# black stringy stuff on rock



## prowler09 (Nov 29, 2007)

a couple weeks ago i had a rock that had a patch of short black stringy stuff on one side of it. it looked wierd so i took it out and put it outside. after a day of sun, it was gone, but i didnt put it back in the tank. now it looks like i got another patch starting up on another rock. i think it might be algae, but all the other algae in the tank is brown and green. water tests fine. what is this stuff? should i get the rocks out of there?
thanks in advance!


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## TheExoticFish.com (Jun 11, 2008)

Sounds like black beard algae. Not many fish eat it.


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## prowler09 (Nov 29, 2007)

black beard algae huh...after looking it up that seems to be the answer. i guess its not bad, just horrible to look at and will over run the tank. i read the only way to get rid of it is to take out all the rocks and clean them, or put in a sae. looks like i got a project this weekend.  thanks for the reply


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

also, dosing with excel is supposed to get rid of it.


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## prowler09 (Nov 29, 2007)

i thought that stuff was suppost to help plants grow, wouldnt that just feed the algae?


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

it does, however it will also kill off some kinds of algae. (although a few kinds of plants are sensitive to it, so may cause them to die back (though their supposed to grow back and not have any problems with it afterwards))


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## Laurel (Jun 17, 2007)

Excel is also an algaecide in high enough doses. It's usually suggested that you turn off your filters and whatnot, and dose the excel onto the algae with a syringe. This high dose occasionally kills some(generally more primitive) plants(they usually melt) but they do grow back. If you have vallisneria in the tank, you're likely to lose quite a few leaves, luckily, it grows quickly, so aside from pulling out dead leaves, you won't notice that it's been destroyed too much.


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## prowler09 (Nov 29, 2007)

i dont have any plants in the tank, so that wont be a problem. but i will try squirting some excell right onto the algae and see if that helps any. thanks!


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## Laurel (Jun 17, 2007)

This link might be helpful. 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae ... ences.html


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## TheExoticFish.com (Jun 11, 2008)

I'm not sure about Excel, but Excel Flourish shouldn't be overdosed.


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## Laurel (Jun 17, 2007)

Flourish Excel is what we're talking about. Spot applying it doesn't overdose the tank. The purpose behind turning off filters and such is to reduce water movement and keep the excel in a high concentration long enough.

This is a fairly proven method and doesn't cause fish fatalities unless administered incorrectly.


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