Help algae

[fonze]

I have all of a sudden had an increase in algae in my tank both green and brown and was wondering what's the best way to deal with it? Someone advised me to get real plants but I'm not sure what to get and if it will work so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fort384]

Tell us about your tank:

Ammonia?
Nitrites?
Nitrates?
pH?
Temp?
Type/intensity of lighting?
Photoperiod?
Livestock?
Size of tank?
Does it get any natural sunlight?
Are you adding any chemical additives?
Has anything changed in the tank since you noticed the algae increase?
How long has the tank been established?
What kind of algae is it? Hair? Black Brush? Diatoms? Spot?

All of this info will help people give you some suggestions on how to fix the issue.

While adding plants can take up excess nutrients, providing an environment suitable for plants also means you are providing conditions suitable for algae growth, so it doesn't always help or fix an algae issue.

 

[fonze]

The tank is a juwel korall 60litres with a bio flow mini filter and a fluval u2 filter, the nitrites are 0 the nitrate is 10 and amonia is 0 the tank has been cycled for about a month temperature is 25 celcius. It doesn't get any direct sunlight and the light in the hood is juwel twin light p5. I also have an air stone in one corner, the stock is 6 harlequin, 4 dalmation Molly, 4 black phantom tetra, 3 dwarf blue neon rainbow, 2 bristle nose catfish. All the stock are infant at the moment and I am hoping to increase my tank size soon. I have only had the tank 2 months and I am completely new to the hobby. I used the calculator on the internet and now realise I am about 50% over stocked- sorry

 

[fort384]

How long per day are you running the lights?

Can you describe the type of algae you are seeing?

It does appear as if you are overstocked which can contribute to algae issues, but I am more concerned with your lighting schedule.

 

[fonze]

The algae is both green and brown not sure if the green is hair algae. The lights are on of an evening for about five hours I don't tend to have then on during the day when I am at work

 

[fort384]

Ok. Try reducing that back to a couple hours a day while you are overstocked. How often are you doing water changes?

The brown algae is common in new tanks and will often go away after a few months.

 

[fonze]

I am changing about one third of the water weekly

 

[fort384]

Ok that ought to be sufficient. I would recommend manual removal using a brush/tweezers/fingers, and reduce the lighting as much as practicable until you can solve the overstock issue.

 

[fonze]

Thank you for your help