Help green thread algae?

[dan2x38]

How can I get rid of this?

[charlie]

How can I get rid of this?

More info needed, size of tank , co2 or not,  light level, fert -how much & how often, which plants is it attacking or where etc

[Agnate]

Some hair algae can be controlled through the use of barley extract.  You can get it for ponds, usually, and it's available at Big Al's.  It's also natural, so no worries there (some add in peat, but otherwise completely safe).  I've used the Barley and Peat extract by Tetra Pond, and it works okay.  Unfortunately, I have nothing to compare it to.  There's another brand that is only Barley extract, and is a lot more expensive, so it's your call.  It doesn't completely get rid of it, but assuming everything else is balanced (light, co2, ferts, etc.), it should help reduce it to the point where it's barely visible.

[fischkopp]

For quick remedy use a rough bamboo stick and wind it up. Then start finding the root cause ...

[dan2x38]

For quick remedy use a rough bamboo stick and wind it up. Then start finding the root cause ...

Used a toothbrush and wound it around it. I do not know the cause? 

More info needed, size of tank , co2 or not,  light level, fert -how much & how often, which plants is it attacking or where etc

Already posted all that: http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=29385.0

[charlie]

My main planted tank started getting green thread algae. It is the stringy thread type that is very thin. It has no smell and can be pulled off without damaging plants. It is close to the light only. I changed an older light tube no luck. Running DIY CO2 2 bottles alternate schedule every 7 days so each bottle is on for 14 days or less. Has worked fine for ages. Feed twice a day with limited food no feedings on Fridays. I have < 3 wpg for light with 2 x 55k PC lights & 1 10K T8. Lights are on for 12 hours. I use dry ferts once or twice a week same as trace. Do 40% WC each week. Have not had any issues with this set-up for a year.

I didn't want to but I added a young SAE a week ago. Plants have great colour & growth dispite the algae. I have 3 nice sized YoYo loaches in the tank because I hate pond snails. They also control any MTS population...  I've read mixed threads on the success of keeping Amano shrimps with the YoYo's. Has anyone had success with Amanos and YoYo's? I know I need to find the source but like Amanos and want to add some... BUT will they survie? 

I read the cause for thread algae is likely to much Iron does that make sense? I have not increased my iron dosing could it be accumulating?Why have I started getting this darn algae?   x 1,000 I hate algae! 

Dan i`m not sure which tank is your main planted tank , is this the one with the "infamous" plant filter,& is this the same tank that you tried the EI method on & had algae issues a few mths ago? you mentioned you adding dry ferts once or twice a week - what & how much are you adding? how do you figure out when to dose once per week & when to dose twice a week?, I suspect the cause of your algae woes is  somewhere in here , but since each tank is unique it`s really difficult to pin point a cause.

Iron might be the root cause, but it might not be from overdosing as is commonly thought, it could be from lack of other nutrients that is causing the poor uptake of it by the plants which will then leave it available for the hungry algae, just some food for thought.

As for trying to get rid of it , you may try removing as much as you can with your trusted tooth brush, black out the tank, use Excel, these steps in that order have worked for some folks & is worth a shot , but you will still need to address the root cause.
Regards

[dan2x38]

Yes it the tank with the plant filter. I even rinsed the substrate of the plant filter and drained the resevor. I judge the dosing by plant growth. I cannot pin point what the cause is I am stumped. I was leaning towards iron so I added some root tabs. I've read that iron in the water coloum is very hard for plants to pick up. Iron available to the roots through the substrate is best. Excel will do in BBA it reduces thread algae? Really hate to go to a black-out... I've been afraid of heavy dosing since the EI dosing attempt that failed.

I shut off a bank of lights I am down to 30w less then 1w/gallon - already my macrandra is suffering... I've read about barly who has used this? Did it work? Is it safe for all plants? Is it save for all fish i.e. cories, YoYo's, and/or inverts? Also prunned back my plants and gave the tooth brush a good work out... damn that stuff tastes bad should have used an old tooth brush... LOL

[Agnate]

I posted that I've been using it for a while with my Abei puffer, ghost shrimp, betta, tetras, cories, oto cats, cherry shrimp, and snails.  The only thing it could potentially do is slightly lower the pH, as it has similar properties to adding driftwood or peat substrate, but if you're using CO2 already, you won't have a problem.

I used the Barley and Peat extract by Tetra Pond with no ill effects.  Puffer was never even bothered by it, and the shrimp are all fine.  It's not that expensive and lasts quite a while.  My roommate also used some in his two tanks, I believe, and he keeps Clown loach, zebra botias, rainbows, fire eel, spiny eel, tetras, mollies, molly fry, chinese and siamese algae eaters, red-claw asian crab, and probably others that I can't think of right now.

My hair algae came back on my riccia, but that's because I have been lazy with my dosings.  It was gone for a few months, though. 

[dan2x38]

Agnate where did you buy yours?

BUT I still need to find out what is causing it. I never had a problem with it before...

[fischkopp]

I am affraid that you will need to get a better understanding about the ammount of nutritions added to the tank if you want to find the reason why green algae does so well. If not using EI you will need to develop your own scheme, track the dosing amount (means concentration in water column) for macros, micros and CO2 and apply this scheme periodically to your system. The key here is that you will need to add nutritions before deficiencies show up, by the time you see them on plants it is likely to late and algae is triggered already. It requires quite some time to develop such a scheme and you will for sure run through all kind of algae stages while playing around with different nutritient concentrations, but in the end you will be rewarded with a good understanding what happens if ...

That that, I would lean towards low CO2 combined with low nitrate uptake. Good luck!

[Agnate]

I picked mine up at Big Al's in Kanata, but they probably have it on Innes Road as well.  Might also find it at PetSmart, but I can't actually confirm if they have it or not (the Tetra Pond one, I mean).  Big Al's also has the more-expensive Barley extract (no Peat), if you wanted that instead.

[charlie]

Dan , i think you need to take a hard look at what you are doing in regards to the nutrients in that tank, ask yourself this,as it is you have  a so called "Plant filter" my understanding from you , is that it is suppose to extract/consume excess nutrients from your tank, you are also limiting the nutrients you are adding to the tank from your 1 x & sometimes 2x a week fertilizing method, from those two accounts i would highly suspect your tank is limited in some nutrient, which is creating an imbalance in the uptake of nutrients, resulting in your woes, keep in mind that contrary to popular belief , that Phosphate is bad in a planted tank, the opposite is desirable , as Phosphate is a catalyst for nutrient uptake.
Just my thoughts, of course there is the other factor of CO2.
BTW, Barley extract apparently is another way of using up excess nutrients, so my thoughts is you will only be compounding the problem.
In short stop limiting their food .

[charlie]

Dan , i think you need to take a hard look at what you are doing in regards to the nutrients in that tank, ask yourself this,as it is you have  a so called "Plant filter" my understanding from you , is that it is suppose to extract/consume excess nutrients from your tank, you are also limiting the nutrients you are adding to the tank from your 1 x & sometimes 2x a week fertilizing method, from those two accounts i would highly suspect your tank is limited in some nutrient, which is creating an imbalance in the uptake of nutrients, resulting in your woes, keep in mind that contrary to popular belief , that Phosphate is bad in a planted tank, the opposite is desirable , as Phosphate is a catalyst for nutrient uptake.
Just my thoughts, of course there is the other factor of CO2.
BTW, Barley extract apparently is another way of using up excess nutrients, so my thoughts is you will only be compounding the problem.
In short stop limiting their food .

I`m not suggesting you start dumping ferts in the tank immediately , you will need to get the present algae under control( removal & black out ) & the slowly get the nutrients up to par.I would also add another pop bottle of c02 to the mix, making it 3 bottles.

[dan2x38]

I am sure my issues stem from low CO2. Not enough CO2 plants grow slower, algae uses the lighting, and dry ferts hence algae starts to bloom. Then plants grow slower yet... algae gets more lights & ferts... soon plants are starved and die algae takes over entire tank...

Anyways turned the value off to my plant filter, pulled off my 110w PC fixture added back my 30w single tube (repaired with new ballast today), did 50% WC/gravel vacuuming... this afternoon had treated with Excel. Lights are out now but in the morning doing a manual removal of as much algae as I can - now also have BBA  Then doing a 5 day blackout. Resolution adding more CO2 bottles. Keeping plant filter off line for now. For 10 days after blackout do a daily Excel dosing. Also increase dry fert dosing gradually. Then the final step... save enough for a pressurized system it's time.

What gets me though is this system as worked for a long time without issue. Had one issue actually but that is when I started using EI dosing for the 1st time but to quickly got an algae bloom.

[Jeff1192]

You definitely need to take the plunge to pressurized CO2. I have finally gone to the "green side" and ordered everything. Just waiting for it all to arrive.

Jeff

[dan2x38]

Since CO2 is help with thread algae... then questions about CO2 are not thread jacking... 

If you don't mind Jeff: how much? where? type? what is included?

[Jeff1192]

Now I can't take credit for this because all my info is from picking Charlie's brain about this.

I ordered the SuMo Premier Controllable CO2 Regulator with Swagelok metering valve from Sumo in New Jersey,  http://sumoregulator.com/. They have been really good to deal with. Great communication and able to answer all my questions.

I ordered the Aqua Medic 1000 CO2 reactor from MarineDepot.com.

I got my 10lb CO2 tank from Pyromateck in Gatineau.

Once I have everything I'm going to do a blackout to kill off some of the algae problems I've got and then fire everything up.

Jeff

[dan2x38]

Pruned out the leafs with BBA... funny all the green thread algae was already gone. Did another WC 20% - yesterday did 50%. Rinsed sponge in 1st stage of AC70. My plant filter is off line. Pulled off my DIY CO2 adding a 3rd bottle to the set-up. Will rotate bottles every 5 days and monitor to see if shorter duration is needed. Finally blacked out will keep it covered until Wed. morning.

After black-out will do 50% WC. Then start EI dosing: 2 weeks dose macro & micro 1 day a week, next 2 weeks dose each twice a week, and finally after 4 weeks dose each 3 times a week.

I made up my mind buying a CO2 regulator/solenoid. Then have to save my pennies to get a bottle and fill it. I have lots of dry ferts no issues there.

If everything goes according to plan in 7 weeks I'll be full dosing using EI method and running pressurized CO2.

[dan2x38]

Since plants do not use CO2 at night I've kept my DIY generator off line. I added a 3rd bottle but before that I did some checking and testing. I found out the threads or the entire cap on a Pepsi 2L had stretched therefore a leak... Coke 2L bottles cap's are thicker as are other pop bottles. So I replaced all the caps on the bottles. I stuck the output airline under water and for the past 3 days with the old mixture one 10 days the other 17 the output remained steady at more than 1 bubble per/sec. Like I said I could not understand this system has worked A1 forever.

Still getting the pressurized system but until I get a CO2 bottle for my new regulator will be running the DIY system. So watch out for those Pepsi bottles or maybe change caps every so often to prevent the caps or threads stretching causing a leak. Lesson learned...

Tomorrow the cover comes off but I am going to Montreal so guess I'll wait until Thurs morning... Wish me luck!