Soothing Shrimp Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 So I made an interesting observation today. I give light to my shrimp tanks during a lot of the day. A lot. Did I say A LOT? I'm talking 12+ hours. I ALWAYS have hair algae in my moss (and sometimes on sponge filters.) My fault, I know, due to the long photoperiods. But here's my observation: I use daylight florescent bulbs in my tanks so I can see true colors for selective breeding. Only one bulb on one side, directly over my moss. I ran out of bulbs recently and had to use a soft white florescent bulb in one of my tanks. That tank was started at the same time as two of my other tanks. Those two other tanks now have hair algae. The one with the soft white doesn't, but the moss is still growing well! I'm guessing different wave lengths? I may resort to soft white in all my tanks, but I HATE HATE HATE the yellow glow! Do the cheap white LED strip lights we have been reading about have the same effect as soft white where it doesn't grow hair algae? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc4PC2 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Nope. Even with the cheap white led strip, you still get the hair algae. Sorry, but I have the cheap white led strip light, and I still get hair algae. I got rid of the light, and went to a different LED Light with night and day lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 There will never be an end to this damn algae. It's worse than bba at least bba you can get rid of easily, this stuff, this is a new type of demon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 When that stuff gets in my moss and plants I dont even fight it... I just tear it out and rescape Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 That's what I do too. *sigh* Still no hair algae in that tank. HAS to be the light wave length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpetals Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 soooooo.... I've had hair algae once and I never saw it again. I wonder what I did. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 That's really interesting. I used a cool white bulb once and everything died, plant-wise. (Did not have my epically subversive hair/spirogyra/annoying green **** in the substrate at that time, can't comment on how that would have been affected.) I have not ever been able to grow moss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 9 times outa 10 I get hair algae from a dirty hob filter. .. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 How do I get it out of my sponge filter... im afraid if I rense it in the sink my tank will re-cycle... ide rather have the algea than dead shrimp... Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00camaro16 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Try having styro (silk algea).... it lives on the exact same thing you plants do, so to kill it you have to kill your plants too. I am down to a 4 hour photo period with my light raised 2 more inches and it still grows. I have to pull it everyday but now that I'm on vacation for 5 days then a gone for work for a week soon I am already regretting seeing my tank afterwards. It freaks the shrimp out too when they run into it. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Im getting new moss for the tank im thinking about just going lights out for a few days and see if that helps.... Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I've tried complete black out for a week, it didn't help it actually grew more during the black out than with the lights on. I eradicated it as you've seen on some posts from me here. By pulling out all my decorations plants and filter stuff. Taking four tupaware containers. One with peroxide, algae fix, excel, and pure water. I would dip everything in each of the first three for 3-5 minutes then let it sit in the pure water for an hour or so make sure it's ok to to back in the tank and put it all back. Killed all my spyro, bba, diatom, green dust. But low and behold three weeks later the demon spyro came back three times stronger. I went from 13 hr light on, I like to see my tank all day. To a 6 hour split photo period. Raised my lights up 4inches above water level. The only other theory I have is to dose fertilizer mix that on,y moss and Buce would take in and use but I can't find any info on the exact nutrients they consume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted June 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I'm thinking of adding one soft and one daylight to my tops. The soft would be on as many hours as I have now, and the daylight one only for selection. Gotta experiment with the other tanks and see if it makes any difference in hair algae there as well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00camaro16 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Yea subtle... I have to admit, that's too much work for me. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpetals Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Does anything eat hair algae? any snails? I leave my lights on 12 + hrs a day and have a jungle for a tank. Had it for a couple of wks then it just disappeared. Not sure after I added some new species or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Pinnochio shrimp. Saes. Amano shrimp. Nit I had any luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00camaro16 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I wish Aman ate spyro... are you sure it's not that? I thought mine was hair algea for a long time and wondered why spot treating excel did nothing. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Amano rat hair algae. But not spyro. Not that I am aware of anyways. I'm sure there is a fish or shrimp out there somewhere that will eat it. That's like bba everyone sais no fish will eat It. But mollies and balloon mollies eat it as well as nerites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpetals Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Oh, well I have a ton of nerites. They do spend a lot of time on the moss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Haha but they don't eat the hair or spyro unfortunatly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpetals Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 well someone is....dang it. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted June 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Mine might be Cladophora now that I look at pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 How can you distinguish the difference between cladophora, hair, Spiro etc etc. They all look and behave the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 *shrugs* I honestly don't know. I just looked at pics on google, and saw what they had pictured. The truth is people probably misname it all teh time even in pics, so who knows what I have? All I know is that it is a ...er....problem... to get rid of. heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtletanks91 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 I feel the same way. This is agrevating. I'm going to message tom... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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