Help algae zapping time!

[beachy]

Ok, so ive got my Co2 levels correct and have made my own frerts, but still cant get rid of this Green thread algae :evil: . This stuff has really taken hold of the tank, the plants arent dying, but they could look better and grow alot faster than they are. I think if i dose the tank with something and rid the tank of most of the algae, the plants are well established enough to out compete it.

A few of you have recommended algae fix, or flourish excell wich i am keen to use if i can clear the tank up, but just wanted to hear some experiences first, as i have alot of fish and dont want to nuke them or the plants.

Thanks

[fishboi]

I've tried every possible way when it comes to hair algae as i go though this ever start of summer with my pond and here are my experience with the products.

the only thing that works every time is algae fix [liquid form not powder form as the powder dont work as well IMO] , u will see it work overnite and will clear the problem within a week. afterwards remove as much as dead algae as possible then treat it with Ecofix which is made by the same people, this helps brake down all the dead and dieing hair algae preventing it coming back. [this is all i do now and it keeps the pond clean from algae for another year, till next summer]

thing to look out for:

1. because it works so fast it will decrease the amount of oxygen in ur tank by taking all the oxygen the algae would be producing so its a good idea to add oxyblock or air pump.

2. anything that is classified as a weed will die like duck weed, hornwart, bladerwort........most stuff u shouldn't have in ur tank anyway.

3. be careful not to over does only use as much as recommended or a little bit less as this stuff is designed for out door pond use. also do water change in between doses which should only be once.

Florish Excell is a great product but too expensive $15 for 100ml bottle and takes along time. i tried double dosing everyday for just over a week and it was working and the plants never look healthier but my bottle ran out and would take another bottle before the problem is fixed. [100ml bottle 200Litre tank]

this is the option i would use if u have $$ to spend and time to kill.

barley straw extract. this is another great option but once again takes a bit of time. just add the extract and wait it takes time for the chemicals to start working but once it does it would slowly kill the algae and once again clean out as much dead algae as u can and use Ecofix to take care of the rest.

plain old barley straw bales. bought one just to try out in my pond and works great but is hard to get in Auckland [had to get my from silverdale] and takes by far the longest to work as u have to wait for the straws start to decompose in water which release the needed chemical to kill algae.

other products like pondclear, cleanwater crystal, sludge remover..........etc i wouldn't bother as i've tried all of them and can tell u its a waste of time.

hope my experience can help

[fishboi]

ouh yeah the algeafix and ecofix i am talking about are by PondCare/ Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, cant remember which one but there is another brand that calls their stuff Algeafix as well which is rubbish.

[beachy]

Thanks Fishboi,

great info , Im a bit woried about my fish as i have a few expensive ones, have you noticed any stress on the fish?

Would the flourish be the better option if $ wasnt an issue, just as far as fish health goes?

[DubbieBoy]

Flourish Excel can be used to get rid of BBA (Black Beard/Brsuh Algae), which few other potions seem to have any effect on. Don't think it has any impact on other algal species like your green thread stuff (but I could be wrong).

Get rid of as much as you physically can - on old (or at least someone else's ), toothbrush works really well to wind it out. Crank up the CO2 and get the other plants really motoring and it should just fade out of the picture. In my experience, green thread algae don't like current much, or at least they tend to start in areas where the water is still.

[fishboi]

i personally dont see any stress in the fishes actually i stress more cuz the water turn to a cloudy color when u do this :lol: but u do need to watch the oxygen carefully if u want to go with the algeafix option especially since u have fancy pleco and they demand high oxygen level as is.

yes most definitely would go with flourish excel if $$ wasn't a factor. mind u barley straw extract is by far the most none stress way to do it and its practically impossible to over dose with.

[Steves Killies]

Hi Beachy,

I used Flourish excel for the same reason,to erradicate that dreaded hair algae from my planted tank. That stuff grows mighty quick once underway(I think it can replicate itself every four hours or nearabouts). The results were awesome. After the tank cleared up,as it does tend to make it cloudy,the thread algae clearly had dissolved off their host plants. Gave the tank a good clean after that,and it looked good as before the invasion. However, the algae returned about a month later,although not as abundant. I mentioned this to a guy who knew the flourish and hair algae scenario and he said that two series of dosing were the way to go,even after the first one and it looked like it had cleared up, do it again, and that will nail it.

Ofcourse, you will lose the Valliseria type plants if you leave them in there. I had swords,rotala,crypts,tennelus that showed no signs of illeffect from the dosing

good luck

[art_b]

Steves,

Did you use normal dose of excel to get rid of your green thread algae, or did you double-dose ?

[beachy]

Well ive got some excell now 500 ml, should be enough to do my tank 120 ltrs, prob twice at double dose.

So here goes, 5ml per 40 ltrs on start up, then 5ml per 200 ltrs every day,

Doubled

I hope this works :-?

[fishboi]

good on ya beachy, hope it works for u too.

try removing as much as possible physically and keep the water oxygen level high [ i know i keep saying this its because i dont want u to loose ur royal]

[beachy]

Hmmm, me too its my fav fish , i will keep a close on things.

Funny how when i oppened the bottle it smells a bit like alcohol, i used to dose alcohol to my marine tank as a carbon source, and to help with cyano probs. I wonder if it would do the same in a freshwater tank :-? might be a cheaper option if it works.

[Steves Killies]

hi Art-b,

I double dosed with flourish. Physically removed as much as possible prior to ,as mentioned in earlier post using a toothbrush,which worked real well too. Did lose a few rummy nose in throughout the process of dosing though.

Good luck Beachy,nothing like a hair algae free tank