Hair algae??

Hi

I’m on my 3rd week of the EI. Things we going well until a week ago when I started seeing clumps of green algae, which I think is hair algae. This is the picture of what it looks like, which I got from the Ghori article:



It is on my carpet of hair grass, glosso and parts of the uncovered gravel. I am also seeing it on my Eusteralis Stellata. I can hand pick them out like wool blobs. I keep taking them out but they keep coming back. My dosing is as follows:

Even days 3 times a week.
3/4 Tspoon KNO3
1/2 Tspoon K2SO4
Fleet Enema 3ml

Odd days 3 times a week
TMG 15ml.

Day off after the TMG dose.

50% water change on reset.

PH 6.6 to 6.8
KH 6
GH 10
Tank is 80 gallons.
Light NOFL 368 watts 10 hours photo and 1 hour morning and 1 hour night, low light, 114watts.

I’m running 2 canesters, a CO2 internal diffuser, pressurized CO2. UV after water change for 24 hours.

The dosing is good and the CO2 seems fine. So I don’t understand why this is happening. I’m using a PH pen to test, which is calibrated every week. I am also noticing a little beard algae.

Any ideas why this is happening?

 

Re: Hair algae??

Hi Tom,

Sorry for the late reply here. Been blocked out of this site since 7/21 due to some weird DNS problem. Seems to be working again now.

My tank is pretty much packed, but I do have some open spots, specially the foreground. I had glosso but removed it because algae had over taken it. I have since put in about 10 more plants and have ordered more. And hair grass for the foreground. (Pic of tank in gallery)

I have tried a 3 day blackout, but the algae is still there. I lost some cardinals too. I have now reduced my lights from 10 hours photo to 8 hours. I have also reduced it from 368 watts to 300 watts. Skipping K2SO4 for a week now. PH is at 6.7 to 6.8 with KH at 6.

I had added some Seachem root tabs a month ago, I suspect it might be leaching out of the gravel. My gravel is basic 2-3mm, but it's light, I'm sure the tabs are leaching out. Also perhaps 368 watts maybe too much for the 80G? Anyway you would know better to correct me.

I can't think of anything else. Fish load is fine, 40 odd Tetras, SAEs ect. can't get any shrimps here, but I've ordered. Have also ordered Excel from the US.

Regards

 

Re: Hair algae??

Thanks Tom, yeah my riccia looks more like algae moss now. I have started cleaning and purning, see what happens.

The last time I had put shrimps in this tank and the one before, they all died! I find that if the CO2 is over 30ppm my shrimps die. So how come people are keeping critters in planted tanks with CO2? I believe they need high O2?