Algae

[Bobo8]

This darker algae just got here within the last few days.. How do I get rid of it?
Parameters are ammonia 0
Nitrate 10 nitrite 0
It's a 36 and i do a water change once a week to once every two weeks. I've had the tank for 3 years. Here's a pic
There was some brown algae before but now it's really dark. Almost black. And there's a bit of hair algae as well. Should just trim the leaves and do a good water change? The other plants are fine but there's also some hair on the shells I have. Any ideas would be helpful!

 

[Fishfur]

That's on an anubias leaf in the pic, right ? Not uncommon to see this on slow growers like anubias. Oto cats will clean it off, so will snails. Can be wiped off hard leaves like anubias, but it's tedious to do. If it is a blue green colour, it's not algae, it's cyanobacteria, which is very soft and easy to remove, but can come back if the basic cause is not resolved. I had it for a short time in a new tank but once I cleaned it off the back wall and rinsed out the filter it did not come back.

It may be related to a nutrient issue, either too much or too little of a nutrient, such as phosphates. Or perhaps a change in lighting, old bulbs not producing as much light as they did when they were new, or if you replaced them recently and the old ones were not producing much, the new ones will be providing a lot more light, giving algae more of an advantage.

 

[Bobo8]

Yup it's anibias. I had snails before and they did great but for some reason now they die after like 2 months. And it's not from lack of food or water hardness! I think you could be right about the nutrient imbalance... Hmmmm my light is actually really old. Maybe I will get a new one and try some new snails! Haha

 

[Bobo8]

Oops my spelling sucks. I'm on my phone so sorry for any mistakes I made or am going to make hahaha

 

[Fishfur]

No worries. What kind of snails ?

 

[molliwopp]

Sling some amano shrimp in the tank and your algae will be no more. I believe they are better than any fish for eating algea.

 

[Fishfur]

True enough.. amanos do eat algae. MTS snails are also surprisingly good algae eaters and very hardy as well. Tough little things, though they do reproduce in large numbers, they don't lay eggs. They brood their eggs internally and let the live babies go at the surface at night, periodically, several at a time. Often end up in filters as a result. But if I drop an algae covered rock in for my Otos, the MTS are on it in a heartbeat, and often clean a lot of it off before the poor Otos get a shot.