Green Hair Algae | Causes, Prevention & Algae Removal

Sharing is caring!

52 shares

• Share
• Pin

At Aquariadise, we’ve written dozens of articles on algae, so we know how frustrating algae problems can be!

Green hair algae is one type that fish keepers often complain about, so here we’ve dedicated an entire page to find out what it is, how to get rid of it, and to prevent it from coming back.

Key Takeaways

• Green hair algae is a naturally occurring, yet sometimes problematic algae species that grows in both freshwater and saltwater aquaria.
• There are several ways to tackle a green hair algae outbreak, including improving water quality, reducing light levels, and manual cleaning.
• Algae problems are easier to prevent than to cure! The best strategy to avoid blooms is excellent aquarium maintenance and avoiding direct sunlight.

What is Green Hair Algae?

Green hair algae is a type of green algae that grows in long strings that resemble hair. It’s a common, naturally occurring type of algae in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

Because it grows quickly and thrives in poor water quality, sudden blooms of green hair algae are both problematic and indicative of an underlying aquarium care issue that needs improving.

Is Green Hair Algae Bad?

While green hair algae isn’t toxic, it can adversely affect your aquarium’s appearance and ecosystem if it gets out of hand. Here’s how:

It Looks Ugly

The most obvious reason that you may wish to remain free from green hair algae growth is that it’s unsightly. Nobody wants an aquarium covered from top to bottom in algal growth, so for cosmetic reasons alone, it’s worth keeping it to a minimum.

It Can Smother Plants and Reduce Light Levels

Green hair algae is not fussy about what it grows on. Aquarium glass, gravel, décor, and live plant leaves are all fair game!

When it grows on aquatic plants, green hair algae prevents them from photosynthesizing, slowing their growth rate or even eventually killing them.

In very serious cases, it may even begin to form hairy mats near the water’s surface, preventing sufficient light from reaching the rest of the tank.

It Can Deprive Your Tank of Oxygen

Like other photosynthetic organisms, green hair algae absorbs carbon dioxide and expels oxygen during the daytime.

At night, however, plants and algae reverse this process. If algae becomes too dominant, it can severely lower oxygen levels at night, depriving your fish and aquatic pets of the oxygen they need to survive.

It Can Adversely Affect Water Chemistry

Algal outbreaks can substantially affect aquarium water chemistry. By suddenly removing essential nutrients from the water column, they can adversely affect plant growth.

Sustained algal blooms can also alter the pH of the water, away from the optimum levels for your fish.

It Can Entangle Fish and Invertebrates

The last reason that green hair algae can cause problems is by entangling small fish and invertebrates in its tangly hair.

How To Get Rid of Green Hair Algae

If green hair algae is growing out of control in your aquarium, you need to act fast to reduce it and prevent serious damage to your fish and plants. Here’s how:

Improve Water Quality

The number one reason that algae become a problem in aquariums is poor water quality. Because algae thrive in water with a high level of dissolved nitrates, phosphates, and other nutrients, reducing these elements is the key to reducing and preventing pest algae.

Improving water quality is a subject you can learn more about throughout the Aquariadise website. Here are some of the key points for maintaining high water quality – please click on the links to learn more about each step!

• Test your aquarium’s water at least once a month, or any time you notice anything unusual or problematic in your tank. Once you’ve diagnosed which parameters you need to improve, you can work on the source of the problem more effectively.
• Avoid overfeeding! Overfeeding is one of the greatest causes of poor water quality and fish health issues. Never feed more than your fish can eat within 2 minutes.
• Get yourself a good aquarium filter and clean it every 2-3 weeks.
• Vacuum your substrate every 1-2 weeks.
• Make partial water changes of 15-35% every 1-2 weeks, with treated water of matching temperature.

Remove Algae by Cleaning

If green hair algae is already becoming problematic in your tank, you’ll need to remove it from the various surfaces manually:

Use an algae scraper to remove algae from your aquarium’s sides. Make sure you choose the right type of cleaner according to whether you have a glass or acrylic aquarium.

Rinse your tank décor in warm, chlorinated water. Use a soft brush to remove the worst of the growth. Rinse the items in dechlorinated water before returning them to the tank. Avoid soap as even small amounts are extremely toxic to fish.

Vacuum your gravel to remove algae that’s growing on the substrate.

Gently rub off green hair algae growing on your aquarium plants by hand. If plants are thickly coated, you could also consider an algaecide dip.

Move Your Aquarium Away From Direct Sunlight

There’s an important piece of advice that’s sometimes missed by newcomers to the hobby – that’s to never place your aquarium in direct sunlight.

Since algae are photosynthetic organisms, placing your tank in direct sunlight gives them far more energy to grow and proliferate.

Fish tanks placed in front of a window are extremely prone to algae issues, so if you’ve made this rookie error, place your tank in a darkened corner instead. It will also look more attractive there, glowing under the lighting bulbs.

Reduce Aquarium Lighting Times

In addition to improving water quality and removing algae by hand, you might also want to consider reducing your aquarium lighting hours to further hamper algal growth.

Because green hair algae is photosynthetic, it grows faster when given long lighting hours. Recommendations for the aquarium lighting schedule are normally between 8-12 hours.

Use a timer switch to set your aquarium lights towards the lower end of this schedule, at least until symptoms improve.

How To Prevent Green Hair Algae Issues

Once you’ve dealt with the worst symptoms of your algae bloom, you’ll need to maintain a healthy tank to prevent further outbreaks from occurring.

Maintain Excellent Water Quality

The greatest steps you can take to prevent further algae outbreaks is to maintain a clean tank and keep water quality high. Continue to follow all the steps described above diligently to avoid the problem recurring.

Deploy an Algae Eater To Keep Algae at Bay!

Probably my favorite way to reduce algae is to add fish or invertebrates that love to eat it! Nerite snails and Amano shrimp are two of the best candidates for this job, and don’t multiply in freshwater.

As for freshwater fish, bristlenose plecos are a classic algae eater for tanks of 20 gallons and more, and while some aquarium enthusiasts swear by Siamese algae eaters for green hair algae problems, others have had less success. In saltwater aquariums, consider tangs, blennies, and rabbitfish.

Find out more about the wild world of algae eaters in our dedicated article, here!

Test Your Water Regularly

Your final line of defense against problematic algae outbreaks is to test your water regularly. Get to know your water chemistry so you quickly identify any issues before they become a problem.

In particular, keep an eye on nitrate and phosphate levels and consider more frequent water changes if they get too high.

Additionally, it’s worth testing your tap water to make sure you’re not introducing excessive nutrients when you add more water to your tank.

What Not To Do

It’s worth mentioning here that harsh chemicals are often not particularly effective for treating green hair algae, and they could also severely impact the health of your fish and invertebrates.

Remember that chlorine and soap are both extremely toxic to fish. Even aquarium-safe products often cause imbalances in your tank’s water chemistry, rather than treating the root cause of the issue.

I’d avoid using such chemicals and persevere with the tried and tested simple aquarium management steps that are listed above. Even if it takes some time, these tend to prove to be the most effective methods in the long term.

Conclusion

Green hair algae is a natural component of freshwater and saltwater aquariums, but it can become one of the more troublesome types of algae if it’s allowed to grow excessively.

There are several ways to reduce the amount of green hair algae in your tank, but the most effective strategy is a consistent tank maintenance regime to prevent outbreaks in the first place.

Sharing is caring!

52 shares

• Share
• Pin