, 2015)

*Controlling Algae*

Zebra...

Am new on this forum, but I've been into tank keeping for a while and always add individual stems of Anacharis (Brazilian water weed) to my tanks from the beginning. This stem plant grows quickly and gives off a mild toxin that most forms of algae don't like. I've found the larger the Anacharis gets, the more it slows algae growth. I keep most species of Livebearers, except Mollies and this plant is great at keeping the tank water clean between water changes too.

O


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Oldsalt777 said:


> Zebra...
> 
> Am new on this forum, but I've been into tank keeping for a while and always add individual stems of Anacharis (Brazilian water weed) to my tanks from the beginning. This stem plant grows quickly and gives off a mild toxin that most forms of algae don't like. I've found the larger the Anacharis gets, the more it slows algae growth. I keep most species of Livebearers, except Mollies and this plant is great at keeping the tank water clean between water changes too.
> 
> O



How interesting! May need to get a bunch..I have a ten gallon that has some anacharis and there's not a spot of algae...


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