# hair algae growing on baby tears and cloudy water



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

Have hair algae that is growing on baby tears and causing some die-off. Not sure if its because I added to much of Floursih and Flourish Iron.

Current Photoperiod is 10hrs of 126w of T5HO on a 38G tank. 3 bulbs are Giesemann midday 6000k and one ATI purpleplus

Any idea how to get my carpeting plants winning and the algae lose?










Also not sure why my water is so cloudy. Been getting better but its always cloudy. Tank is about 2 weeks old. Ammonia and Nitrite are 0. Running an XP1 with 20ppm foam pad, filter floss, aragonite sand, 15 or so bio stars, carbon, filter floss.


----------



## Tark77 (Sep 6, 2010)

Are you dosing any Carbon, either CO2 or Excel?

If you are not, you are going to have a hech of a time keeping algae under control with that much light.


----------



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

dosing presurrized c02. Any idea what to do?


----------



## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Might not be hair algae, looks more like thread algae to me, which is directly related to too much iron. I've had this nuisance before. It's a bit easier to get rid of than hair algae.


----------



## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

Can I ask why you have aragonite sand in your filter? Are you using it to raise your Ph?


----------



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

matti2uude said:


> Can I ask why you have aragonite sand in your filter? Are you using it to raise your Ph?


just wanted to try it to see what it will do to my parameters (KH, HG and pH). Read about it in this article:

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html#rodi


----------



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

Will Hayward said:


> Might not be hair algae, looks more like thread algae to me, which is directly related to too much iron. I've had this nuisance before. It's a bit easier to get rid of than hair algae.[/QUOTE
> 
> you know what it probably is an overdose of iron. It began right after that dose now that you mentioned it. The leaves on some plants were thin and yellowing. Didn't have CO2 before but got pressurized now.
> 
> I did a 50% water change and got rid of a lot of the thread algae on the plants and removed dead plants. Also replaces floss in filter. What else do you recommend I do?


----------



## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Maybe two more 50% waterchanges, and not dosing anything with iron for a couple weeks.

Adding more of thsoe red turning plants might help sponge more iron up.

Unfortunately not much has a big apetite for thread algae, though my amano and cherry shrimps very very very slowly nibbled at it.


----------



## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

get a couple of siamese algae eaters, and a few amano shrimps, and they will take care of it.. easy. 

To do a direct blow, get 50% excel and use a syringe to dose it right on... dead in 24 hours, and the SAE or shrimp will clean it up.


----------



## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

also breakup your hairgrass a bit more to cover more space. It will spread better that way


----------



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

I bought 1 SAE and 3 amano shrimp. They haven't even touched the algae


----------



## Zooz (Feb 23, 2011)

all the driftwood is starting to grow hair algae. Its all less than one 1cm long but its growing on all the driftwood!


----------



## chriscro (Dec 3, 2010)

i am batttling the same algae issues right now, best measure i have for solving the problem or atleast limiting its spread is i have turned off lights for 4 days straight. 

i also cleaned all algae off plants outside of the tank and replanted. cleaned just about everything outside and rinsed with tap water to eliminate any alae. i used a sponge and whiped down leaves of my swords java etc..

i just started a photoperiod again of only 2 hours a day and am currently increase an hour a week until i find a happy medium between the algae and plant life.

so far so good for me the hair algae is at 5% what it was and my plants look no different that i stopped photo periods then before actually healthier


----------

