Fishingforfish
Aquarium Advice Activist
To reduce or prevent algae, you need to have a good balance between lights, ferts, and CO2. Leaving one of those components out often leads to algae growth.
Have you considered DIY CO2? It is really inexpensive and easy to setup. The pic below shows the same tank after introducing DIY CO2. Notable is the dwarf sag at the front of the tank. I was getting slow growth with weekly ferts (Seachem Flourish Comp), daily Excel, and monthly root tabs. The light is a Finnex Fuegray. After 6 weeks the dwarf sag has taken off. The Bacopa caroliniana will reach the surface in a week or two after cutting it down to half the tank height.
Wow, that is one big difference! I've heard of DIY CO2 but never really read up on it.