# Green Hair Algae



## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

I'm doing something wrong but haven't got a handle on it
the aquarium is a 6 gal Fluval Edge II with an add 13watt Fluval compact florescent with a laterite and sand substrate
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0 
Nitrate less that 20
50% WC weekly
dosing API CO2 daily 
Conlin and Sears formulation PMDD weekly
Lights on 10hrs
The Betta is happy and for the most part so are the plants but the green hair algae in this aquarium is driving me crazy and it's not in the other two tanks

Rick


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

I'm having the same problem in my 55 gallon tank! It's soooooo gross. My amano shrimp eat it, but when I have a bloom of it (like I did a few days ago), they can't keep up with it. I've been getting help at other forums for it, and the things that have been suggested are lights too bright/on too long/getting too much natural light from a window, adding CO2 would help get rid of it (you said you are injecting CO2, so that's probably not your problem) and they also told me to change the water more often (but that's not your problem, either, because you do 50% weekly). 
So I think it could be your lighting. Your bulb wattage should be ok, but the length of time you leave it on could be a problem (it should be more like 8 hours), and/or you could have direct or bright sunlight on it sometime during the day.


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

On the plant forum that I'm a member of, they are leaning to the low CO2 theory but I have two other aquariums that are maintained the same way and there is not a problem

Rick


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Handpick most of it out, or take out all of your plants and do a bleach dip. 
You can spot treat it with h202 or excel. 

Your lighting period is a bit too long cut it back to about 6-7 hrs. Then when you see the algae disappearing bring it back to the full 8. 

I've only gotten hair algae once, That was before I had any amano shrimp. Amano shrimp will take care of it, given there is a good amount per tank size to keep the algae at bay.


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

I did an Excel overdose that killed off alot of it on the plants but didn't get rid of it all. I thinking of blacking out the tank for 4 or 5 days I fill like if I could get it under control I could keep it at bay. I can't understand why it only in that aquarium and not in all the other 2 tanks which are higher light that this one is over 6 watts per gallon but is higher CO2

Rick


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