Treatment advice

[emi-chan]

i'm going to treat my tank for hair algae and the instructions say to remove the carbon filter media. it also says to treat the tank once a week for 4 weeks... i was wondering when i put the filter media back in after i've treated the tank. does it mean i leave the carbon filter media out for 4 weeks?

[Diana]

No, you do not need to leave the carbon out the whole time. However, I run all may tanks without carbon, so it won't hurt anything if you just slip it for a while.

What are you treating with?

[emi-chan]

let me see... 'Interpet - Anti Hair Algae'

[Diana]

Do you know what the active ingredient is?

[emi-chan]

ah crap, the bottle's downstairs and i cant get it cause i'm in bed... i shall tell you in the morning if thats ok?

[emi-chan]

the bottle doesn't say the ingredients. all ot says is 'new active ingredient'. it doesn't tell you what it is...

[Diana]

I have seen that before with products from the UK. No ingredients listed, so there is no way anyone can offer any more advise, or even help in case of emergency.

Do some research and see if you can find out what is really in there.

I googled for a while, and I am not sure I like the looks of their product line-up. Too many products aimed at non-issues, and no real clarity of what the product really is or does.

[emi-chan]

well what i decided to do was to replace some of my plants (theyd been demolished anyway) and take out anything with loads of algae on and give it a scrub (in tank water). i'd rather remove excess algae by hand than use a product i'm not 100% happy with.

[Diana]

That is the safer way to do this.
What are the conditions in the tank with respect to the plants? Are you adding CO2, fertilizer, and what is the light schedule?

[emi-chan]

i dont add fertiliser or anything like that...
i turn the lights on in the tank whenever it get dark enough so thinking about it, since its winter, the lights are on longer, so algae will grow more...i didnt think of that...maybe i'll turn lights off a bit earlier...

[PASoracco]

i dont add fertiliser or anything like that...
i turn the lights on in the tank whenever it get dark enough so thinking about it, since its winter, the lights are on longer, so algae will grow more...i didnt think of that...maybe i'll turn lights off a bit earlier...

get a timer for the lights if you can; your plants and fish will both appreciate the regular light cycle.

[Diana]

Aquarium plants need a certain balance between fertilizer, CO2 and light. When their needs are not met algae (many species) can move in.

A planted tank is not just as simple as adding plants to a fish tank. The plants need good light (Better than is commonly used over aquariums)
Fertilizer- Fish food can supply a lot of the fertilizers, but not all. And sometimes not in the right ratios for the plants.
CO2 is produced by the fish, but does not linger in the water very well, if there is surface agitation. There are other sources of CO2, such as if you are using soil as the substrate.

[JonasBygdemo]

get a timer for the lights if you can; your plants and fish will both appreciate the regular light cycle.

I agree. Also if you're gone for the night, you don't have to worry about the lights being on the whole night.

[emi-chan]

i turn the lights off when i go to bed anyway. i'll deffinately look into getting a timer.