# Marine Aquariums > Marine Emergency's! >  Oh no Ive got fur algae

## Anne

Has anyone got any Ideas how to get rid of this nasty thick hairy algae, cant seem to get it off the tank sides, its now spread to other stuff in the tank (rocks/ornaments)...tried using a scaper & one of thise magnetic thingys, moved it a bit, where did it come from in the 1st place !

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## Nemo

Moved to Emergency  :Smile:  (Grand Opening of the Emergency Section   :Wink: 

Well to start you off you need a large water change as loads of algae means loads of nutrients are in your tank, Too much light(12hours or more, also depends on how strong the light is)

to remove you can use a toothbrush should come off, have to brush hard if its in coldwater tank.

where did it come from?
Most of the time hair algae comes attached to the plant you purchased.  it
can also come in as some floating fragments in the water that comes with
fish from the pet store.  It may come in attached to the shells of snails.

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## Gary R

A healthy growth of green algae in an established aquarium will happen naturally and is a sign of good water quality and adequate lighting.

But if you had red or brown algae this would indicate that you had poor water-quality and low-light conditions, so you know that your water quality and lighting is ok  :Smile: 

Well to get ride of it you could try a couple of Freshwater shrimps or a couple of snails as both like algae this will help with the control of it, but you would need to get out as much as you can by hand and these would then stand a chance of keeping it under control  :Wink:  

Regards Gary

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## Nemo

Iv had a problem with mines before, the lights were too strong, got hair algea....reduced the light a bit........turned into Green Algea  :Big Grin:

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## Tsia

I didnt know the difference between hair and green algae.. I thought they were the same and hair algae was just an advanced form of green! LOL

I learnt something!! haha

I had green in my tank and after buying my plec I havent had nearly as much.. he loves the stuff!

I have also just cought 2 snails and 2 crabs!

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## Anne

Ok poss too much light...got a good 219 litre tank one of those Aqua One 980 jobs with quite a lot of Tropicals, tried scrubbing the ornaments with a toothbrush...ha ha took all the colour off (get what you pay for)...the algae definately came in on a plant which has now been discarded...Did a 25% water change on Sunday... & sadly lost a fish yesterday (Pinapple servium or festivum...I get mixed up)

I also suffer from high PH , had bad advice when starting up...I liked the look of coral sand the nice pale rocks...was told it woud be fine !! (I dont go to that shop anymore !!) PH is usually 7.5 to 8.0   Took half of the rock out & always add PH down.

Bought a plec..but only eats the algae off one of the rocks (fussy eh)...have 2 lazy housekeepers...they cant shift it either, but I really dont think they are trying...the clown loach had my apple snail for dinner a few months ago !!

hey Im I the first thread in the emergency forum !!

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## dannypacu

i find to get algae off the glass i use one of them green scouring pads (not the ones with soap in them)about 30p from any super market

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## Nemo

:lol:  now if the color from the ornament comes off? then this is not good as it was not designed for fish tank then.  all fish tank ornament must be painted with glossy poly-resin and decorated with fish-safe paint. ...soo paint goes on first then polyresin laquer is sprayed to give it a glossy finish(protecting the paint so it dont come off)

sorry to hear the fish loss but have you checked for ammonia?

Its good clown had the snail for dinner  :Big Grin:  (i dont like snails  :lol: ) do you have any more snails? small ones like trumpet snails, etc. if yes, they are overbreeding and messing with the pH... i had same problem months ago... Destroyed the Snails  :Wink:  Clown Loaches  :Big Grin:

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## Anne

ornaments were bought from the nasty mans fish shop !!   but are proper stuff for the tank
Amonia...is fine
Will try the plastic scourer...would my Aqua One tank be acrylic or glass  as its not got any 'joints' its rather bent around the frame.  I dont have any other snails...

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## Gary R

Just be carefully using scouring pads as they could end up scrathing your glass, this as happened to me with one of my older tanks.

Like i said ann you would be better trying a couple of Freshwater shrimps and see what happens  :Wink:

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