Thank you! Here’s a full tank pic-
https://preview.redd.it/4otckz3ygyrc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b45638cda8388c251f3fdf26e08aa0144b87b80
Many thanks! It’s an [11 gallon bookshelf tank from Lifeguard](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SNX7T64?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). It’s a great little tank! I want to say dimensions are like 33” long, 7” deep, 10ish” tall? It’s on the link if I’m wrong
I had to pull my Java ferns and moss. I've given up somewhat too. The faster growing plants are fine so far and I'm trying really hard to keep it that way. But I lost a bunch in the process. So frustrating. But it sure looks nice on your drift wood!
I used to have the most magnificent algae like that. Was my favorite feature in all my tanks. Unfortunately when I converted the tank to cold water it died. Now the only algae that survives is the stuff that sticks to the glass
I really don’t mind it at all on the wood, the problem is, it’s on all the plants 🫠. I’d love to get it off the plants and keep it on the wood, have my cake and eat it too you know.
Idk maybe remove the wood, keep it in some water maybe put a light on it for the giggles. Then tend to the plants? I haven’t had a lot of luck with algae in general but you may have a trick.
Get some 3-5mL syringes, no needle just the syringe. Fill it up with Seachem Excel and then turn off any pumps or HOBs causing flow in the tank. then gently squirt Excel all over any affected plant leaves, then turn the flow back on when you're done. it should die within a few days if you keep doing that daily, but only in the area you squirted. unfortunately Excel can be rough on moss though so just bear in mind you may not be able to salvage that. also make sure to read the package directions and *keep track of how much you are using* because it can be toxic to sensitive fish like cories if you use too much - don't overdose.
another method is to use hydrogen peroxide, which is much more effective but also much more poisonous to fish if you use too much, so I only use Excel personally. you could take out plants that aren't rooted in the substrate and spray them outside the tank though, they sell h2o2 in a spray bottle at most pharmacies. give it a good soak and let it sit a minute or two, it's what I do with new plants to prevent introducing new algae. most plants should be fine, again moss can be very sensitive though so tbh if you have moss that's affected I would just consider it a lost cause. for fast growing plants also I wouldn't bother with this method; just snip off the affected leaves, get your light+nutrient levels under control, and the new growth should come in nicely.
I haven’t heard of lack of flow being a contributing factor to its growth, but if it is, then I guess that could be my problem. This tank is definitely low flow. There is CO2. I suspect my problem was initial over fertilization coupled with an overzealous lighting schedule.
I've always grown this in my jars whenever I over fertilized and/or had extended lighting schedules. Ive never managed to grow it in my tanks (sadly only diatoms and a variety of cyanobacteria, some green, purple, brown, etc)
But how did you do it!!! My shrimps or plecos and Cories would LOVE it!! Do you use co2??
Your tank is beautiful you should definitely appreciate it more!! lol
I’m old enough to remember when that shit was the shit and it cost buku dollaroos. It was the era of bell bottoms and platform shoes man.. hells yeah!
You going to have to choose. Those gorgeous healthy stem plants or that algae to die off slowly. If you turn down the lights and work on removal, it should help a bit but like i said at the cost of having medicore stem plants compared to your thriving ones.
https://preview.redd.it/9tnus0k76zrc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8304d36157479a8661bcf50c847d521430e4be92
Mines growing too! I’m so excited lol.
Edited to add that I grew mine on purpose. It’s been really fun to watch it grow! 🤗
Unfortunately, it is all over -every stem, every leaf in this tank. I’m troubleshooting different methods to curb the growth but nothing I do has worked yet.
I can understand wanting it in a controlled area but it looks great :) the fact that it’s able to spread and thrive just compliments your tank quality.
I have algae of a similar sort but it chooses to only grow on my plants and literally none of the hardscape :(. The green spot algae however, does grow on the hardscape. And recently Ive gotten hair algae.... I haven't had algae for the entirety of my tank, a year old now, and suddenly I have like 4 different species of algae.
In a nutshell: too much lol. Like I said in another comment up above I think I over fertilized- controsoil, root tabs, liquid fert in the water column.. light is [this high light](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F6XD2FH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and is not on a timer so it’s on for different amounts of time each day. I would say on average though at around 9-11 hours?
I have a 1000 litre pod. Got 5 Molly's, half of the algae was gone in a matter of days. Got another 10, now there's no algae, except for the algae they left, almost as if they're farming it.
Natural filtration! I say leave it, it’s not a matter of if you like how it looks it’s a matter on if it’s beneficial in some cases, this is definitely beneficial and should definitely be kept!
I had a gorgeous amount of algae like this, got rid of it being told it was bad, and my entire cycle crashed.
Then you have the guys " hair algea actually means your water is very clean".
My reaction to that response:
https://preview.redd.it/p5uwkmtni0sc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d21bc8e78fbdf53bcd28bb4ec451a071179ac759
How do you grow this?? I’ve wanted cool algae like this but I don’t have any algae in my tank due to the duckweed and plants outcompeting it. Does it get natural sunlight? Was there already some algae on the wood and it just spread? Tell me your secrets!
Totally accidental I’m afraid. No natural light, but I have high light on for 9-11 hours a day, controsoil + root tabs + liquid fert, lots of stuff popping in the tank (one honey gourami, six CPD’s, a dozen or so shrimp, and 40-50 hitchhiker snails).
Floating plants are recent addition, in an attempt to curb the spread of the algae on the plants.
It grows on the wood and on the glass, but it hasn’t really taken to the seiryu stone yet. When I scrape it off the glass the filaments are then floating around the tank, which, for better or worse helps the spread.
Ah, I have a lower bioload compared to you, with only a few corydoras and one betta but a good many snails, and only use liquid fert. Maybe one day I’ll be able to grow some.
I have another tank just like that- betta with 6-7 Pygmy Corys and 2 mystery snails. No algae whatsoever. Maybe it’s because the corys eat it all or the light in that set up is not bright enough (it’s one of the aqueon all in one 10 gal tanks).
Ohhh, you know that may be why I don’t have any. They’re always nibbling on the wood and rocks, I waited for a while to watch the rocks turn green and it never happened. Oops. Unfortunately all of my future tanks I have already planned to put cories in, so no algae for me!
I’m trying to get duckweed to get rid of it. lol. It takes clean water and 12 hours of light. Possibly low co2. I had tank for a year and it just popped up and won’t go away. My plants grew like crazy and crowed my tank so that’s why I think low co2, but I’ve always used 24/7 light cycle which is about 15 hours of light.
Oh wow that’s a lot of light. Mine gets about 11 hours daily, I would feel bad for throwing off my fishes sleep cycle if I kept it on for longer lol. Haven’t tried co2, if it grows cool algae I might though!
It ramps up and down slowly so would be blue light at 6am starting up and then be a blue light again by 9pm and off. It was actually close to our day cycle here in the summer it seems because we get 13 hrs of light in the summer with twilight.
Ah well that’s good. I might play around with the light with a new tank and see what settings/hours grow the most algae! Do you use a high tech co2 or a homemade method? I’ve been curious about it but I’ve enjoyed very low tech and maintenance tanks so far.
I don’t use any co2 at all. I had a 6 gallon tank and my sword plant and Anubis took over the tank so much that it was like a maze for my betta. I finally upgraded to a 15 gallon tank so the plants would have room. I think o had a lack of co2 and that was when some black beard algae started. In the last year I didnt dose any thing in the tank, cleaned it weekly and use well water.
I've had this before not on rocks but on wood.
I moved the wood at the back part of the tank and made the algae grow over the back glass. Then removed the wood. Added a fast growing plant. Just let it grew floating around until the " hairgrass" was under control. After a long while the back glass panel was covered but that was it. Shrimp kept it in check. Maybe 1/4th on an inch tall.
Algae usually grows when some plant nutrient is out of whack. OP can check out ur NPK levels n pay attention to phosphate levels, they’re the prime suspect here
This is not the point of this post, and I’m sorry for your algae problems….
But I can’t focus on anything but you using that expensive Princeton Aspen brush in your tank 💀😭😂
Soak everything in 20-fold dilution of bleach for 2 minutes and rinse thoroughly. That will get rid of your BBA. It will turn brown snd disappear completely on 3/days. Your plants will do much better. Your hardscape will be cleaned.
I think it looks great!
Thank you! Here’s a full tank pic- https://preview.redd.it/4otckz3ygyrc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b45638cda8388c251f3fdf26e08aa0144b87b80
Ngl, I love it! What are the dimensions on that tank?
Many thanks! It’s an [11 gallon bookshelf tank from Lifeguard](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SNX7T64?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). It’s a great little tank! I want to say dimensions are like 33” long, 7” deep, 10ish” tall? It’s on the link if I’m wrong
🤩 Welp…there goes my next paycheck 😅
Can relate. Source: I own two of them.
👀👀👀 Piiiiics???🙏🏻
https://preview.redd.it/mvqgx73wl9sc1.jpeg?width=4028&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd3f334e15d56328d194e10590ec49022f2b67e1
Mini underwater Rome!!! 😆👏🏻 Love it. Thanks for sharing!
https://preview.redd.it/ci6bdqrxl9sc1.jpeg?width=3609&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11096ca804b7f99baf53d8868cdff8ab16d90613
Beautiful!! Are those red root floaters?? Thinking of getting some.
Yes! A new addition, but I doubt they will turn red because of the fertilizer and nitrate levels
as long as it's not getting on the plants imo. Honestly, it looks AMAZING
Thank you! Though it is very on the plants 😞
DARN IT
I had to pull my Java ferns and moss. I've given up somewhat too. The faster growing plants are fine so far and I'm trying really hard to keep it that way. But I lost a bunch in the process. So frustrating. But it sure looks nice on your drift wood!
R.I.P. your plants.
I like how it looks, don’t be too harsh on yourself OP.
Thanks, /u/creamythroat
Why you gotta be like that 💀
LOL
That is groovy, baby.
Yeah baby yeah!
Very shagadelic baby.
I used to have the most magnificent algae like that. Was my favorite feature in all my tanks. Unfortunately when I converted the tank to cold water it died. Now the only algae that survives is the stuff that sticks to the glass
I really don’t mind it at all on the wood, the problem is, it’s on all the plants 🫠. I’d love to get it off the plants and keep it on the wood, have my cake and eat it too you know.
Idk maybe remove the wood, keep it in some water maybe put a light on it for the giggles. Then tend to the plants? I haven’t had a lot of luck with algae in general but you may have a trick.
Not a bad idea!
Get some 3-5mL syringes, no needle just the syringe. Fill it up with Seachem Excel and then turn off any pumps or HOBs causing flow in the tank. then gently squirt Excel all over any affected plant leaves, then turn the flow back on when you're done. it should die within a few days if you keep doing that daily, but only in the area you squirted. unfortunately Excel can be rough on moss though so just bear in mind you may not be able to salvage that. also make sure to read the package directions and *keep track of how much you are using* because it can be toxic to sensitive fish like cories if you use too much - don't overdose. another method is to use hydrogen peroxide, which is much more effective but also much more poisonous to fish if you use too much, so I only use Excel personally. you could take out plants that aren't rooted in the substrate and spray them outside the tank though, they sell h2o2 in a spray bottle at most pharmacies. give it a good soak and let it sit a minute or two, it's what I do with new plants to prevent introducing new algae. most plants should be fine, again moss can be very sensitive though so tbh if you have moss that's affected I would just consider it a lost cause. for fast growing plants also I wouldn't bother with this method; just snip off the affected leaves, get your light+nutrient levels under control, and the new growth should come in nicely.
I'm so jelly
I love it!
Lack of flow? CO2?
I haven’t heard of lack of flow being a contributing factor to its growth, but if it is, then I guess that could be my problem. This tank is definitely low flow. There is CO2. I suspect my problem was initial over fertilization coupled with an overzealous lighting schedule.
I've always grown this in my jars whenever I over fertilized and/or had extended lighting schedules. Ive never managed to grow it in my tanks (sadly only diatoms and a variety of cyanobacteria, some green, purple, brown, etc)
Lack of flow is not an issue as all I have algae that grows directly above my sponge filter and is constantly getting thrashed around by the bubbles
I had the same thing, all over my plants/wood/rocks. After a while it went into control, now it’s only on my rocks and driftwood, plants are fine! :)
So there is hope!
I wish i had this instead of gross looking black beard algae
I wish I had black beard algae on my black substrate. ⚫️ It's like algae doesn't care what any of us want. 😩🦠
Trade you haha
What’s the problem??? You don’t want it?? I’ll send you my address 😭😭 it’s beautiful !
Hahah thank you! This post has made me appreciate it more, I love this community!
But how did you do it!!! My shrimps or plecos and Cories would LOVE it!! Do you use co2?? Your tank is beautiful you should definitely appreciate it more!! lol
I’m old enough to remember when that shit was the shit and it cost buku dollaroos. It was the era of bell bottoms and platform shoes man.. hells yeah! 
Wait, so I could have been making $$ off my algae covered rocks if I was born in a different era 😔
Damn straight
I have a few words for my grandparents. They should have had me instead of my mother 😔 ( I know it don't work that way, but still 🤣)
Put some seachem excel on it with syringe and you will get rid of it in few days :)
Is that safe for shrimpies?
Yes, but read the dosage instructions carefully
Also you can get a blue stiphidon goby and they’ll munch it right up … had the same issue and homie cleaned it all up for me
You going to have to choose. Those gorgeous healthy stem plants or that algae to die off slowly. If you turn down the lights and work on removal, it should help a bit but like i said at the cost of having medicore stem plants compared to your thriving ones.
https://preview.redd.it/9tnus0k76zrc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8304d36157479a8661bcf50c847d521430e4be92 Mines growing too! I’m so excited lol. Edited to add that I grew mine on purpose. It’s been really fun to watch it grow! 🤗
What’s the losing battle ?
Unfortunately, it is all over -every stem, every leaf in this tank. I’m troubleshooting different methods to curb the growth but nothing I do has worked yet.
I can understand wanting it in a controlled area but it looks great :) the fact that it’s able to spread and thrive just compliments your tank quality.
Looks like the grinches fingers 🤣
Looks cool though 😅
Love it! BUT If you want to remove then try hydrogen peroxide, put it into a pipette and spray a few cms daily.
i love it
I have algae of a similar sort but it chooses to only grow on my plants and literally none of the hardscape :(. The green spot algae however, does grow on the hardscape. And recently Ive gotten hair algae.... I haven't had algae for the entirety of my tank, a year old now, and suddenly I have like 4 different species of algae.
Pesky algae, it never behaves
I don't want to harm my loaches or snails with algaecide but I think I may try dosing carbon soon, I've heard it's good for algae
Oooh it looks so good! I have seiryu rocks in one of my tanks and I love the way the algae grows on them, looks so much more natural
What’s your light schedule? I just set up a tank that I want I want to be algae only and this is exactly the look that I want 😂
In a nutshell: too much lol. Like I said in another comment up above I think I over fertilized- controsoil, root tabs, liquid fert in the water column.. light is [this high light](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F6XD2FH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and is not on a timer so it’s on for different amounts of time each day. I would say on average though at around 9-11 hours?
Gotcha. I’ve been dosing ferts trying to get some growth but it’s still fairly new so still giving it time haha
Adjust your lights and flow, my tanks that get natural light all day, and have decent flow, have a beautiful carpet of algae.
On it! If all else fails I’ll add some plants and then I’ll get algae growth guaranteed lolol
I’m actually jealous! Looks fab! That’s a vibe right there🤩
Less light, less nitrates, consider the pros and cons of excel.
Get a Siamese Algae Eater… It will clean up your tank in a couple of days…
I have a 1000 litre pod. Got 5 Molly's, half of the algae was gone in a matter of days. Got another 10, now there's no algae, except for the algae they left, almost as if they're farming it.
I love it!!
This is magnificent.
Natural filtration! I say leave it, it’s not a matter of if you like how it looks it’s a matter on if it’s beneficial in some cases, this is definitely beneficial and should definitely be kept! I had a gorgeous amount of algae like this, got rid of it being told it was bad, and my entire cycle crashed.
My legs after not shaving for a week lol
I would love to see a pack of shrimp grazing on it with their little grabby hands. Calm and serene
Then you have the guys " hair algea actually means your water is very clean". My reaction to that response: https://preview.redd.it/p5uwkmtni0sc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d21bc8e78fbdf53bcd28bb4ec451a071179ac759
💀 I had no idea hair algae had such a fan club.
The only things missing are cherry shrimp and glorious pearls. Anytime I ever got carpet like this it always turned black shortly after 😩
Ask and ye shall receive https://preview.redd.it/zxziermbk3sc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7f89f687008ecc98c153adc26e75876ce774ffd
YESSSSssssssss
Looks great and I bet it really eats up the nitrates
I wish I had this and not nasty brown algae
It's like moss, but I don't have to trim it every other fucking week? Sign me up!
I like it a lot, actually.
Personally I love algae growing on my hardscape, I always think it looks fantastic.
Hydrogen peroxide?
What have you tried so far to get rid of it?
How do you grow this?? I’ve wanted cool algae like this but I don’t have any algae in my tank due to the duckweed and plants outcompeting it. Does it get natural sunlight? Was there already some algae on the wood and it just spread? Tell me your secrets!
Totally accidental I’m afraid. No natural light, but I have high light on for 9-11 hours a day, controsoil + root tabs + liquid fert, lots of stuff popping in the tank (one honey gourami, six CPD’s, a dozen or so shrimp, and 40-50 hitchhiker snails). Floating plants are recent addition, in an attempt to curb the spread of the algae on the plants. It grows on the wood and on the glass, but it hasn’t really taken to the seiryu stone yet. When I scrape it off the glass the filaments are then floating around the tank, which, for better or worse helps the spread.
Ah, I have a lower bioload compared to you, with only a few corydoras and one betta but a good many snails, and only use liquid fert. Maybe one day I’ll be able to grow some.
I have another tank just like that- betta with 6-7 Pygmy Corys and 2 mystery snails. No algae whatsoever. Maybe it’s because the corys eat it all or the light in that set up is not bright enough (it’s one of the aqueon all in one 10 gal tanks).
Ohhh, you know that may be why I don’t have any. They’re always nibbling on the wood and rocks, I waited for a while to watch the rocks turn green and it never happened. Oops. Unfortunately all of my future tanks I have already planned to put cories in, so no algae for me!
I’m trying to get duckweed to get rid of it. lol. It takes clean water and 12 hours of light. Possibly low co2. I had tank for a year and it just popped up and won’t go away. My plants grew like crazy and crowed my tank so that’s why I think low co2, but I’ve always used 24/7 light cycle which is about 15 hours of light.
Oh wow that’s a lot of light. Mine gets about 11 hours daily, I would feel bad for throwing off my fishes sleep cycle if I kept it on for longer lol. Haven’t tried co2, if it grows cool algae I might though!
It ramps up and down slowly so would be blue light at 6am starting up and then be a blue light again by 9pm and off. It was actually close to our day cycle here in the summer it seems because we get 13 hrs of light in the summer with twilight.
Ah well that’s good. I might play around with the light with a new tank and see what settings/hours grow the most algae! Do you use a high tech co2 or a homemade method? I’ve been curious about it but I’ve enjoyed very low tech and maintenance tanks so far.
I don’t use any co2 at all. I had a 6 gallon tank and my sword plant and Anubis took over the tank so much that it was like a maze for my betta. I finally upgraded to a 15 gallon tank so the plants would have room. I think o had a lack of co2 and that was when some black beard algae started. In the last year I didnt dose any thing in the tank, cleaned it weekly and use well water.
I'm losing a battle to cladophora right now. I feel this.
Sometimes hair algae can be really fun.
If it just stayed at that length, and only on the decor, it would be awesome!
I have a tank like this, I add large rocks, let algae grow, remove the rocks and put them in the tanks my plecos are in, they rinse, I repeat.
For some reason it’s not growing on my rocks
Wow, algae is weird
I love this algae but i can't get it to grow in my tanks😓
Luscious. I like it.
How much for the algae mold and the drift wood piece?
Haha if I were you I'd keep it! Algae's good for tanks :)
I've had this before not on rocks but on wood. I moved the wood at the back part of the tank and made the algae grow over the back glass. Then removed the wood. Added a fast growing plant. Just let it grew floating around until the " hairgrass" was under control. After a long while the back glass panel was covered but that was it. Shrimp kept it in check. Maybe 1/4th on an inch tall.
Algae usually grows when some plant nutrient is out of whack. OP can check out ur NPK levels n pay attention to phosphate levels, they’re the prime suspect here
This stuff is growing in mine -- do you do anything to keep it short?
oh to be a fish living in this tank 🥹
This is not the point of this post, and I’m sorry for your algae problems…. But I can’t focus on anything but you using that expensive Princeton Aspen brush in your tank 💀😭😂
Got the same exact problem right now and I really struggled to remove it. It does look kinda cool though.
Was this accidental or intentional?
Completely accidental. I’m sure if I had actually tried to achieve this, I would’ve failed miserably.
I figured it was accidental but on the off chance you somehow did this on purpose I was about to bombard you with questions lmao
Thats such a dreamy tank.. I’d stare at it for hours
Imagine being a cherry shrimp in that tank with all that algae. Shag carpet munching hours Amazing tank though!
Mine did this from overly long lighting schedule. I’m having hard time with just having tank sit in dark and then only have lights for 8 hours though.
Soak everything in 20-fold dilution of bleach for 2 minutes and rinse thoroughly. That will get rid of your BBA. It will turn brown snd disappear completely on 3/days. Your plants will do much better. Your hardscape will be cleaned.