Here comes the algea!

[kaaikop]

I think I am losing my tank to algea... slowly but surely...
All the parameter were okay, ferts, CO2, water change, etc.

The only thing I suspect, I replace the original neon bulbs on my regular
light ramp (additional to the Coralife units) a couple of week ago, for
two bulbs Hagen Life Glo. Could this be the culprit, the timing seems to
match... I have not changed anything else. Note that these light are
only 2 x 30W, as opposed to the 4 x 96W Coralife so I didn't think it
would make a big difference....

I am putting the old bulbs back at once until I am sure.

 

[travis simonson]

When I first set up my tank (well the first four or five months) I had some serious battles with algae too. I could have all of the parameters set perfectly and still the algae seemed to be winning. A couple of things I found that helped: 1] Doing a series of parital water changes (20-40%) over the course of a few days; this reduces the concentration of free floating algae in the water column and removes water with a high DOC content (dissolved organic carbons) that might have some effect on algal growth (can't say for certain but it really seemed to help); and 2] Cleaning my filters' mechanical media; I found that I could get the tank itself sparkling clean but that the algae would still come back, then I looked at my filters and realized they were simply clogged with algae that they had pulled out of the water; once cleaned the growth of the algae really dropped off.

I can't say if your problems are being caused by the same things I ran into, but I've found that doing what I did can't hurt. Don't give up on your tank, there's always a way to get it figured out

 

[krap101]

burn . okay lol. ive learned that just wiping it off. and the harder algae with a little sand on the towel. i know this'll scratch my tanks but it works well for me and i only have to do it like once a month

 

[czcz]

I'm new, but this is when it gets interesting. When friends or coworkers ask why I spend so much time with my aquarium (mostly fighting and preventing algae), I tell them its fun like golf, and everyone seems to understand. Good luck, man. You have a great tank.

 

[malkore]

and the harder algae with a little sand on the towel. i know this'll scratch my tanks but it works well for me and i only have to do it like once a month

a simple single edge razor blade will remove spot algae (even coralline algae in marine tanks) without scratching the glass one bit.

 

[fishyrican]

Scratching the tank will also create nice grooves for future algae and grime to collect in. This will make it increasingly harder to clean. You will then have to exert more pressure to clean it, in turn creating deeper gouges, etc... You're better off with the razor blade, as Malkore said, or with one of these:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog...16;page=2;sort=;pcid1=3347;pcid2=;breadcrumb=

 

[kaaikop]

Thanks all for the help! it's not on the glass (I use mag-float once a week, does a
great job) it's on some of the plants (ludwigia, lileaopsis, and also starting on the
sag. subulata...) not sure how you call it, looks sort of like the hair that grows on
your leg, but green in this case (beard algea?).
In any case, I am NOT giving up, LOL not after all these efforts!
Right now I cannot do much because my rams have spawned, which is
kinda cool anyway, but when this episode is over, I think I will trim everything
down to the bare minimum... and sort of start over. some of the plants will simply
have to go

 

[hashbaz]

looks sort of like the hair that grows on
your leg, but green in this case

What a coincidence. The hair that grows on my legs IS green - Has been ever they built that nuclear power plant.

Buying the right algae eating fish is not considered the best way to fight algae. But its easy, and if it works, then it works!

I have a little "hairy" algae (beard algae?) on all of my leaves and they seem fine. But you can only seem the algae when you look very close.