# String Algae is taking over



## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

I have string algae taking over my tank. I have stopped feeding my plants and reduced the time light is on inside the tank. I've gently scrubbed off what bits I could from my plants but there's just so much. 

What animal will eat this stuff for me? Ottos, Bristlenose Pleco? Anything would be helpful


Edit
After looking at pictures it does appear it's hair not string algae. I don't know if there's a real difference but it looks more like hair algae.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

I had a hair algae on my anacharis, I put the anachris in peroxide for about 10 minutes or so & then put it back into the tank. I have also read that upping Flourish Excel will alleviate it, especially if you use a syringe to squirt directly at the algae.


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## whiskandbowl (Aug 21, 2012)

I hope someone has an answer! I have this exact problem in my tank. My nerite snails won't touch it. I've stopped dosing ferts (Tetra Flora Pride) and have reduced the time my lights are on, but it's not getting better.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

If I have to I can try breaking it down and scrubbing the algae off my plants, but I'm hoping it won't come to that.. my snail didn't want to touch it either.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

The only treatments I've read about or been advised about from others are what I stated in my previous post . . . peroxide (can be a bath or applied by syringe) or upping the Excel dosing. As well as of course manually removing it during water changes. Maybe someone else knows something more.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

I'm currently having the same problem and im trying to get rid of it. I have 4 otos in my tank but they dont seem to touch the hair algae as well. Is your tank cycled? I read up about hair algae and it always say it is cause by high phosphates and iron but then again, i dont have excess of either of those elements. I am trying to get my tank to balance out the water parameters first which should help to get rid of the algae.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Double, even triple dose flourish excel. If you have plants sensitive to excel, I would recommend a bunch of amano shrimp. Amanos work really well at getting rid of hair algae. I heard Siamese algae eaters will eat hair algae.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

If you do get amanos get the adult size, because the bettas will harrass or eat the small ones.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

My water parameters are actually really great and my tank has been up and running for several months. I can easily house some SAE in the tank without problem, the Amano Shrimp are hard to come by around here, I've only been able to find them acouple of times and they were gone before I was able to purchase them. 

I'm actually using Flourish to feed my plants, upping the dose will cause it to die? I've read that it can cause stress on fish if you up the dose, is this true? Also, how much should be used per gallon per day?


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Flourish is fertilizer. Flourish excel is a carbon booster/algaecide. I use excel more for algae removal since I'm already using pressurized co2. Upping the dosage will definitely alleviate hair algae.

I had a small outbreak of hair algae and started double dosing excel and in a week it was almost to completely gone. 

Slowly up the dosage if you try it. Go with recommended dosage at first then up it the next day


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

TheCheese909 said:


> My water parameters are actually really great and my tank has been up and running for several months. I can easily house some SAE in the tank without problem, the Amano Shrimp are hard to come by around here, I've only been able to find them acouple of times and they were gone before I was able to purchase them.
> 
> I'm actually using Flourish to feed my plants, upping the dose will cause it to die? I've read that it can cause stress on fish if you up the dose, is this true? Also, how much should be used per gallon per day?


If you can use a syringe to directly treat the algae with Excel. You should keep an eye in your nitrates as it can increase them.


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