Aquarium sand growing grass?

Acewood · 09/22/2013, 03:14 PM

I work overseas and today my wife sends me a picture of the aquarium and the sand looks like it is growing grass and even our snails have long strands of what looks to be grass growing on them, is this a bad thing and if so how do we rid the tank of this?

danimallaminad · 09/22/2013, 03:23 PM

Probably hair algae. A picture would really help

AB1002 · 09/22/2013, 03:26 PM

I thought for sure this tank was in Colorado

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TheLastPolarBea · 09/22/2013, 06:11 PM

Most likely green hair algae. Water quality is important. If you can, use RO/DI water for water changes and top offs. Also, you can shorten your light cycle. Hair algae thrives off of light. Ask her how much she's feeding the tank as well. A few weeks ago, my 5 year old dumped a whole can of sinking pellet food in the tank. I had one heck of a hair algae outbreak. All over EVERYTHING. I turned the lights off for 3 days along with crazy water changes and got rid of 90% of it.

Acewood · 09/23/2013, 11:55 AM

Not sure if these pics posted right but here goes a shot at it

gregandamanda · 09/23/2013, 01:18 PM

That is green hair algae have her cut the light cycle down by two hours every three days until you reach only a six hour period also is the tank by a window? What kind of water is your wife using for top off and wcs it should at the very least be RO water RO/DI would be even better. Also sometimes turbo snails will eat the hair algae I won't say always because that would come back to bite me in the butt. Lol

Acewood · 09/23/2013, 01:55 PM

Thanks for the info, ya it is by a huge window and she uses RO water for top off. I will have her cycle the lights back and we are going to be getting some hermits and gobies to help maintain now that there is food for them to live on, seeing how this is a less then 5 month old tank we have alot to learn we are in the process of reading up on it from multiple sources. Thanks again everyone.

09/22/2013, 03:14 PM	#1
Acewood Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3	Aquarium sand growing grass? I work overseas and today my wife sends me a picture of the aquarium and the sand looks like it is growing grass and even our snails have long strands of what looks to be grass growing on them, is this a bad thing and if so how do we rid the tank of this?

09/22/2013, 03:23 PM	#2
danimallaminad Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 436	Probably hair algae. A picture would really help

09/22/2013, 03:26 PM	#3
AB1002 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 65	I thought for sure this tank was in Colorado .

09/22/2013, 06:11 PM	#4
TheLastPolarBea Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 27	Most likely green hair algae. Water quality is important. If you can, use RO/DI water for water changes and top offs. Also, you can shorten your light cycle. Hair algae thrives off of light. Ask her how much she's feeding the tank as well. A few weeks ago, my 5 year old dumped a whole can of sinking pellet food in the tank. I had one heck of a hair algae outbreak. All over EVERYTHING. I turned the lights off for 3 days along with crazy water changes and got rid of 90% of it.

09/23/2013, 01:18 PM	#6
gregandamanda Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 104	That is green hair algae have her cut the light cycle down by two hours every three days until you reach only a six hour period also is the tank by a window? What kind of water is your wife using for top off and wcs it should at the very least be RO water RO/DI would be even better. Also sometimes turbo snails will eat the hair algae I won't say always because that would come back to bite me in the butt. Lol

09/23/2013, 01:55 PM	#7
Acewood Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3	Thanks for the info, ya it is by a huge window and she uses RO water for top off. I will have her cycle the lights back and we are going to be getting some hermits and gobies to help maintain now that there is food for them to live on, seeing how this is a less then 5 month old tank we have alot to learn we are in the process of reading up on it from multiple sources. Thanks again everyone.