Hairy things

[TinkerBell]

There is something hairy growing on my driftwood. It's brown/grey, mostly grey. What is it? :?: :?: :?:

[ladyjai]

a form of algae:

beard algae (most likely)
brush/red algae
hair algae
staghorn algae

[Komar]

There are only two critters that I know of which eat bearded or brush/red algae (I believe that these are two very similar types of algae):

1. Amano Shrimp: (a.k.a. Algae-Eating Shrimp) I have no experience keeping these shrimp, so I'm not sure how effective they are. Hair algae, I think, is what they eat most.

2. Siamese Algae Eaters (SAEs): These guys work wonders. I have one in a 20 gallon tank, and five in a 45 gallon tank. I got them when I had similar algae growing in my aquarium.

Here's a link, though do a Google search and you'll find plenty more info online:

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/wild/algae_eater_siamese.htm#top2

If you have a planted tank, you'll probably have to prune the plants to help get rid of it. This algae can devastate live plants. If your tank is unplanted, then this algae probably isn't serious (just unsightly).

Take out any other decorations (ie. driftwood) that have this algae and scrub it off.

[TinkerBell]

It's a planted tank.

I found this picture of a pink SAE:
http://direktori.o-fish.com/data/505/1Siamese_algae_eater1.jpg

Why is it pink? I think it's very cute compared to the ordinary SAE:s on all the other pictures. Is it a special kind of SAE, or can I give it an ordinary SAE some special food to make it pink or is it just the environment?

[Komar]

I think the SAE only looks pink because of the lighting in the tank, or possibly because of the camera flash. I could be wrong, but I don't think that the pink hue is natural.

[TinkerBell]

Too bad. It looked so beautiful....