Excel to get rid of hair algae, but how long?

[thang45]

I tried double and triple the doses for 4 days now and the hair algae is still there. How long do I have to use excel to fight hair algae?

[crystalview]

Have you pulled off what you can? I use a baster and put the 3x consintration right on the algae. I have seen where guys say they use 5x the normal dose every three days till it turns brown. With spot treating I have only needed to does twice.
HA is stubburn stuff......

[thang45]

Have you pulled off what you can? I use a baster and put the 3x consintration right on the algae. I have seen where guys say they use 5x the normal dose every three days till it turns brown. With spot treating I have only needed to does twice.
HA is stubburn stuff......

I didn't know I had to pull it. The last time I try it I rip off the leave.

I should continue to use excel @ 3 times recommendation for how many days?

[crystalview]

Can you remove the plant hopefully it's only on a few plants. pull off what you can out of the water so not to spread it around. I float it in the kitchen sink or bucket. If you are leery of treating the Discus so much this may be better for you.
I have used Potassium permanganate. The pp works well also.
What are your lights and how many hours to you run them. What are you using for C02. I use excel and Flourish and micro root tabs. When my tank is off balance is when I would get algae. So what's up with yours?
This time I did a snail soak but forgot to do pp on my newly acquired java fern and mother plant of a sword which has hair algae.

[Darrell Ward]

Just be careful overdosing Excel to kill algae. I've never used it for that, but I have read that you can poison fish by exposing them to excessive amounts of the chemical that Excel is made from.

[geleen]

Just be careful overdosing Excel to kill algae. I've never used it for that, but I have read that you can poison fish by exposing them to excessive amounts of the chemical that Excel is made from.

Mine won't eat for 24 hours after the initial correct dosing.
So I add it in 2x over 12 hours, then it is fine. I would be careful.
J

[thang45]

Can you remove the plant hopefully it's only on a few plants. pull off what you can out of the water so not to spread it around. I float it in the kitchen sink or bucket. If you are leery of treating the Discus so much this may be better for you.
I have used Potassium permanganate. The pp works well also.
What are your lights and how many hours to you run them. What are you using for C02. I use excel and Flourish and micro root tabs. When my tank is off balance is when I would get algae. So what's up with yours?
This time I did a snail soak but forgot to do pp on my newly acquired java fern and mother plant of a sword which has hair algae.

I don't use CO2. The light was on for 8 hrs and then I bumped it up to 10hrs. I also added root tabs and flourish and I think all of these made the algae grow.

Since I found out about the algae I have reduced the light back to 8hrs. and stop using flourish, but I think I'm too late.

Just be careful overdosing Excel to kill algae. I've never used it for that, but I have read that you can poison fish by exposing them to excessive amounts of the chemical that Excel is made from.

I have read a lot about overdose, that's why I increase extra, excel day by day. It has been 5 or 6 days and I think they are a bit brown. I have removed a lot of leafs that the algae grows on, hopefully this is stop the spread.

Mine won't eat for 24 hours after the initial correct dosing.
So I add it in 2x over 12 hours, then it is fine. I would be careful.
J

So far most of mine fish are eating, but thank you for the tips I will keep an eye on it.

[Apistomaster]

I have a friend who is a noted breeder of fancy plecos among other things and is justifiably described as an advanced aquarist.
I sold her 18 juvenile Sturisoma aureum. S. aureum breed in shallow fast water small steams. This is an extremely high dissolved O2 environment. She doesd their tank for the first ime with Fluorish Excel and all 18 young Sturisoma were dead within minutes. She had had them for three months prior to this incident. Apparently, Excel causes a significant drop in available dissolved oxygen, at least initially. It may be worth noting that hair algae also grows best in high dissolved oxygen water too. Here are what the young Sturisoma aureum look like. The other fish are young Apistogramma cacatuoides.

[pcsb23]

An easy way to be rid of hair algae is to use H2O2 with some care though. Use a 3% or 6% solution in a pippette or syringe and in the water apply directly onto the affected plants. Some plants will take a bit of a hit but usually recover well. Provided you only use small amounts each time you will not harm the fish or the bio filter. Also instead of de-oxygenating the water it will add to it. Usually one dose per plant is enough too! But do make sure no fish are in the firing line.

[Apistomaster]

Paul,
That is a good suggestion. And a quick way to temporarily raise the ORP. I would also expect to see some quick bleaching of the affected areas.

[thang45]

Well so far I haven't lost any. Knock on wood it doesn't happen.

The hair algae are turning brown and they are not spreading anymore. That's a good sign.

Now do I continue to use Excel or stop?

[crystalview]

I would go back to normal daily dosing. keep and eye on the HA and If you need to repeat. Then do so.

[thang45]

sounds good, thanks everyone.

[GrillMaster]

Just to add a lil bit to Pauls great advice, If you have current in the tank, turn off the filter when you do it. Let the water stop circulating, apply, leave it for 5 minutes then turn the filters back on. Excel will also work with this method

Some people have drained the tank below the effected plants and used a pipette to directly apply excel or H202 to the affected areas.

If you are having a hard time removing it, it isn't hair algae since hair algae is very easy to remove. Usually an old tooth brush can be used by grabbing the ends of the hair algae an just start spinning the tooth brush. Its probably BBA. The above methods work great for this type of algae.

This is a pretty good read with alot of experiment and documentation involved!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/al...periences.html

tc
Mark

[thang45]

Just to add a lil bit to Pauls great advice, If you have current in the tank, turn off the filter when you do it. Let the water stop circulating, apply, leave it for 5 minutes then turn the filters back on. Excel will also work with this method

Some people have drained the tank below the effected plants and used a pipette to directly apply excel or H202 to the affected areas.

If you are having a hard time removing it, it isn't hair algae since hair algae is very easy to remove. Usually an old tooth brush can be used by grabbing the ends of the hair algae an just start spinning the tooth brush. Its probably BBA. The above methods work great for this type of algae.

This is a pretty good read with alot of experiment and documentation involved!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/al...periences.html

tc
Mark

thanks Mark.

The hair algae is brown now and I think the excel did the trick. If by next week they are not gone then I will use a brush. I currently don't know what BBA is, but I will do some research on it.