algae on my horses

[thealy]

My seahorses are starting to get green algae on them. Is that normal? I've had them for almost two months now. They are a mated Kuda pair. Parameters as follows:

PH 8.0
NO3 - 0
Ca - 350
PO4 - .1
Ammonia - 0
NO2 - 0
Alk - 2.74 meg/l
7.7 dkh

 

[whatnot45]

totaly normal

 

[thealy]

phew!! lol should I try to rub it off or just leave it be?

 

[whatnot45]

leave it be seahorses acctually encourage algea growth on their skin. If its ugly, you could try to rub it off, but its up to you.

 

[JennyL]

You don't want to rub the skin, you will stress your horses and possibly injure the skin.

If you want to remove the algae, you can take something like a soft artist brush, makeup brush (never used) and gently brush it off. Another way is to take a turkey baster and gently squirt some water across the horse to loosen the algae.

 

[BruceW]

A toothbrush designed for babies works well. They are very soft and have a handle so easy to work with. Be careful around the eyes, gills etc.

Bruce