algae on my java moss (and free floaing)

[aquanoob]

Hi,

I have a 10 gallon tank with:
2 neon tetras, 3 orange lined rasboras, 2 shrimp, and a couple dozen snails(who's ancestors came in with my plants).

The bottom of the tank is about 80% covered with java moss.

Everything had been running smoothly until recently I noticed that algae was coating some parts of the java moss and neither the snails, nor the shrimp, were eating it.

At my last water change (1 week ago) I tried rinsing it off with some success... but now I have green, murky, water and still have algae growing on the java moss.

so, my questions.

Is the algae actually going to hurt anything(i think it won't, my wife thinks it will) or is it purely a cosmetic problem?

How can I get rid of it?
I'm trying to get my tank as close to self maintaining as possible... so a biological solution is more appealing than a chemical one.

My latest test results:
[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="Ammonia"]NH3[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2]/[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="Nitrite"]NO2[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2]/[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="Nitrate"]NO3[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2] 0/0/0
[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="General Hardness"]gh[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2]/[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="Carbonate Hardness"]kh[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2] 60/40
[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="power head or Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, depending on context"]ph[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2] 7.5
[acronym:f0c98ec6d2="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:f0c98ec6d2] 2ppm (calculated)

[czcz]

Add some KNO3 or Flourish Nitrogen to bring nitrates up a little to 10ppm. How much light? Can you describe the algae? Lost my good algae id bookmark...

[aquanoob]

Originally Posted by czcz

Add some KNO3 or Flourish Nitrogen to bring nitrates up a little to 10ppm. How much light? Can you describe the algae? Lost my good algae id bookmark...

lighting is one standard 15 watt bulb, not one specifically for planted tanks.

the algae is dark green and kind of slimy looking (don't know how much that helps)

As far as adding nitrogen... I would rather increase the bioload then add chemical fertilizers. Since my [acronym:0c63a3c2d5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:0c63a3c2d5] is on the low side I think that is an option even though I am pretty close to 10" of fish atm. But when we first got the Java moss it grew like crazy for the first month or so... basically until the Nitrate level bottomed out. Now its growth seems to be more or less keeping pace with the rate at which the snails and shrimp are eating it.
I'm concerned that adding nitrates could cause another stint of explosive growth, now that it's covering most of the bottom of the tank that could be problematic. Of course If this is what I need to do to get rid of the algae thats what I will have to do.

[czcz]

It sounds like cyanobacteria. If it smells and comes off in sheets it is definitely [acronym:255584a77f="Cyanobacteria"]cyano[/acronym:255584a77f]. 0 nitrates is a known cause. You may be able to find KNO3 as Grants or Greenlight stump remover at your local nursery or home improvement store. Around here it is $6/lb and on your 10 a pound will last a long time. As a heads up, it is easier to keep algae away in an understocked tank than an overstocked one -- increasing bioload to solve an algae problem is arguably risky. Keeping nitrates available will increase growth but this is how you defeat algae. Regular trimming increases density. Good luck.

[Simpte]

A 3-4 day blackout will rid yourself of it. Afterwards, do a large waterchange. If you want a more chemical way to kill it, use erthomyacin (spelling?).