Blacking out a tank to kill off hair algae?

Rob Mathews

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How much darkness kills off hair algae?

I've got a 300g inwall display that is OVER RUN with hair algae. I've blacked out the front with a single sheet of parchment (except for a small corner of macro I like) and the back side has curtains pulled over it. It's been closed up for a week with only a slight noticable improvement. How black (dark) does it have to be?

Thanks,

L.R.

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Dom

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How much darkness kills off hair algae?

I've got a 300g inwall display that is OVER RUN with hair algae. I've blacked out the front with a single sheet of parchment (except for a small corner of macro I like) and the back side has curtains pulled over it. It's been closed up for a week with only a slight noticable improvement. How black (dark) does it have to be?

Thanks,

L.R.

Darkness by itself doesn't "kill off" hair algae.

I would suggest manual removal and siphon off free floating material via a water change.

Is that new, dry rock in the tank? If so, did you cycle it before placing it in the tank?
 
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Rob Mathews

Rob Mathews

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Darkness by itself doesn't "kill off" hair algae.

I would suggest manual removal and siphon off free floating material via a water change.

Is that new, dry rock in the tank? If so, did you cycle it before placing it in the tank?
Not new rock, it was cycled for 5 months in trash cans and was in the prior display for 13 years before that.

L.R.
 

Waters

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Yeah, definitely don't rely on darkness to kill hair algae. I had hair algae covered live rock in a brute can for months with nothing more than a couple of minutes each day of ambient room lighting and the hair algae actually grew. It sat in complete darkness for 99% of the day.
 

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