Copper treatment for brush algae? Any experience?

I've mentioned this red "brush" algae before and I have removed most of it from my tank so that it's not an eyesore anymore, but I'm afraid it will grow back. I've done quite a bit of reading on this algae and I seem to have two options. One is the Siamese algae eater fish and the other is copper. I would like to have these fish but my gars will eat them, so now I'm thinking about copper. I read that I will probably want to remove all my fish for the treatment period which I can do, but I'm getting differing opinions on using copper to kill this algae. Does anyone have experience with copper treatments? The water has no elevated levels of toxins which contribute to most kinds of algae growth, and the tank is not in the sun, but has high quality VHO and power compact fluorescent lights on about 10 hours a day. I have a pleco, but it doesn't seem to be able to keep it in check. I want a medication that will kill it and or advice on using copper as a treatment. Thank you in advance. Suspect

i have never used copper so can't give you an opinion that sorry. I noticed my pleco could't quite keep up here in my tank so i went out and picked up 2 blue mystery snails in the hope they would be able to keep the algae in check which they have and that they would lay eggs for my ropefish to eat baby snails when they hatch and that hasn't happened yet. Oh well still hoping but at least i have no algae problem.

Yea, snails are one option I'm hoping will do the job. I've got to find some of those rams horn snails. They're good cleaners and I used to have thousands of them, but then my clown loaches ate them all. The loaches are in another tank so I should be able to get these snails going again.

there is a petstore here in calgary that sells them for feeding to fish. check the stores in your area. someone might have them.

I have about 3 or 4 different kinds in small numbers in my other tanks, but I've been putting a few into my 100 gallon here and there and they don't take hold. Now since I've cleaned so thoroughly and have the water perfect maybe they will.

Just scrape it off and suck it out, that always works for me.
_________________
I have been keeping aquariums most of my life. I have kept both fresh and salt water, cichlids, catfish, loaches, clownfish, wrasses, and everything in between. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Visit my blog at http://fgaquarium.blogspot.com/