Jump to content

A guide to algae


Recommended Posts

After chatting with a few people on the weekend regarding algae issues I thought some of you may find this an interesting read

Although it is with reference to planted tanks it is still very informative

http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

It's pretty informative. I thought light plays a factor in the growth of algae too?

Also, I've read some people actually kills off BBA with Seachem flourish, which is liquid substitute for carbon. Does that means carbon can work against algae?

Thanks for posting the link! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kertaz you are right, Excel can be used. At the moment I have reduced the lighting, stopped using ferts, have added Phos-elim and D-nitrate to the filter, adding Excel and am being very careful about the amount of food that goes into the tank. The idea is that the plants will use the available nutrients and the algae will starve. So far it has been working, it is definitely working on Pantene time but it is slowly reducing the amount of algae in the tank. Jo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's pretty informative. I thought light plays a factor in the growth of algae too?

Also, I've read some people actually kills off BBA with Seachem flourish, which is liquid substitute for carbon. Does that means carbon can work against algae?

Thanks for posting the link! :)

I agree that light is also a cause of increased algae growth but an inbalance is most likely still the major cause, but the link is aimed at planted tanks and light is required 8 to 10 hours, but with the correct levels of ferts the lighting should not mater if its a low light or high light tank.

Because of algae I should not have to turn of my lights allthough it can aid in in the control of it I want my lights on 8 to 10 hours a day and with the correct dosing of Co2 and ferts I can maintain my lighting at 8 to 10 hours and longer on weekends.

If you have a tank without plants I am not sure what is done about algae other than live with it and I guess it is hard to starve the algae in a non planted tank if you dont have something that will feed on excess

Ray

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

I swear by UVC's for a bigger tank with lots of stuff and plants and fish I run 39 wats on my 4 foot and I am busy a lot so don't have time for managing anoying problems like algea. Ok it does not and cannot kill algea on surfaces that is already growing there but what it has done for my tank is drastically slow down the spread of any algea outbreak. Since spores and stuff travel through the water to invade other places if it passes through the uvc it kills it and helps break the cycle. If you set the UV up at the start before any algea is present you should have less problems unless you put things in the tank like I do without treating them first. I have had a minor hair/thread algea problem for a while, it just grows along some plants and mosses closer to the surface near the lighting it can take over a tank in a very short time, it hasnt done that in my tank.

I clean it off with a toothbrush now and then. I occasionally get some green spot (the green spot algea actually is not 'algea' it is a little water critter that has calcium shell that feeds on stuff on the glass and surfaces. The algea grows on or under it thats why its hard to clean off. Even that hasn't spread very much at all. I have not done a water change on this tank since setup either since there are only a few tiny fish in it and I'm lazy.

I never check PH or anything, it's mostly a display tank for plants and experimenting with home collected driftwood etc. It has CO2 injection a Co2 monitor that says all that is good, I add extra Co2 in a bottle and fertiliser. The plants are crypts, one tiny anubis, lots of java moss on wood and terracotta, some ferns, some pink baby tears some varieties of rotala the red one macaranda I think Hornwort (said to reduce algea because it sucks a lot of nutrients) some other plants I forget the name of. It also houses a baby ghost knife, a bristnose 2 female betta and a snail. No canister filter, just a powerhead pulling water slowly through 2 sponge filters and then through the UVC and back in at the other end. No oxegen pump because it died and I couldnt be bothered replacing it. 90 wats of fluro built in lighting on probably more than 8 hours a day plus coloured effects light.

Never had green water, lots of tannins from driftwood and only small amounts of hair algea on some surfaces and a few green spots. If I do some water changes, improve the filter and add some more algea eaters I might not have much algea at all. Some algea in a tank is good. If you have plants and some small areas of algea that isnt causing a problem it will help prevent more invasive algea from growing. There just wont be enough nutrients in the water for any new algeas to get a foothold. Starving algea out from the get go is the best way and controlling it with UV and water quality (please do water changes I am just lazy) you shouldn't have a problem. My tank is also not 'heavily' planted. I only put a small amount of baby plants in to grow out. Once they fill out and get bigger I should also have less algea.

I have noticed in other tanks that I use LED lighting on I have virtually no algea at all or only just under the lighting and I leave some of them on 24 hours a day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...