how do i get rid of hair algae

[trinidentist]

I have what looks like brown cotton wool growing on some of my plants nothing is eating it. I dont have florish or co2. today i tried to remove it by hand not very successfully.sorry i thinks its brown brush algae i just saw a pic on another site

[judy]

get some flourish Excel and an eyedropper. Fill the eyedropper with the Excel, and put your arm right in the tank, and squirt the excel directly onto the algae.
(I hope your discus aren't like mine, they always come over to my arm to inspect what I'm doing-- you don't want to accidentally squirt a fish).
usually, algae growht is the result of the balance between light, CO2 level, and nutrients being out of whack. If you have a planted tank, (which you clearly do), try adjusting your lighting hours, keeping them on for an hour or two less. Or add CO2 either as CO2 or in the form of Excel to help the plants absorb the available nutrients more effectively.

[GrillMaster]

Try using an old tooth brush and twirling it around the hair algae(like your making cotton candy) It should pull most of it off if that is what it is. You want to get rid of as much as you can. Then as Judy mentioned get some flourish excel an dose as per the directions.

Is this a fairly new tank? Anyway to post a pic?

tc
Mark

[Apistomaster]

I use the stick method to swirl it around the sticks and if it is amorphous algae, siphon it directly out.
Still have to address the causes. Too much light, nutrients or combination of the two or it will come back.