Hair Algae: The Week After the Diatom

The pH level in my water was around 8.0. This is too alkaline for plants and freshwater fish, it's recommended by most to keep it between 6.5-7.5. Toronto water is fairly alkaline. I did some research on the web and read about pH down chemicals you can add to lower your pH. It was recommended by most people to not use the chemical pH down since there is a high risk it contains phosphate which is what algae thrive on when the plants have had their fill. Click here to read more about that. The alternative to using those chemicals is peat moss for your filter. I didn't follow the alternative and went ahead with the pH down stuff. I added a few drops, way under the required amount each day to make the whole process gradual, it worked, but a few days later I started to see a whole new algae develop on my plants. I'm not 100% sure if thats what sparked this new algae growth, but I went out and bought peat moss for my filter instead.

photograph of Staghorn Algae, Jan 31 '06

I never saw this kind of algae before. I searched the web for a bit and found out after reading a bunch of skewed descriptions the exact kind of algae I had. It's Staghorn Hair Algae.

A good place to identify the kind of algae your experiencing would be here.
The solution to this problem is to add a few Florida Flag Fish.