Last updated at 9/2/2022
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Hair alga is a common nuisance in home aquariums, and therefore, one of the most prevalent questions is how to get rid of it. So, after years of experience, I decided to dedicate an entire article explaining how to do that properly.
I will divide this article into two.
First, I will explain how to actively remove hair algae that already occupy your tank. Then, I will share some excellent tips on how to prevent the algae from coming back.
Algae are not the sort of threat you can ignore. Given time, they will overwhelm your tank. Therefore, it is in your fish’s best interests to remove algae from the aquarium using one or more of the following tools and methods:
Instructions:
If all that sounds confusing, here is a great video showing precisely how to do that:
Generally, you don’t have to waste money on sophisticated algae removal tools when you can simply pull the hair algae out of the tank.
It is fairly acceptable to grab the strands and remove the organism from the water with your hands.
Naturally, this approach raises questions about the threat algae poses to your health.
A paper in the National Library of Medicine (Elisa Berdalet, Richard Gowen, Porter Hoagland, Lora E, Fleming, Henrik Enevoldsen, Philip Hess, Stephanie K. Moore, Keith Davidson) explored the dangers algal blooms posed to human health.[1]
But it was primarily concerned with the impact microalgae could have on food supplies and economic activities.
On the other hand, Wolfgang Karl Hofbauer’s paper in Toxins (Journal) highlighted the allergenic and pathogenic consequences of algae on human beings.[2]
Does this make hair algae a threat to anyone that handles the organism with their bare hands? Well, not necessarily.
First of all, a paper in the ‘Harmful Algae’ journal looked at harmful marine algal blooms and concluded algae’s natural phytotoxins become a threat when you ingest them via contaminated food.[3]
You can also inhale them. But aquarists don’t go around eating or inhaling hair algae.
Secondly, you can wear gloves. In fact, this practice is encouraged because it protects fish from bacteria and parasites.
I also recommend getting a toothbrush and twisting the shaft around the strands before pulling the hair algae out.
Better yet, scrub the surfaces in the tank to shake the algae loose before sucking the organism out of the aquarium with a siphon.
These steps won’t matter if you forget to vacuum the gravel, as the algae will quickly return.
For that part, I got the Laifoo Aquarium Siphon Vacuum Cleaner (link to Amazon). This one is pretty affordable and gets the job done.
These are my favorite algae eaters (fish, shrimp, and snails):
Adding algae eaters to the tank is a common approach when dealing with hair algae. Fish species such as mollies, and guppies will make short work of hair algae.
You can also experiment with shrimp species such as Amano, Cherry, and Cardinal shrimp.[4]
But adding algae eaters to the tank is not easy. First, you need a significant number of algae eaters to control a heavy hair algae infestation.
But if you already have fish in the tank, introducing even more fish, shrimp, and snails could lead to overcrowding.
Secondly, can the new creatures co-exist with the pre-existing inhabitants of the tank? Don’t forget that fish are opportunistic eaters that eat whatever fits in their mouths.
Larger fish with an aggressive streak will snack on your shrimp and snails before they can graze on the algae.
What about the conditions in the tank? Can the algae eaters survive the conditions in the aquarium?
Does it make sense to adjust the parameters to suit the algae eaters if it means harming the pre-existing inhabitants of the tank?
You should weigh the pros and cons of adding algae eaters to a tank with a hair algae infestation. You could make things worse in the long run.
Useful info: If you wish to use algae eaters to control the hair algae situation in your tank, here is an article where I listed the best species for this job.
In full disclosure, I am not a big fan of using commercial products to fight algae, and I have never used one before.
Most of the fish owners I know did not find them effective, and in the end, they turned out to be one big waste of money.
However, some may argue that commercial algae killers are effective, especially if you select a brand that attacks hair algae. But you should pay close attention to the ingredients.
Roy P.E Yanong (University of Florida, IFAS Extension) said in a paper that copper is an efficient algae killer, especially copper with a 2+ charge.[5]
This explains the prominence of copper sulfate in algae removal campaigns. However, copper-based products are dangerous to invertebrates.
The wrong product will kill your shrimp, snails, and even live plants. If you’re determined to use copper-based algae killers, follow the instructions carefully.
Manufacturers understand the threat their copper products pose, and the instructions they provide allow aquarists to deploy these products without harming their live plants and invertebrates.
Keep in mind that algae killers produce dead algae, and dead algae can destroy your tank if you permit the organisms to rot.
So even if you managed to kill hair algae with commercial products, make sure to remove them as soon as possible and perform a water change.
As a side note, here’s a video of a guy who tried algae removal tablets that didn’t change anything, even at high doses:
Instructions:
Substances such as nitrates and phosphates encourage hair algae growth. Therefore, you should avoid water sources with high nitrate and phosphate levels.
If tap water is the only water source available to you, send a sample to the lab. You can also ask your water supplier for an analysis of the minerals and toxins in the tap water.
However, a faster solution would be to test the water yourself. For that purpose, I personally use the API Water Test Kit (link to Amazon).
Deploy the appropriate steps to purify the water before you add it to the tank during a water change. People fight high nitrate levels by performing a water change.
But a water change can make things much worse if your water source is corrupted by nitrates. Look for conditioners that neutralize this substance.
If you don’t trust water conditioners, install a reverse osmosis system that strips the tap water of pollutants such as nitrates.[6]
You are better off investing in a reverse osmosis setup for the whole house. But if you don’t want to purify all the tap water, add a reverse osmosis unit to the aquarium.
Instructions:
Plants survive by absorbing carbon dioxide and ejecting oxygen in the presence of light. Low carbon dioxide levels are dangerous because they harm the plants while simultaneously encouraging algae growth.
You won’t kill the algae by elevating carbon dioxide levels. Instead, a higher CO2 content will cause the algae growth to decelerate.
You shouldn’t look at CO2 as a tool that actively harms algae. Overall, higher CO2 levels won’t affect your algae population.
The organism may not thrive, but it will continue to exist in your aquarium.
The plants will appreciate the development because they use CO2, and healthier plants will starve the algae by consuming the excess nutrients,
That is even more prominent if you’ve increased the number of live plants. Add some water pumps and air stones. Find a way to increase agitation at the surface.
Once the bubbles created by the airstone reach the surface, they will break the tension, allowing carbon dioxide to enter the tank.
Instructions:
Overfeeding increases the number of leftovers in the water. Those leftovers elevate the ammonia concentration when they rot.
This is a problem because nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites and nitrates. Algae will thrive in the presence of nitrogenous waste.
You can minimize this waste by reducing overfeeding. Don’t add food simply because your fish are hanging out at the surface.
They are not hungry. Although, that won’t stop them from eating whatever food you introduce to the tank.
If overfeeding is a frequent challenge for you, buy an automatic feeder. It will add the right amount of food at the correct time.
Instructions:
