UGGGGH!!!! Tired of this algae!

[mackdaddy81]

So I corrected my nutrient problem, I am decreasing my lighting, and I just got a new kind of algae. It is brown algae and it is on the lower leaves of my wisteria, some of my gravel, and my microsword and java fern. I leave my lights on for about 12 hours a day. My nitrate levels were about 15ppm and my phosphate was 0.5ppm. Since I noticed the algae I raised these numbers up to 20 and 1 ppm. I don't get what I am doing wrong. After initially correcting my nutrients, I dipped my plants in hydrogen peroxide to kill the old algae. I didn't dip my anachris, but it still had a bad reaction and died. Now about a week later I am getting this brown algae and some green spot algae on the sides of the tank. Can somone help me figure out what I am doing wrong? I am really confused and frustrated.


Thanks!

 

[fort384]

Mack,

First of all, keep in mind that you are always going to have some algae in a planted tank. I know you see pictures of everyone's beautiful tanks on here and wonder where you are going wrong but trust me - there is algae in those tanks. It requires regular maintenance to keep it in check.

That being said, there are still some things to look at with your tank.

1. What are your CO2 levels?

2. What kind of light do you have (spectrum and wattage)

3. I would consider reducing your photoperiod to ~10 hrs per day. 12 hours is a long time.

4. Does the tank get any direct sunlight?

The answer to those questions will give you a good start to finding the problem, if there is one.

 

[mackdaddy81]

My Co2 levels are about 25ppm. I have 4 CF 6500K bulbs over the tank, 2 20 watt and 2 15 watt. The tank rarely gets direct sunlight. I have it by a window, but the window has black out curtains on it so no sunlight comes in.


I understand that there will always be some algae in the tank, but this came on so fast and it seems like it is multiplying too rapidly. I just want to make sure that I have done everthing right, and then if the algae persists I will just have to spend extra time cleaning.


Thanks for the fast reply.

 

[fort384]

Sorry Mack, I know we have talked before, but how big is your tank again?

How are your plants looking besides the algae... i.e. are you getting healthy looking new leaves/growth? If not, that could be an indication that there is still and imbalance, and you are missing something. The better your plants are growing, the less algae you will have.

What kind of CO2 are you using, DIY or pressurized? Also, unless you are using a pH controller, your pH levels will fluctuate. So 25 ppm, is that in morning, in the evening, or what? I think you could bump up to 30-50 ppm and that could further help with algae control... especially if done in combination with reducing your photperiod a bit.

Also, do you have any algae eaters in your tank? Siamese Algae Eaters and Amano shrimp are good choices (depending on what other fish you have in the tank) to help you control algae. Both will eat brown algae. My shrimp and SAEs are always busy cleaning away. They are especially good at cleaning off plant leaves.

 

[joy13]

Sounds like diatom algae, it is annoying as all get out. Mine disappears in a couple of week without me doing anything to the tank, it is usually a newly started up tank.

 

[Purrbox]

Can you describe the brown algae more? Does it brush of easily or is it difficult to remove without damaging the plant?

The GSA is a sign that your Phosphates are still too low. Try bumping them to 2ppm and you should see a reduction in the spread of the GSA.

 

[mackdaddy81]

My tank is a 29 gallon and the algae is hard to remove from the plant leaves. My plants seem like they are still growing good, but so does the algae. My Co2 is DIY and use one 2 liter bottle with a little over a teaspoon of yeast and about 2 1/2 cups of sugar. When I checked my KH and PH it is was at about 5:00 pm.

 

[fort384]

Also consider adding a second mixture bottle to your diy system. Then you can stagger the mixture changes, creating a more constant co2 output. This will also help you bump up the concentration a bit. The magic number for my tank was over 30 ppm. Above that level with balanced macro's, I experience very manageable algae growth.

 

[JustOneMore20]

If the tank is fairly new, its probably diatom algae which will have to go away on its own. Its annoying for sure, but we all deal with it for a few months.

 

[Purrbox]

Sounds like BBA, which is very common with DIY CO2. When you have varying levels of CO2 below 30ppm, BBA tends to thrive. As was already suggested switching to multiple bottles for your CO2 generation will allow you to stagger when you change out the mix and give you steadier levels.

 

[mackdaddy81]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I made another diy co2 bottle and hooked it with my other bottle to the airstone. Hopefully that will help.