ijaco
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I've been having a really bad problem with black beard algae. I've had it for about a month now, and it's just gotten worse and worse. It is attached to pretty much all of my swords and ferns, along with the decorations in the tank, and is an inch long in some parts. There is also a lot of short fuzzy green algae, mostly on the glass and some leaves, but that doesn't bother me too much.
It's a 60 gallon tank, 48" long, 12" deep, and 24" high. It has no co2. It is medium planted. I fertilize with root tabs and flourish, but have been cutting back on the flourish because I thought it would help with the algae. I used to do one cap every week after waterchanges, but cut back to only half a cap per week. It suggests one cap per 60 gallons.
For lighting I have a finnex planted+ and the stock lights that came with the hood. In an effort to reduce the algae, I have taken off the stock lights and only kept the planted+ on about 6 hours a day.
None of this has seemed to help! Any ideas what could be causing the problem and how I can get rid of it? I don't think I'm overfeeding, and I've been feeding 5 times a week to try to cut back. The parameters are mostly normal, ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is 30 (I know it's a little high, I did a water change right after). I have an air pump, but haven't been running it in an effort to reduce the algae. Also, I have been doing 50% water changes every 5 days to try to help.
Thanks!!
It's a 60 gallon tank, 48" long, 12" deep, and 24" high. It has no co2. It is medium planted. I fertilize with root tabs and flourish, but have been cutting back on the flourish because I thought it would help with the algae. I used to do one cap every week after waterchanges, but cut back to only half a cap per week. It suggests one cap per 60 gallons.
For lighting I have a finnex planted+ and the stock lights that came with the hood. In an effort to reduce the algae, I have taken off the stock lights and only kept the planted+ on about 6 hours a day.
None of this has seemed to help! Any ideas what could be causing the problem and how I can get rid of it? I don't think I'm overfeeding, and I've been feeding 5 times a week to try to cut back. The parameters are mostly normal, ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is 30 (I know it's a little high, I did a water change right after). I have an air pump, but haven't been running it in an effort to reduce the algae. Also, I have been doing 50% water changes every 5 days to try to help.
Thanks!!