Mystery algae?

[evansbradley]

This algae is over running my tank. How do I get rid of it? I've limited the amount of time the light is on and the amount of food/how often they are fed.


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[ScotJudd]

It's hard to tell from the picture but my guess would be Black Beard Algae.
I had outbreaks of it before my plants established and took over the tank. I used Excel (Glut) to spot treat small areas at a time. The BBA turns red in 24 hrs and then dissolves. But the worst affected leaves I removed.
I have a heavily planted tank and use Excel daily to give the plants an extra carbon source and as Excel also contains an algaecide the BBA has not come back.
This didn't happen overnight, it takes weeks to slowly edge the BBA out of your tank. More plants will help to absorb more of the water born nutrients and thus deprive the algae.
I have my lights on 13 hours a day and no algae.


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[evansbradley]

Awesome, I'll give that shot!! Thank you so much for your help!


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[Mebbid]

Theres a trifecta to algae control. Its a balancing act between lights, ferts, and carbon. If any of these are out of whack it can cause algae growth.

What are you using for ferts?
What light fixture do you have?
How long are you running your lights?

In short, if your nutrient levels are too low then the plants can't grow because they lack the nutrients. Algae requires a much smaller amount of nutrients to grow than plants do so it allows them to take hold and start growing over the plants. Co2 has this same effect.

If your lights are too powerful and are on for too long it will also spur the growth of algae.

 

[evansbradley]

Theres a trifecta to algae control. Its a balancing act between lights, ferts, and carbon. If any of these are out of whack it can cause algae growth.

What are you using for ferts?
What light fixture do you have?
How long are you running your lights?

In short, if your nutrient levels are too low then the plants can't grow because they lack the nutrients. Algae requires a much smaller amount of nutrients to grow than plants do so it allows them to take hold and start growing over the plants. Co2 has this same effect.

If your lights are too powerful and are on for too long it will also spur the growth of algae.

I currently use no frets besides Eco Complete substrate. I have a low light set up (18 watts for 10 gallons) that runs about 8-10 hours a day


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