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Thread algae cause ?

eminor

Member
Joined
5 Feb 2021
Messages
784
Location
France
Hello, i have green thread algae, it's not an algae bloom but they grow, the co2 distribution is perfect, plant in the shade are pearling like crazy, i have no bba, or any other algae in the tank. i use one t5ho 24 watt 1500 lumens @10cm over 54 liters tank, it's not crazy high light. plant are in perfect condition, growing so fast. any idea thx ?
 
Most likely it's an introduction that came with the plants or any other way... Algae spores are inevitable and all over the place they fly around with the winds and the indoor drafts and when it lands in a favourable spot it will happily grow and multiply. 100% algae-free is a utopia in our dreams. It might be in control to be a present minority but it's always there.

Many algae grow filamentous so it depends on the kind of thread alga you caught... But if it's the one that feels snappy and gritty between your fingers it likely will be Cladophora sp. and then you are in for a threaded treat... Clado sp. family is in development very close to the higher plant sp. and very difficult to kill without killing the higher plants also and can only be controlled with constant manual removal. Some fish eat it, but it usually grows faster than it can be eaten.

So that would be pulling up sleaves inspect and work and work whenever you see it... :rolleyes:

If it's a soft feeling kinda thread algae it could be easier to control and usually goes away when a better balance in healthy growing plants is achieved.
 
Most likely it's an introduction that came with the plants or any other way... Algae spores are inevitable and all over the place they fly around with the winds and the indoor drafts and when it lands in a favourable spot it will happily grow and multiply. 100% algae-free is a utopia in our dreams. It might be in control to be a present minority but it's always there.

Many algae grow filamentous so it depends on the kind of thread alga you caught... But if it's the one that feels snappy and gritty between your fingers it likely will be Cladophora sp. and then you are in for a threaded treat... Clado sp. family is in development very close to the higher plant sp. and very difficult to kill without killing the higher plants also and can only be controlled with constant manual removal. Some fish eat it, but it usually grows faster than it can be eaten.

So that would be pulling up sleaves inspect and work and work whenever you see it... :rolleyes:

If it's a soft feeling kinda thread algae it could be easier to control and usually goes away when a better balance in healthy growing plants is achieved.

thx, i'm looking to a thing that does not exist haha, i now think that people tend to remove all visible algae before posting their perfect tank =)

that algae grow super fast, sometimes in 10 min.

i still have hopes to reduce the algae because the tank have like 30% free space which plant can go in, it looks like there is a world war between algae and plants =)
 
There are many types of thread algae. If it forms short clusters hugging substrate and hard surfaces, it is clado. If it forms long silky strands covering plants, then it is spirogyra. Both are green filamental algae, the former is branched and the latter straight. Both thrive in high light and favorable conditions as higher plants, and no algae eaters touch, but since neither attach to plants strongly, they can easily be removed physically . It appears you have high light as your plants pearl vigorously even in the shade. I have both clado and spirogyra in my planted bowls by the window that receive afternoon sunlight, no CO2. Physical removal is only a temporary solution, and I am tired of doing it regularly. I know a sure way to eliminate these algae for good is to reduce light, but since I can’t dial down sunlight, the only solution that works for me is to use Algaecide. API Algaefix is commonly used to control the same type of algae in ponds and since I dosed Algaefix weekly after water change, they have not returned.
 
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There are many types of thread algae. If it forms short clusters hugging substrate and hard surfaces, it is clado. If it forms long silky strands covering plants, then it is spirogyra. Both are green filamental algae, the former is branched and the latter straight. Both thrive in high light and favorable conditions as higher plants, and no algae eaters touch, but since neither attach to plants strongly, they can easily be removed physically . It appears you have high light as your plants pearl vigorously even in the shade. I have both clado and spirogyra in my planted bowls by the window that receive afternoon sunlight, no CO2. Physical removal is only a temporary solution, and I am tired of doing it regularly. I know a sure way to eliminate these algae for good is to reduce light, but since I can’t dial down sunlight, the only solution that works for me is to use Algaecide. API Algaefix is commonly used to control the same type of algae in ponds and since I dosed Algaefix weekly after water change, they have not returned.
Really looks like spirogyra, can remove it so easily, i don't think i need algicide at this stage, i mean, there is few "filament" on few plants, some qick growing plant are virtually algae free, does glutha...( liquid carbon) gonna kill it ? thx
 
Hey @eminor

Post #602 onwards may be useful in dealing with thread algae here. Hopefully it won’t get to this though, but you can remedy if needed.

Really looks like spirogyra, can remove it so easily, i don't think i need algicide at this stage, i mean, there is few "filament" on few plants, some qick growing plant are virtually algae free, does glutha...( liquid carbon) gonna kill it ? thx

Using glutaraldehyde can help overcome co2 distribution trouble spots in a tank if dosed daily. Not particularly keen on using glutaraldehyde as an algae treatment. Can cause tissue damage on plants, creating new problems to solve.

In agreement with @zozo though:

Most likely it's an introduction that came with the plants or any other way... Algae spores are inevitable and all over the place they fly around with the winds and the indoor drafts and when it lands in a favourable spot it will happily grow and multiply. 100% algae-free is a utopia in our dreams. It might be in control to be a present minority but it's always there.

A lot of setups aren’t running long enough to hit this bother. Find it interesting that locally, a few tanks suffer at the same time and annually.

Tanks running 20C and below with plants appear to be susceptible, particularly tanks with no heaters that swing in temp. On one hand you’ve got it easier with dissolved gases able to saturate the water more readily. On the other, you have slower plant metabolism. Hair/thread algae appears to have an edge under those circumstances.

As an aside, have noticed that setups closest to the doors in aquascaping shops have the highest frequency of hair algae here in the UK. Particularly in November when the temp drops proper outside.
 
Really looks like spirogyra, can remove it so easily, i don't think i need algicide at this stage, i mean, there is few "filament" on few plants, some qick growing plant are virtually algae free, does glutha...( liquid carbon) gonna kill it ? thx
Glut is effective against bba, a form of red algae, but useless against green thread algae. I tried glut a few times and gave up. Physical removal is not too hard, as spirogyra will come off clean in strands, but you have to keep doing it if the fundamental cause is not eliminated.
 
Hey @eminor

Post #602 onwards may be useful in dealing with thread algae here. Hopefully it won’t get to this though, but you can remedy if needed.



Using glutaraldehyde can help overcome co2 distribution trouble spots in a tank if dosed daily. Not particularly keen on using glutaraldehyde as an algae treatment. Can cause tissue damage on plants, creating new problems to solve.

In agreement with @zozo though:



A lot of setups aren’t running long enough to hit this bother. Find it interesting that locally, a few tanks suffer at the same time and annually.

Tanks running 20C and below with plants appear to be susceptible, particularly tanks with no heaters that swing in temp. On one hand you’ve got it easier with dissolved gases able to saturate the water more readily. On the other, you have slower plant metabolism. Hair/thread algae appears to have an edge under those circumstances.

As an aside, have noticed that setups closest to the doors in aquascaping shops have the highest frequency of hair algae here in the UK. Particularly in November when the temp drops proper outside.

Well, i run all my tank without heater so temp swing is a thing, due to inflation and energy cost exploding, i'll handle algae better than the bill =)

Glut is effective against bba, a form of red algae, but useless against green thread algae. I tried glut a few times and gave up. Physical removal is not too hard, as spirogyra will come off clean in strands, but you have to keep doing it if the fundamental cause is not eliminated.
Would love to know the fundamental cause, i suspected a co2 issue, i started to see a spot of GSA which is related to PO4 which i dose 2 ppm a week, maybe 2 ppm is not enough, tank is well planted. I decided to boost it to 4 ppm, no change, thread algae still there but no trace of GSA. honestly i'll take that algae instead of bba everyday lol

That tank seems to eat nutrients so fast, my tap nitrates value is 20 ppm, in few days after water change my rotala indica are getting reddish, i don't dose NO3, maybe i should
 
i use one t5ho 24 watt 1500 lumens @10cm over 54 liters tank, it's not crazy high light.

It's not crazy high light, but it's still high light. In my experience thread algae loves high light. It seems to operate more like higher plants that other algae types, so doesn't succumb to many of the same interventions that work on other plants.

The only time I've been able to get rid of it completely in lower areas of a tank were regular manual removal (twisting toothbrush technique) and reducing the light levels (by shading with floating plants in my case). Over a period of 3-4 weeks is disappeared by itself. I still had some at the top of the tank near the surface around some emersed moss, and that was impossible to get rid of, so I had to end up living with it, and removing as much as I could be bothered to during maintenance.
 
It's not crazy high light, but it's still high light. In my experience thread algae loves high light. It seems to operate more like higher plants that other algae types, so doesn't succumb to many of the same interventions that work on other plants.

The only time I've been able to get rid of it completely in lower areas of a tank were regular manual removal (twisting toothbrush technique) and reducing the light levels (by shading with floating plants in my case). Over a period of 3-4 weeks is disappeared by itself. I still had some at the top of the tank near the surface around some emersed moss, and that was impossible to get rid of, so I had to end up living with it, and removing as much as I could be bothered to during maintenance.
i think that i'll accept that algae, , i use the toothbrush technic which is a life saver with that kind of algae. I've read somewhere that green type of algae is a sign of good condition tank, red algae sign that something's wrong with water, do you think it's true ?
 
I've read somewhere that green type of algae is a sign of good condition tank, red algae sign that something's wrong with water, do you think it's true ?

It is with some types of thread algae I think, but not so much with other types of green algae like GSA and GDA - they are still indicative or other issues such as lack of nutrients or too much light.

I think we are all just guilty of running too much light, and we all typically run much more light than the plants need, which immediately gives less room for error. The more light we use, the more on point everything else needs to be. BBA is the only algae I've not been able to address over the medium term simply by turning the lights down (given my nutrients are always in some sort of excess).
 
It is with some types of thread algae I think, but not so much with other types of green algae like GSA and GDA - they are still indicative or other issues such as lack of nutrients or too much light.

I think we are all just guilty of running too much light, and we all typically run much more light than the plants need, which immediately gives less room for error. The more light we use, the more on point everything else needs to be. BBA is the only algae I've not been able to address over the medium term simply by turning the lights down (given my nutrients are always in some sort of excess).
i'm guilty of using lots of light, but how to make my rotala orange/red without lots of light, they'll stay green, which is okay but i don't grow it for that =)

Yes using low light is an easiest way to live, which i use in tanks i don't bother that much, so yes the only thing that keep me in high light is plants coloration =)
 
It's far easier to select plants that have the colouration naturally.
sure like ludwigia super red but even for her, she looks way more beautifull under high light, i might be wrong but there is not a lot of plant really red without high light ?
 
Would love to know the fundamental cause, i suspected a co2 issue, i started to see a spot of GSA which is related to PO4 which i dose 2 ppm a week, maybe 2 ppm is not enough, tank is well planted. I decided to boost it to 4 ppm, no change, thread algae still there but no trace of GSA. honestly i'll take that algae instead of bba everyday lol
GTA is high light issue. This is why it is common in outdoor pond. You can eliminate it by dialing down the light, but then you may encounter other algae such as BBA, GDA and GSA that don’t need high light to thrive. I don’t remember ever seeing bba in my window sill bowls and outdoor tubs that are bothered by GTA, yet I’ve never seen GTA in my high tech medium light tanks bothered by GSA and. GDA. .
 
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GTA is high light issue. This is why it is common in outdoor pond. You can eliminate it by dialing down the light, but then you may encounter other algae such as BBA, GDA and GSA that don’t need high light to thrive. I don’t remember ever seeing bba in my window sill bowls and outdoor tubs that are bothered by GTA, yet I’ve never seen GTA in my high tech medium light tanks bothered by GSA and. GDA. .
In a way or another i'll leave a type of algae for another right :)

As long as i can keep BBA at bay i'm glad, i hate that fluffy crazy algae haha

plant biomass will help me reduce the algae to win the battle, i'll count on it. I actually don't hate algae that much, they make me have fun because it's always unique, you won't know when algae's gonna attack, which type, etc. I don't know if i'm the only one that keeping aquarium help to increase my concentration, the only hobby that i'm not tired of, because everything is always new =)
 
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