Hair Algae In Fish Tanks

This article is a follow up from a previous post entitled “Get Rid Of Snails In Fish Tank Naturally“.

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Who can deny what a nuisance is hair algae in fish tanks. If environmental conditions are right to it, hair algae can grow extremely fast to a point that it will overrun the aquarium. And to make matters worst, no matter how hard you scrub them off, it will grow back. So the most important aspect of controlling hair algae in fish tanks is not to fight the effect but to try as much as you can to eliminate the cause.

Control Hair Algae In Fish Tanks

Hair algae is tough, tough enough to grow on virtually any surface. But although it is unsightly, hair algae like any other plant does provide some benefits to the aquatic life. It does oxygenate the water and there are fish that feed on the algae. So if you want to get rid of hair algae, do it as a gradual process or it might affect the fish. On the other end of the scale, having too much algae is bad to the fish too.

So how do you properly control hair algae in fish tanks? Here are some of the main factors for you to work on.

Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Proper Water Management

Controlling the level of nitrates in your aquarium is very important in controlling hair algae on fish tanks. Hair algae thrives on high levels of nitrates and suddenly changes in the level will cause algae blooms. As long as these levels remain high, they will keep growing back no matter how much you remove them. The key here is to not overfeed your fish and remove any excess food. Another thing you might want to try is using live food. As long as the feed is not dead and rotting, it would not raise nitrate levels.

Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Increase The Algae’s Competition

As long as hair algae is the sole consumer of all that yummy nitrate, it will thrive. Add in some plants and they will compete with the algae for food and eventually starve it out of your aquarium.

Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Animals That Eat Algae

There are a number of aquatic animals that love eating algae. These include Scarlet Hermits and Tangs to name a few. But don’t just go out and buy some immediately. Speak to the specialist at the fish shop and explain about your situation and your aquarium specifications, especially its size and what fish tank filters you are using. He would be able to provide a better suggestion on the most suitable creature that you should get for your situation.

Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: The Amount Of Light

Algae is a plant and like all plants, it thrives in places that gets a lot of sunlight. Moving your aquarium to a less bright area of your home will hinder the growth of hair algae in fish tanks.

These are some of the main ways to control hair algae in fish tanks.

Kill Algae In A Salt Water Fish Tank

“This is a follow-up to an earlier post entitled “Selecting Power Fish Tank Filters For Your Fish Tank“.

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Green Hair Algae, also known as Derbesia, grows long and green and does really resemble green algae. If you do not take care of this problem as fast as you can, it will spread very fast throughout your aquarium to a point where it can overrun your tank in just a few weeks. Before it spread uncontrollably, let’s look at some of the most effective ways to kill algae like this.

How To Kill Algae

There are a number of factors that will cause green hair algae to bloom out of control in your aquarium. It could be because of high levels of nitrates or phosphates. It could also be that you’ve just replaced the lamps in your Ultraviolet Sanitizers or maybe even that the lamps are to old causing a shift in the light spectrum. Finally, it may be attributed to excessive sunlight if your tank is placed too close to a window. Whatever the reason, you would need to solve the cause first before you try to kill algae.

Once you have solved the cause, the next step is to prune the algae manually which is a very tedious task if your do it yourself but the great thing about a saltwater fish tank is that we have sea creatures such as hermit crabs to do the job for you. These creatures will gradually reduce the amount of green hair algae which will in time allow you to kill algae more effectively. While the progress may seem a little slow, it needs to be done in a gradual rate so as not to place a shock on your ecosystem.

You can help your hermit crabs speed up the process to kill algae a little by pulling out the larger clumps yourself. If the algae spread is too extensive, you could also add in other algae eating creatures such as Turbo Snails. Other options of algae eaters that you can try include Foxface, Blennies, Yellow Tang and Green Sea Urchins. It would be a great idea to consult the expert at the fish shop who can suggest to you which of these will be the most suitable for you.

Thoroughly clean your protein skimmer too. Start out by cleaning out the pump and the air intake. The collection cup in your skimmer should be cleaned as often as you can so that there is no build up of slime which could clog it. Make sure as much of the dissolved organic components are removed from the water before they are allowed to break down into nitrates and provide a ready food source for the Green Algae. The level of nitrates in your saltwater aquarium should not be more than 10 ppm to prevent algae growth. If your tank is large, make sure the size of the Protein Skimmer is suitable to ensure proper filtration.

Maintenance After You Kill Algae

By following the steps that I outlined above, you will notice a steady reduction of algae growth in your tank until you finally manage to kill algae successfully. And if you have solved the cause of the algae bloom, you have the assurance that Green Hair Algae will no longer trouble you again.

This is the most natural way to gradually kill algae which is a lot better than dumping a load of chemicals in your aquarium.

How To Kill Algae The Right Way

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Ultraviolet or UV Aquarium Sterilizer is the safest and simplest way to kill algae and other water borne pathogens in your fish tank. The chemical treatment that was traditional used to kill algae is also somewhat harmful to the fish, plant life and even the beneficial bacteria that is so hard to seed in the first place.

The Ultraviolet light is a spectrum of light that is below the visibility range of the human eye and cannot be seen. But its effects are felt by all organisms and kill algae, causing a disruption between the bonds of the atoms of organic molecules. Different wave lengths of UV light affect different organisms and a range of between 200 to 280 nanometers is very lethal to microrganisms. This spectrum also known as the UV-C Spectrum is what we need to use in a fish tank to kill algae.

UV Aquarium Sterilizer performs just like natural sunlight, working together with conventional fish tank filters to reduce the effect of green water commonly caused by algae, that if left untreated will present a health problem to your aquatic life as well as eventually reduce the efficiency of your fish tank filters.

Deciding On A UV Aquarium Sterilizer To Kill Algae

When setting up a UV Aquarium Sterilizer, you will need to take a number of factors into considering as follows:

A) The Type Of Lamp

There are two basic types of UV lamp, namely low pressure and high pressure. Low pressure lamps are more target in terms of the wavelength of light that they produce, making them more effective when it comes to kill algae and pathogens. High pressure lamps produce a wider range of wavelengths thus produce more light and heat than sterilization, thus are generally not that effective.

B) The Length Of The Lamp

The longer the lamp, the greater the region that is exposed to UV light. Usually, most fish tank owners will decide on a lamp based on how large their tank is.

C) The Design Of The UV Aquarium Sterilizer

There are a number of designs in the market right now, which basically determine the distance the water has to travel between the surface of the lamp right up to the water containment chamber.

D) The Quality Of The Water

There is a term used for this; Percent Transmittance. This value is a percentage that is used to indicate the quality of the water that needs to be treated. In a nutshell, the UV Aquarium Sterilizer would be more effective for water with a higher Percentage Transmittance.

E) The Water Flow Rate

That is the amount of water that passes through the UV Aquarium Sterilizer at a given duration.

F) Other Minor Considerations To Kill Algae

These include the positioning of the lamp and multiple UV lamp systems.

In the next post on ways to kill algae using UV aquarium sterilizer, we will discuss each of these criteria in more detail to give you a better understanding of what to aim for to kill algae and create the perfect environment for your aquatic life.