# Hair algae on live plants



## Deng09 (Apr 28, 2012)

Anyone have any advice on how to get rid of hair algae growing on live plants?

It came in on some wisteria I bought, and has since spread to the tops of the other stem plants. The shorter plants like anbuias and crpyts are untouched so far, but it is getting out of control on the tops of the stem plants. I do plenty of water changes, and have only 20 watts of light over 10 gallons. The tank is very heavily planted so I would think it would be outcompeteing this algae for the nutrients. 

I just tried some algae eliminator from marineland 3 days ago and it didn't do anything. Should I just cut off the top half of all the stem plants and get rid of it all that way?

Thanks for any advice.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Not a chance. Five minuits after you put the infested plant in there it had distributed algae spores throughout the tank. The lack of it on the bottom plants
indicates that you have adequate light for your plants(assuming their growing and not just existing) but to begin/w algae is inevitable to some extent
unless you regularly use a chemical remover. Not good/w invertibrates such as RCS or what I call freshwater plankton such as scuds and various daphnia.
I'll give you a link for a salt water snail(aclimated to freshwater) that eat algae. They will not reproduce in freshwater. Only brackish or salt water.
But you might limit the hrs of light per day. Plants need only 7-8. 
You might look them up on e-bay etc as they are quite expensive(not the snails but the minimum order plus the outrageous shipping charges) on this
site but you may find them elsewhere once you know what to look for. They have other algae eaters also, but once again $$$ (P.S. shrimp are not going
to remove algae but they list them under that heading). See Nerite snails (olive).
Aquarium Snails For Sale Algae Eating Snails Substrate Burrowers Golden Clams
nerite snails in Aquarium & Fish | eBay
Just looked it up. One near the bottom 25 for $8.99 plus shipping.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

There isn't much that will eat hair algae, mollies will eat some and florida flag fish will eat it but your tank isn't really suited for those fish. Best thing to do is just pull out as much as possible every few days.


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## Deng09 (Apr 28, 2012)

Will any algaecides kill it off? I was thinking about adding some red cherry shrimp to the tank, but you cant use most algaecides with invertebrates. 

Should I try to kill it off first? Will cherry shrimp and nerite snails solve the problem on their own? Am I doomed to forever have this hair algae? If this was your tank what would you do?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I have shut off most but not all of the light for 6 days and reduced it a bit(35-40%) and don't know how long it would take if I taped the glass for a time and not
harm the plants too much. I'd try the Nerite snails but I have a ten gal and the best deal on the e-bay seems to be one of the ones which offer the free
shipping of which there are a couple that are $20. Just have too much on my plate now and moving is one of them so $20 additions to any tank are on hold for now.
Though I know nothing changes just by thinking about it I'm still a bit cautious due to a RCS kill off accident which happened back a few months ago now.
Mess/w your bio-filter as I did and you also can be the owner of a tank full of dead RCS.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Algeacides can and will cause more problems. I wouldn't use them. They have also been known to kill fish.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

hello I had hair algae a couple months back.i got 2 siamese algae eaters and thay did a great job.it did take awhile but now and free of it.i did treak with hydrogen peroxide first for 4 or 5 days.thay say to use a syringe and put it on the plants in the tank.my plants were not big so I pulled them out and got a bowl big enough for the plants and diped the plants in for about 5 minutes with the roots not in the hydrogen peroxide.each day I seen the algae dying.its tooks 4 or 5 days to kill it.i think most would go the other way.i way going to but at the time I did not have a syringe so I just pulled them out.it worked great and did not lose a leave.when the algae turned white and dying about the third day.after the treatment I put the 2 Siamese algae eater in.hope this helps.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Hello rtmaston,
So how big are these Siamese Algae eaters ? I don't seem to have them close around me but they may be at a lps that is about an hr drive.
Can call first of course but I have ten gallon tanks so size is critical to my world. On line shipping is out/cost but I might find an excuse to take
a drive to the big city (65 miles) after calling.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

hello thay are about 5 inches long and thay had some small ones but I bought the bigger ones.thay were about a dollar more.sence I got them thay are on the plants about all the time except when I feeding the other fish.i have not cut back on my hours of led lightnand never seen anymore hair algae.i think thay are doing a great job.my peto would not touch the stuff.


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