I am currently testing a couple of products on a nasty strand of algae commonly referred to as "beard algae". This algae is often called brush or beard algae because it starts off as tufts of grayish hair-like strands that eventually cover plants and ornaments. In my experience, this is the ugliest and most tenacious pest I ever encountered in my freshwater aquariums.
This algae has begun to appear in my established aquariums only. The tanks have healthy plant growth and have been established for many months. The oldest tank, my 35 gallon, shows a couple of small tufts of beard algae in a large growth of Java moss. The other aquarium, a 20 gallon, shows many more tufts on small plants. The majority of the plants remain unaffected at this time.
Shown in this picture is some of the beard-like growth in my 20 gallon aquarium. It has overtaken small grass plants. The plant only survives by producing fresh shoots.
If what I am seeing is actually the same as what is referred to as Blue-Green Algae, then the blackish beard-like stuff on some of my plants is actually part of the red algae family. Years ago, I had an outbreak of it in a large tank. I managed to squelch it, but unfortunately, I don't remember what I did!
I am currently dosing two tanks with a product called Blue-Green Algae Remover by Ultralife Reef Products. I found this at the That Fish Place website.
The product's box says this: "Ultralife Blue-Green Algae Remover is a revolutionary time tested product that will effectively and safely remove blue green algae quickly without harm to freshwater fish or plants. The results will amaze you." Sounds very promising.
Shown here is a panoramic view of the affected 20 gallon tank. Click the image for a larger view. This picture was taken a month ago. The algae is not visible, but it had already started to appear. As you can see, the tank was quite healthy. The goal now is to prevent this hair algae growth from blooming and causing massive plant dammage.
This week, I've dosed the aquariums as directed. New plant growth is vibrant and algae-free but algae still hangs on tightly on older growth. So far, it is too early to tell whether the product has the desired effect on my algae problem. I'll update in a month or so.
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