Different algae in 4 month tank

[Sanfranman]

hello. I have a 55 G freshwater aquarium, that's been set up about 4 months now. I have always had the brown algae on the inside of the glass. But now there is other algae growing everywhere, that looks like "hair". The light is on about 12 to 14 hours a day. Is this algae bad to have, and is it because I have the white on too much? I do not know the specs on the light bulb.

 

[Rivercats]

The brown algae is diatoms which is normal in new set ups. It will eventually run it's course and go away. Nerite snails are great for diatoms and can't breed in freshwater. The other sounds like hair algae. You need to cut your lights down to 6 hours a day until the algae clears up. Also what are your nitrate levels? Excess nutrients can also contribute to the algae. Do you have live plants?

 

[Sanfranman]

Thanks for the reply. Yes...I do have a few live plants. And you say nitrates promotes this growth?

 

[Rivercats]

In a planted tank nitrates should be 10-20ppm and phosphates .5-1.0ppm. Too much nutrients, excess food, too much light, and other factors can all contribute to algae growth. Excess nitrates can contribute to algae growth. Also does your tank have adequate water movement? Your plants should lightly sway.

 

[BBradbury]

Algae Problem

hello. I have a 55 G freshwater aquarium, that's been set up about 4 months now. I have always had the brown algae on the inside of the glass. But now there is other algae growing everywhere, that looks like "hair". The light is on about 12 to 14 hours a day. Is this algae bad to have, and is it because I have the white on too much? I do not know the specs on the light bulb.

Hello San...

Algae grows in a healthy tank and especially in new tanks where the water, plants and fish are still working together to make the water chemistry stable. I wouldn't fret over the algae problem yet. It takes months for the water properties to level out.

What you can do, is to keep the tank water pure, by doing large, weekly water changes. Keep the food to a minimum and introduce a good number of planted and floating plants. Plants are natural water filters and help keep the fish calm and comfortable.

Aquarium plants are tropical and used to long hours of daylight. I keep my tank lights on timers set for 12 hours on and 12 off.

Set up and follow a sound tank management routine. If you take good care of the water, then you'll guarantee safe water conditions for your fish and plants. Some algae is very good for the tank. It helps purify the water and is a good supplement to your fishes' diet.

B

 

[Rivercats]

Without a significant amount of floating cover to cut down alot of the light getting down to the plants 12 hours of light will encourage algae growth. I have a very heavily planted tank, 95% substrate coverage right now and I can only run my lights 6 hours or algae starts to become an issue. I do 50% WC's weekly and don't overfeed. I also do not have any floating plants as I grow most plants that require high light. Every tank is different and therefore have different requirements. Adding more plants especially ones like water sprite, wisteria, and fast growing stem plants like ambulia, anarchais, cabomba, and others will actually help by absorbing more nutrients from the water thus helping to outcompete algae for those nutrients.