algae just wont go away

[blue_neon]

ok so in september of 2004 i finally got live plants in my little 10 gal tank. there are 4 neon tetras and a male and female guppy in it now and about 5 small plants. and ever since i put the plants in there . i got this dark green algae that just wont go away. i put a pleco in there but that didnt help. i was wondering what kind of fish might eat it or is there something that i could put in there that would kill it(muhahahaha) with out killing the plants?

 

[malkore]

what species of plants?
how much light over the tank?
can you describe the algae more? where is it growing? is it easy to manually remove?


I'd remove teh pleco. No pleco can permanently live in a small 10gallon tank, especially if it's a 'common pleco'.

 

[blue_neon]

i have no clue what kind of plants the are but they grow fast(i have to trim alot to keep them small) . 3 watts per gal.
the algae is a dark green kinda looks the mold the pattern it is growing in and its on the glass and hard as all hell to get off.


and dont worry the pleco isnt in there.. hes happy and healthy in my 29 gal tank

 

[malkore]

.3 watts or 3 watts?
I'm gonna guess it's .3watts.

If its on the glass and hard to remove, it sounds like green spot algae. even healthy planted tanks (like mine) still get this stuff. I clean my glass a couple times a week so it can't build up a thick layer.

Try a razor blade to scrape it of, IF this is a glass tank and not an acrylic one.

 

[travis simonson]

Maintaining PO4 levels of 1.0-1.5 ppm will also do a great job of keeping green dot algae off of your glass (and your Anubias) I wouldn't recommend it without CO2 and good lighting though.

 

[blue_neon]

no its 3... that was a peroid at the end of a sentance.. but any way its staring to grow in my 29 gal too and thats kinda big to be scraping it off with a razor blade...are there any type of fish that might help me keep this beast as bay(29 gal is in the kitchen and my mom is a freak bout it looking perfect)

 

[frog girl]

I would get a few otos if you have hair algae. They like to be in groups so maybe 4 (not sure if that will excede your fish load or not). They won't get the spot algae though. I think you have to fix your nutrient, light, CO2 imbalance unless you want to be after it with a razorblade a lot.

Sounds to me like you have to much light and not enough plants so the algae is just using the light & nutrients to make plants (just not the kind you want). I think maybe you need to reduce the lighting or add CO2 but I will let malakore comment since he knows all about CO2, algae, plants, & lights.

 

[varga1]

has to do with the filter. guy at the store sold me something to put in the filter, forgot what its called but never saw algea again

 

[blue_neon]

varga but will this "something" kill live plants.. thats what im really worried about

 

[sawallace]

There is really not enough information to tell you how to fix your algae problem. Have you had your water tested recently? What kind of lighting do you use? Do you inject co2?

3WPG is considered to be on the med-high side, thus you will have to put in a little extra work to maintain your tank.

The algae type will determine what "critters" will be best since they do not all eat the same types of algae.

I'd stay away from algaecides, since they only mask the problem.

has to do with the filter. guy at the store sold me something to put in the filter, forgot what its called but never saw algea again

Sounds like a phosphate remover pad. Since you have plants, i wouldn't use this either. Phosphate is needed in a planted tank.