Algae Control: Brown Diatoms and Green Hair Algae

Here's a "Before and After" video about my Native Tank. I'm doing a large water change to remove the accumulated tannins (Tannic acid) in my 125 gallon Native Aquarium, but this will add a lot of dissolved silicates to the tank. The diatom algae uses the silica to build shells. I'm also battling Spirogyra (green Hair Algae / Maiden's Tresses). Nutrients, lighting, stocking density, and other factors play a role in algal growth in any aquarium.
I created this video with the KZbin Video Editor (kzbin.info)

[@GavinSteiner]

Wow. What a fantastic video. Your depth of knowledge and the way you communicate are exactly what I’ve been looking for in Aquarist focused videos. I’m looking forward to viewing many more.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Thanks!

[@RSIEverywhere]

Interesting, and very helpful! I've continuously had diatoms continue to pop up on my slow growers and hardscape in a few of my tanks. It didn't even occur to me that silicates were remaining in my tanks even being established for awhile, and that they were also being reintroduced through water changes... Think I'll be running my new water through some Phosguard before my big water change in a few days. Thanks for the info!

[@d.p.kfishaquariums8825]

yay a another good topic 2 the algae I been dealing with this week and man it's hard to get rid off

[@Moaely]

i really enjoy watching your videos because i learn a lot. just wana say keep it up!

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy!

[@craigwoodhull3028]

Woody's Discus (FB) I have found that water flow ( wave maker) works great on diatom algae. Also my Discus love to play in the current.

[@DJ_LittlePea]

I think I've finally got my hair algae under control I haven't had to go in the tank with the toothbrush for 2 days now so I'm super happy .... your crayfish are gonna look great in here dan 🤗

[@SUPERMAN-pn7dm]

Ive got grreen algae growing on the underside of my ball bag. Aka the bollocks area

[@cristianrodriguezminero7873]

Explained very well

[@d.p.kfishaquariums8825]

yeah nitrate does cause it I have been doing water changes as recommended

[@SirenSeaAquariums]

another awesome video. very helpful

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Thanks!

[@amcluesent]

I had to break-down a community tank due to uncontrollable algae. My approach now is 1) daily dose with gluteraldehyde, 2) lights on a timer, 3) 9W UV in canister 4) ottos in tank 5) all plants are in pots so I can take out to separately give ferts; 6) gravel vac every other day to remove nutrients with 10% water change

[@drmscaper5878]

in my opinion, the problem with those algae probably because of the excessive lighting thus combined with less of aquatic plants

[@The_Scriggles]

love the vids my man. I'm a HUGE gourami fan, which is how I found your channel and I've been watching ever since. keep up the quality. Also I'm curious, would you still recommend the sun sun even after all the issues? I'm looking for an affordable canister filter and that one has a very attractive price tag.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Yes, I would still recommend it. Just remember about the UV light, and you should be ok. They aren't the best quality, but the are definitely worth the money.

[@julianmorgan8454]

Having had ongoing problems with diatoms myself I did a lot of researching and found the information provided by the UKAPS (UK Aquatic Plant Society) forum far and away the most practically helpful and authoritative, not least because those posting combine keeping stunning tanks with breeding a wide range of very rare and sensitive fish species, with being professional biologists. They have been extremely helpful over the last few years and especially in the sense of myth-busting many of the more commonplace "facts" that tend to get spread about the aquarium hobby. One such "fact" is that diatoms are "caused" by silicates in the water. (My thanks to Clive and DW1305) This is compared to saying that excessive nitrates can be caused by bubbling nitrogen gas containing air through an air stone into a tank. Most people would accept that this is nonsense, but its kinda believable nonsense if you don't have a very basic grasp of chemistry. Likewise with the silicates that occur universally in the glass our aquariums are made from, the sand or gravel or clay based substrate and aqua-soils etc. are totally insoluble. Diatoms are so incredibly efficient at extracting the very specific orthosilicic acid (H4SiO4) they need, that you will NEVER adequately remove sufficient amounts from your water supply - no matter how infrequent your water changes - to inhibit their development. This is why the silicate/phosphate removing "treatments" in the context of freshwater aquaria (marine is totally different) are just snake-oil. It may therefore SEEM to be a logical argument that more water changes equals more diatoms because you're providing more silicates, but these were never the limiting factor to begin with so providing more doesn't change anything. If it did then all those guys with auto-water change set ups in their 100+ tank fish rooms would be cleaning off diatoms non-stop forever! My hunch is that in doing such thorough manual cleaning with H2O2 you may be unintentionally killing off a significant percentage of beneficial bacteria on substrate and hardscape every time you do a water change. Its all well and good thinking of it as an "anti-algae" measure, but in reality its a potent anti-microbial via oxidation and that includes every critter small enough to be affected. In other words you may be just continually disturbing the formation of the established bacterial colonies you ultimately want? As always when we're dealing with complex eco-systems no matter how much we might want simple solutions, the reality is that multiple factors are involved. Typically with diatoms this is too much light combined with either new or recently disturbed bacterial eco-systems. This is why diatom outbreaks are so common in newly established tanks and frequently just go away after a while: but similarly if you do a major rescape of even a very long established tank you can get a diatom break out. My problems occurred with a long established tank after I moved house and took the opportunity to give the empty tank a "good clean"!! Personally I would say my diatoms are nearly totally gone and very noticeably - and very abruptly stopped re-establishing themselves so quickly after a thorough manual clean-up (no chemicals - just elbow grease!)- by simply reducing the light intensity. N.B. Not the photo-period - hitting a tank with far too much light for even as little two hours a day won't solve the problem. Hope that helps someone else - it drove me mad for weeks!

[@reconmodelsvaughn469]

Julian Morgan thanks for the help .you are right on

[@fishrrelaxing9361]

Julian Morgan in all your research the one thing you failed to actually research is why peroxide kills algae but not other living things. Algae is a very basic organism. The peroxide bonds an extra oxygen molecule which breaks down their outer cell walls and kills them by essentially drowning them. The peroxide is then safely removed as oxygen bubbling out of the tank or conversion to water. It doesn’t have the ability to modify more complex cell organisms such as plants or bacteria. The true cause of algae 99.9%of the time is lack of nutrients. Including diatoms. Everyone thinks algae is from excessive nutrients. In a non planted tank this can be true sometimes mostly with green water but most times algae is only an issue in planted tanks. The reason is the plants are using up nutrients but don’t have enough to use all of it which leaves just the right mix for algae growth. Plants and algae compete for the same nutrients. Why then many would ask is algae such an issue in a planted tank then if the plants are competing with them for nutrients but not as much an issue in fish only where there is always excessive nutrients of every type. Because there are certain nutrients that the plants use which keep algae at bay. This is also why diatoms are an issue normally in (new tanks) cause the tank is new it doesn’t have a build up of extra nutrients yet. All that said the best solution is carbon dosing your plants. 9/10 times the limiting factor preventing plants from using up all the nutrients in a tank is lack of co2 in the tank. Now this in itself can create issues as well. If you’re plants use too much grow growing to fast it leaves the tank deficient in nitrates or phosphates which results a lot of times in bba or bga. Comprehensive fertilization in a properly co2 injected tank will almost always be algae free other then a little hair algae to wipe of the glass occasionally like one would in a high nutrient fish only tank. I don’t know where this concept of algae is a result of too many nutrients came from but it’s far from reality and 180* opposite of the truth. I have 200g tanks full of silica sand, massive air stones, full of big fish that I over feed all the time with nothing but rocks (more silicates) doing massive water changes of 70+% weekly with nitrates and phosphates so high you can’t even read them with over the counter test kits. No light timers as I like to see my fish with very rich vibrate lights that run when I wake up at 5am till I go to bed at 11pm 7 day’s a week. Never once have I ever had any algae in any of these tanks other then the light dusting on the glass that can never be avoided that I take care of about once a month with a light scrub before water change. The most nutrient and silica rich setups around and zero algae ever even when the tanks were brand new. Now take that to the flip side. I have many low tech planted tanks with medium lighting in very specific spectrums no co2 only dose macro and micro mixed fertilizers, use light timers for 8-10h a day lighting in rooms with heavy curtains away from any kind of natural lighting or even lamps. I fight algae constantly of all types in these tanks with low silica substrates. Then there is my high tech co2 injected tanks with very complex plants in slow growing and fast growing types. Heavy over dosing of every fertilizer you can buy, clay based substrates that are extremely high in silica topped with yet more silica sand, and again almost no algae to be found anywhere. A little hair algae here and there on some slow growers which is common especially in heavy planted tanks where good circulation is hard to have but never enough I have to do anything about it. I’m no biologist or scientist but the proof is in the pudding. I can’t say what nutrient excess prevents what algae from growing but clearly there is something each algae needs removed from a tank or in low enough numbers before it can grow. Low tech planted tanks are a breeding ground for algae as they can completely remove one nutrient but leave another which then allows that algae to take hold. That algae may thrive in that one left over nutrient that’s now in excess but it first needed another removed before it could even exist. You ask any well know and well respected planted tank expert what they do when they see algae and they will all tell you they increase co2 and increase fertilizers.

[@gaijillahimself908]

So to prevent brown algae in my new tanks, should I add ferts initially? Before the algae gets a chance to grow?

[@Thisisnotmyrealname8]

For what it's worth I appreciate your comment and the other know-it-all in the thread. Both provided a lot of food for thought.

[@Thisisnotmyrealname8]

Fish R Relaxing , I agree fish are relaxing. Hey, I wonder if you have any input on this idea. What if instead of CO2 injection you increased livestock? Now, I would guess that the amount or frequency of water changes would have to increase, but do you see any major road block to that, assuming that the fish are nonetheless happy with it, because that seems like an acceptable trade off to getting rid of algae. Or would this simply entail way more fish than I'm thinking?

[@anthonypope8429]

Hi I have had them in my tanks my Siamese fighter loved eating them

[@Jstroman221]

If your water supply is high in silicates and other tds, is it better to continue to do increased water changes? Bc the alternative is to not to increased water changes but then your nitrates and tds still rise and continue to feed the diatoms? Thoughts please.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

I don't think excess silicates will cause the diatom growth as much as excess nutrients would, so I'd lean towards more water changes, and less feeding.

[@jgambs6395]

Great video with great information! What kind of siphon/gravel vac were you using?

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

I don't know the brand. Probably Aqueon.

[@ryanyoung1520]

Hey Dan, I just received my figure 8 puffer and it is pacing the glass. Is this bad? I just got it about an hour ago so I'm not too sure. Maybe I'm just freaking out. and also when do I start feeding him? If you could provide me any information about the puffer that would be great as well. Thanks!

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Pacing the glass can be a sign of distress or even boredom, but since you just put it in, I'd turn the lights down low, and let it settle in over night. You can put a snail or two in there to see if he eats them. If not, they'll get eaten eventually.

[@ryanyoung1520]

ok thank you

[@bluefish7809]

can we kill diatom with antibiotics like eritromycin, which is effectivly used to cope with blue-green algea?

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

No. Diatoms are algae. Antibiotics kill bacteria. "blue/green algae" is actually cyanobacteria, not algae.

[@ericjones9664]

Hello sorry but what type of rock is in the tank?

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

The kind I found in my yard. I have no idea what type of rock it is, but it's non reactive, so it doesn't affect my pH.

[@Sector001ked]

What about a couple of Apple snails for your cleanup crew?

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

I may get some in the spring.

[@The_Scriggles]

Dan Hiteshew nerites are the diatom eaters in my experience. apple snails are bottom sitters that clean up fish food and waste.

[@epicx1038]

hi I never had algae in my tank is that bad

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

No. Most people would love to be able to say that. Lol

[@epicx1038]

Dan Hiteshew haha i didn't know that well at least something good is happening cause lately its been only bad news

[@sk88rat]

Watching your videos (I'm a sub), I like your approach to things (as well as how well you describe things and break them down). I know you've dealt with more problems having more tanks/fish than I have, and you've likely researched more than I have, so I respect your opinion on the matter- so I'm curious if you've tried treating an algae problem with increasing your Co2 (I'm fairly certain you use it on all your tanks, no?), or tried killing algae with Flourish Excel, and what your experience was with it. I'm having a diatom issue in a newer tank and taking the Excel route with the addition of a few otto's. I considered using the hydrogen peroxide for a few days, but decided against it.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

I actually don't inject CO2 into any of my tank. They are all low-tech. I tried using the excel method when I was fairly new, but I didn't stay on any kind of schedule and eventually stopped messing with it. (I still have a gallon jug of it). In my experience, treating the whole tank with H2O2 isn't worth it. I spray exposed surfaces, but you still need to know how much you're putting in the tank or you can have a really bad day. Is your tank new? (within 6 months old) Try small, but frequent water changes, and let the Otos work their magic. You may find that's plenty to keep on top of it. Rubber Lip plecos stay small and give you a lot of scraping power too.

[@sk88rat]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah, the tank in question is only up for a month now. I get it with every tank, but some outgrow the outbreak with proper cleanup and luck, other fail. I'll try the smaller more frequent water change method on top of what I'm doing now with Excel and oto cats. I'm also happy to see you DO NOT use Co2 and go low tech, as that's the approach I'm going and your tanks look great.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

sk88rat Your issues will probably sort themselves out in a few months. Be patient. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mV6ZmHqqmseLm6s

[@sk88rat]

Excellent, thank you. Until now, I had mostly only seen your "around the world tour" update videos plus a few specific videos addressing plants/fish and habits. You have really good content, I'm happy to have found your channel.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

sk88rat I'm glad you enjoy.

[@quickphotography3792]

what would u put in a 36 gallon tank

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

There's a lot of fish that can work in a 36. I'd need to know water hardness, pH, etc. Angelfish would look good. I love Gouramis, of course. Thee's countless schooling Tetras and rasboras. I always like Cory cats and Rubber Lip plecos. Otocinclus are good cleaners too.

[@quickphotography3792]

Dan Hiteshew could I have a keyhole cichlid, 6 neon or cardinal Tetras and 5 cherry barbs and a couple of ortocinculas and rubbernose pleco

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

poke city collectors I don't see why not. That should be fine in a 36.

[@quickphotography3792]

Yh

[@quickphotography3792]

What would be the smallest tank to keep them in

[@MrCoffee303]

Have you tried PhosGuard?

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

No, I haven't.

[@MrCoffee303]

Ya, I was having a ton of diatoms in one of my young tanks, the phosguard from Seachem did a pretty good job in helping me 'manage' the issue... it did not take the problem away completely but it did mitigate the spread by depriving the water of silicates and phosphates. Just a thought :)

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

Yuji Ogura Thanks. I'll keep it in mind.