Algae control/Flourish Excel/low lights

[Patty1980]

Hi night owls. Back before I realized dwarf hairgrass was not compatible with my lighting I was dosing my 20g weekly with Flourish. Haven't done it since. Now I have lovely brown algae. Pretty much having to wipe leaves off every other week. Is there a correlation? I let my lights run 6-8 hours daily. I did start using API leaf zone the last two weeks also, hoping it helps. Is adding back the Flourish going to help at all?

 

[Mebbid]

What lights and how big of a tank?
How long has the tank been set up?
What is your source of water? City or Well?
What substrate do you use?

Brown algae is typically diatoms. They are common in new tanks and generally feed off of excess silicates in the water. When the excess silicates in the water is consumed by the diatoms they will stop growing as much.

It's plausible that the plants were out competing the algae in part thanks to the flourish excel. In my experience, algae doesn't often grow on leaves that are growing healthily.

Flourish excel also acts as a mild algaecide which could have also hindered the diatoms from growing.

 

[Patty1980]

20g Marineland kit, so stock LEDs. Running since January. City water. 25lb Caribsea fine grain sand. I have Java fern in the substrate and on DW along with an anubia, couple of moss balls. Of course the leaves closest to the lights have it most. Sounds like time will work it out eventually?

 

[Mebbid]

If you were having success with it, I would honestly just start using the excel again. It'll help your plants grow even with the lower light.

It might work itself out, but it might not. It depends on a number of factors.

 

[Patty1980]

I've got it, might as well use it. As long as no one thought it might exacerbate the gunk. Is the best time to dose prior to lights coming on? Can't recall what I read about that. Daily or weekly doses better? Thanks Mebbid.

 

[Mebbid]

I've got it, might as well use it. As long as no one thought it might exacerbate the gunk. Is the best time to dose prior to lights coming on? Can't recall what I read about that. Daily or weekly doses better? Thanks Mebbid.

The excel breaks down in a fairly short amount of time. I would just dose it right before the lights come on daily. Also, skip the big dose on doing a water change, it's just a ploy to get you to buy more.

 

[Patty1980]

Perfect

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hello Pat...

Some algae is beneficial, so don't fret over it. It's a good water filter and supplement to the fishes' diet. It requires food, mostly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These come from dissolved food the fish don't eat and ferts the plants don't use. So, feed and dose sparingly. To control it, keep your lights on a timer for half the normal time, say 6-8 hours and leave it, keep the tank clean with large, weekly water changes and try some nitrate removing filter medium. Acurel has some very good products. I control algae with floating plants like Hornwort and Common Pond weed (Anacharis). Both are better suited to use extra nutrients in the tank water than algae.

Try these and given time, the algae will be manageable.

B

 

[PerfectDepth]

I think it's possibly regular Flourish micro, not excel if it called for a weekly dose. Check the bottle to be sure.

Either way though, as mentioned if you have it why not use it?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

Hello Pat...

Some algae is beneficial, so don't fret over it. It's a good water filter and supplement to the fishes' diet. It requires food, mostly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These come from dissolved food the fish don't eat and ferts the plants don't use. So, feed and dose sparingly. To control it, keep your lights on a timer for half the normal time, say 6-8 hours and leave it, keep the tank clean with large, weekly water changes and try some nitrate removing filter medium. Acurel has some very good products. I control algae with floating plants like Hornwort and Common Pond weed (Anacharis). Both are better suited to use extra nutrients in the tank water than algae.

Try these and given time, the algae will be manageable.

B

So youre suggesting that she reduces the lighting time from 6 to 8 hours down to 6 to 8 hours as well as ignore the algae that's starving out her plants by covering their leaves?

 

[BBradbury]

Controlling Algae

Hello Meb...

Haven't chatted in a while. Actually, since the poster already had the lights on for 6-8 hours, my suggestion was to put them on a timer and leave them. I'm not really a fan of messing with the lighting, my other plants prefer a longer photo period. I suggested reducing the food, since that has worked in my planted tanks and the filter media has also helped. Anacharis will work well, it gives off a mild toxin that most forms of algae don't tolerate, but the chemical makes no difference to other plants. A trick I picked up from a friend who's been keeping planted tanks for a few decades.

Just some suggestions, the poster is welcomed to do whatever she feels is best.

B

 

[Patty1980]

Hello Meb...

Haven't chatted in a while. Actually, since the poster already had the lights on for 6-8 hours, my suggestion was to put them on a timer and leave them. I'm not really a fan of messing with the lighting, my other plants prefer a longer photo period. I suggested reducing the food, since that has worked in my planted tanks and the filter media has also helped. Anacharis will work well, it gives off a mild toxin that most forms of algae don't tolerate, but the chemical makes no difference to other plants. A trick I picked up from a friend who's been keeping planted tanks for a few decades.

Just some suggestions, the poster is welcomed to do whatever she feels is best.

B

Unfortunately, I've tried those plants in particular. They've ended up as expensive fish food. My lights won't keep anacharis alive and any floaters I've attempted, get eaten.

 

[Patty1980]

Algae! Had to sponge clean the ones on the DW. Couldn't see green anymore. Still using Leafzone weekly. Was leaving lights on for 8 but now am cutting back to 6. Stock Marineland LEDS. 20g. Using to keep track of algae growth.