Hair algae or other growth on wood?

[Andy121]

Hello all. New aquarium hobbyist and new forum poster here, so bear with me if possible, so much to learn and find out and most recently, am learning not to trust everything the people at the fish shop say.

New tank 2.5 months old.
Oase styline 125 with biothermo 200 filter and heater.

Cycled with Dr Tims and after a troublesome start with some dodgy cardinal tetras I was wrongly sold. I have recently put in 3 honey Gouramis which seems to be working great.
Tested today -
Ph - 7
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5

The issue is the algae.
I'm well aware algae can be a problem in a new tank and am dealing with the green algae, but the other hairy like growth on the wood, is this hair algae? And what is the best way to deal with it?

I've reduced my lights so only operate 1 of the LED daylight 6500 K lights for a split photoperuod of 7 hours.

I've read dimming the lights may help by placing tape intermittently along the bulb also by dosing liquid carbon as I have a low tech tank.

Open to suggestions, if it even is hair algae??

 

[ceg4048]

Hi,
Is that a new chunk of wood? Looks like typical fungus after submerging the wood. That should wipe off. The brown stuff looks like diatoms and you are wise to have reduced the amount of light, but there is no need to split.
How often are you doing water changes? Half the battle with algae is to keep the tank as clean as possible with frequent and large water changes. The fish will appreciate that as well. In any case, scrub, scrub and clean, clean. Get your hand in there, hold the hairgrass down with one hand and with the other hand use an old toothbrush to gently scrap the diatom fluff away.

You've probably got some other algae types in there but it's difficult to tell exactly. In any case, the solution is the same, scrub and squeaky clean.

Cheers,

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Keep that fungus away from the plants it will smother and kill it. I’ve had better luck siphoning it off the wood rather than scrubbing it. Scrubbing seems to reveal a clean new surface for new fungus growth.

 

[Andy121]

Thanks for the tips. It does look more fungus growth than algae. Yes it is new. It's corbo catfish wood. Too big to boil so soaked in the bath/tank for a good few weeks before adding the scape and fish.

I've been doing a 50% water change once a week. 1st trying to scrub the worst of the growth off into the water column and then siphoning the worst of the bits out when water changing.

Stays clean for a few days and usually by the 3rd/4th day its started to come back.

I'll try both techniques although it doesn't seem to syphon off that well. Maybe 1 hand brush and the other syphon straight out.
Diatoms do seem to rub off easily.

But thanks for the tips

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Lovely gouramis by the way!