Red Cherry shrimp and black hair algae

[shrimper Bob]

Hi to all!
I know my RCS will eat most green and brown algae, Will they eat black hair or bush algae? I had a PH regulating chemical cause a huge phosphate spike in my planted community tank. I have the phosphates under control but I am now dealing with a black hair algae outbreak. I'm considering moving some of the Reds into this tank to help clean up a bit.
Thanks, Bob B

[ToddnBecka]

Very few things will eat that algae, and shrimp aren't on the list.

[badflash]

Before you'll get a handle on the BBA you'll need to get your phosphates and nitrates near 0.

No animal will reliably eat this stuff. Some, if starving may trim it back a little. The hard way is the only good way to deal with it it.

[shrimper Bob]

Thanks for the replies.
I tried an experiment, last night I placed a small piece of anacharis that was covered in black hair algae, in my RCS tank. One berried female began feeding on it, this morning it was picked clean. Hmm, This could be explained in that very little algae grows in this tank so I guess the real thing is always better than an algae tabb. I place a loaded cutting from a corkscrew val in the tank, so far no action on this one. I was hoping I could put these little guys to work!

Bad flash, getting phosphates to 0 is not an easy thing to do since my tap water is around .25ppm. I'm slowly getting back to my original levels .25- .5ppm before the takeover. I'm using removers in the filter. Bottom line is the tank I want algae in has none, the tank I don't want it in is loaded, go figure!
Thanks, Bob B.

[badflash]

If you can't get it to 0, then balance the nitrates to match. BBA grows best when phosphates and nitrates are out of balance.

[shrimper Bob]

thanks badflash, sounds like a plan.
Bob B

[Leonard]

Amano shrimps eats black hair alges.

If you get these you have too low or unstabil CO2 value. To make it right you have to put more CO2 into your water by: lower surface circulation, if you hace pressured CO2 then put on more CO2 into the tank.

Black hair alges don't have much to do with the nitrates, just the level of CO2...

[badflash]

Amano shrimps eats black hair alges.

If you get these you have too low or unstabil CO2 value. To make it right you have to put more CO2 into your water by: lower surface circulation, if you hace pressured CO2 then put on more CO2 into the tank.

Black hair alges don't have much to do with the nitrates, just the level of CO2...

Can you provide some documentation to back that up? I'm not meaniing to be combative, it is just contrary to what I've read and have experienced.

[shrimper Bob]

Want to give an update here on the piece of corkscrew I placed in my RCS tank. After 12 hours most all of the black stuff has gone uneaten. Think I can conclude black hair algae is not a food of choice to the reds.
As far as Amano shrimp go I have already been researching the net to purchase some, don't really care if they eat hair algae or not. They look like a fascinating shrimp.
Bob B.

[shrimper Bob]

One more thing,
I have read that Amano shrimp and Red Cherry eat hair algae but I have not seen the black hair or bush type specifically mentioned. All alga's are not created equal.
thanks Bob B.

[yoink]

Amano shrimps eats black hair alges.

If you get these you have too low or unstabil CO2 value. To make it right you have to put more CO2 into your water by: lower surface circulation, if you hace pressured CO2 then put on more CO2 into the tank.

Black hair alges don't have much to do with the nitrates, just the level of CO2...

I have the same experience. Nothing to back it up except what I have noticed. Too little co2=BBA for me everytime. If I up the co2 and remove what is in the tank or kill it with excel, it doesn't come back.

[badflash]

The Co2 may be a pH effect. Excel adds the nitrates to balance the phosphates.

Here is how I think it works (speculation based on observation). Higher forms of plants need balanced nitrates/phosphates. BBA is opportunistic and moves in when higher level plants can not reduce the available nutrients because they are not balanced. If you add nitrates to balance phosphates, or phosphates to balance nitrates, the plants grow explosively and remove them all and starve the BBA.

[Leonard]

I most have plated tanks and that's what I know things about! =)
I've got lots of BBA couse of uncontrolled CO2 or too low CO2. I've also seen amanos eating black hair alges (BBA).

Seachem Excel kills alges becaouse it contains glutharaldehyd/polyglutharakdehyd. That's a poison, and is used to clean instruments in hospitals, but in higher valvues (3%).
But it's not that much Glutharaldehyd in aquariums. Shrimps, snails, bacterias (incl. filterbac. ! that's not good. My tank have been crashed couse of Excel! ) and alges. Glutharaldehys is a form of carbon/sugar and that's why the plants like it! I think shrimps and other animals wont hurt in recomended doses. I'm trying this right now and it seems to work well so far! It's important to not overdose with shrimps!
This is pure fact!

[Mustafa]

Guys...a shrimp tank is very different from a planted tank. Algae of all kinds *help* and should not be fought. Even if the shrimp don't eat (or visibly eat anyway) some of the algae, they help with water parameters. Trying use planted tank techniques to get rid of algae is just going to cause havoc in your shrimp tank sooner or later. Instead try working on things like adjusting the amount of food etc.. The goal is to have happy and reproducing shrimp. CO2 does *not* factor into that equation except as something that we do *not* want in the tank (we want as much O2 as possible).

Please keep in mind that we are talking about shrimp tanks here when discussing water parameters, algae and everything surrounding that topic.

[pleco_breeder]

Hello all,

Don't mean to sound like I'm disagreeing with anybody, just a bit of clarification. CO2 levels and the amount of O2 in solution are unrelated. The problems with CO2 arrise when levels become elevated. "Elevated" differs depending upon the species because of the differing levels of hemoglobin in the blood.

Physiologically, CO2 binds to hemoglobin at a rate of ~400:1 when compared to O2. The result is O2 uptake by the blood is limited by not having the space to bond and be carried to vital organs. This is commonly known as an "Uptake Inhibitor". It is not the level of CO2 that needs to be worried about, but the ratio to O2.

It may be interesting to know that while I was doing my thesis on this exact topic. I went to a stream in Hawaii to collect water samples and study the introduced pleco populations. In a stream which travels right thru the middle of the University of Hawaii campus, I found a strain of Ancistrus that was absolutely gorgeous and started collecting from this site for my tanks. I REALLY wanted that fish. There was also a strain of shrimp in that stream that I've always thought would have a very strong commercial prospect.

Anyway, I did my collection, and water sampling. It is not uncommon to have elevated levels of CO2 in shallow streams, with heavy algae growth, and being downstream from a waterfall can increase it even more. In this particular stream which met those 3 factors CO2 was over 300 ppm. No aquarist in their right mind would consider putting that much CO2 in their tank. However, O2 was also supersaturated at 11.4 ppm. Temperature was 78 F. Both of these animals which are considered to be "susceptible" to elevated CO2 levels were prospering and very obviously reproducing. The key to their survival in this habitat was that the ratio of of CO2:O2 had not crossed their physiological threshold.

I guess the only lesson to be learned from this as an aquarist is that it is just as important to know how to balance 2 opposing chemicals as it is to know that you need one of them.

Larry Vires