Addressing Algae

[mmckinniss]

I've had a recent unwanted boom in algae growth and on the lookout for creative solutions. What does everyone do to keep their algae in check, aside from merely scraping the glass constantly?

Parameters: 55 gal, low light (12 hrs/day), 1 bushy nose pleco, 2 Platies, 1 golden gourami, 6 Cories. pH, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate all normal.

Thank you!

 

[gilpi]

Lower the hours per day of light.

 

[Old Scales]

Low light on too long, too small or infrequent WC's, and NO3 & PO4 too much for no plants or with plants not enough. That's a brief, skinny description. OS.

 

[Nortzy21]

Lower the daily light periods. Test for phosphate and make sure it's not too high. Maintain a consistent water change schedule about once every 1-2 weeks and remove as much algae manually as you can. RODI units help a ton as I have used RO water in the past. If you have a planted aquarium then consider adding more plants if you can too really soak up the nitrate/P04 levels.

 

[mmckinniss]

Low light on too long, too small or infrequent WC's, and NO3 & PO4 too much for no plants or with plants not enough. That's a brief, skinny description. OS.

Thanks for this. I think I will reduce the light exposure to ~10 hrs, see what happens. I've been doing weekly WC's of ~25%. My tank is not planted, so I haven't been testing for PO4. NO3 levels have been relatively low (~10 ppm).

 

[mmckinniss]

Lower the daily light periods. Test for phosphate and make sure it's not too high. Maintain a consistent water change schedule about once every 1-2 weeks and remove as much algae manually as you can. RODI units help a ton as I have used RO water in the past. If you have a planted aquarium then consider adding more plants if you can too really soak up the nitrate/P04 levels.

Thanks. The tank isn't planted, so I haven't been testing for PO4.

I'm not familiar with RODI units or RO water. Help?

 

[BBradbury]

Controlling Algae

I've had a recent unwanted boom in algae growth and on the lookout for creative solutions. What does everyone do to keep their algae in check, aside from merely scraping the glass constantly?

Parameters: 55 gal, low light (12 hrs/day), 1 bushy nose pleco, 2 Platies, 1 golden gourami, 6 Cories. pH, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate all normal.

Thank you!

Hello mm...

Some algae is natural and a sign you have a healthy tank. Large, frequent water changes will remove phosphates and nitrates that algae needs to grow. Floating plants like Common water weed, Hornwort and Pennywort will use some of the water nutrients and slow the growth of algae. Livebearing fish like your Platys are algae lovers. It's a good supplement to their diet. Ramshorn snails are algae lovers too. They stay small and as long as they have food to eat, they'll stay away from your aquatic plants.

Use some these and as the tank ages, the water chemistry will become more stable and the algae will shrink to a manageable level.

B

 

[Nortzy21]

Thanks. The tank isn't planted, so I haven't been testing for PO4.

I'm not familiar with RODI units or RO water. Help?

An RODI unit is a component that you hook to your faucet to purify tap water. It takes out all the minerals and phosphates so algae growth isn't so encouraged. I used one for my old SW tank and it was very nice but necessary for saltwater. I still have mine but don't know if I will use RO water for my current tank because it's a hassle to make the water as it drips very slowly out of the component.

Check out this link to get an idea of what they are (NOTE: these prices are high)

RO/DI Water Filter Systems

 

[jlk]

Thanks. The tank isn't planted, so I haven't been testing for PO4.

I'm not familiar with RODI units or RO water. Help?

If there are no plants, simply leave your lights off and increase your wcs. The algae issue should resolve itself without a light source fairly quickly. Once it's resolved, stick a minimal light period (@6-8hrs max), preferably divided up into an am light period, a break then a pm light period. Hope this helps!