Algae bloom

[Fin35]

So I have a low tech planted 10g tank with a full spectrum light. I didn’t have a problem with algae much before I supplement with a liquid fertilizer for about 3 weeks. I stopped as soon as I noticed the algae bloom. I haven’t used it in 2 months. Weekly I clean out the algae but it’s always back full force at the end of the week making the water cloudy and it just looks and smells nasty! I even reduced the amount of light to 10 hours a day and reduced the brightness. I do have moss and other plants that need light. I have Nerite snails and a mystery but they can’t keep it under control. Adding anything else is not an option as I already have a betta and ember tetras so anything else would be to much for the betta. Any suggestions of what I can do or a product I can add that is safe for snails? Wish I could add shrimp but the betta attacks them.

[Aiken Drum]

10 hours a day lighting for a low tech planted tank is too much. 8 hours is typical.

[earhtmother]

DEFINITELY too much light. Algae blooms don't *usually* make a tank smelly.
Is the water cloudy or green?
What are the water parameters?
What kind of filtration?
What is your water change routine?
What is in the tank for decor?

[Fin35]

Hm, I have a bubble filter in my 10 gallon. Java fern, java moss wall, banana plant, crypts and Anubis. I have black sand substrate and I do a 80% water change every week as well as scrape off the algae from the walls and the plants. It definitely starts to smell towards the end of the week and the algae does not smell good. It’s sort of by the window so how often should I have the grow light on? 4 hours a day? Also it’s adjustable and I’m using 60 percent strength that gradually gets lower as the day goes on. I also have a betta fish, nerite snails, mystery snail and 9 Ember tetras. The water get cloudy towards the end of the week. It always looks nice after a change but the algae comes back quick.

[Aiken Drum]

I think having it by the window is the issue, not how long the light is on. It could be that even if you took the light out altogether you would still be overrun with algae. You will just have to adjust the light timing by trail and error and see if there is a sweetspot where you get good plant growth and minimal algae growth and it could be no matter what you do with the lighting period you will get algae growth. The only options then would be move the tank away from natural light, put in shades/curtains and use them extensively, or accept the algae. Possibly a UV steriliser might help.

[Fin35]

I actually had to move it closer to the window yesterday, it wasn’t there before and I had algae bloom for months. It was the only good spot in our house. I’m going to buy a privacy film so that should block some light and it’s only morning light until the sun moves, it’s indirect. I’ve reduced the light to just 4-5 hours a day now that it is moved,, so we will see! I bought algae fix but then I read reviews about it killing or making fish sick so I’d rather not use it. I never had an algae problem before I dosed with a liquid fertilizer then it’s been hard to get rid of. I also have a java moss wall that I’m trying to grow and apparently they like light so it’s a hard balance. Maybe I’ll just get some duckweed, but I’m not sure I want it all over everything.

[Aiken Drum]

What fertilizer are you using? In addition to my ferts i also started using seachem flourish excel recently and that has cut my algae growth. Partially i think because it is a mild algaecide and also the plant growth (particularly java moss) is much better, so they are taking up more nutrients.

[Fin35]

I’m not using any fertilizer because it caused an algae bloom. It was a liquid fertilizer safe for snails, I forget the name because I threw it away. I only dosed it for 3 weeks before a massive bloom showed up and I figured my low tech plants didn’t need it. I think there is enough nutrients for the plants as the algae bloom suggests. I didn’t have any issues with algae before I used a liquid fertilizer, just normal amounts the nerite snails were able to eat.

[Caliban07]

The only algae I know that smells is actually a bacteria called Cyanobacteria. Bright green.

Sounds like the light was too bright and the tank isn’t fully mature. Ferts in this environment will definitely exacerbate the issue.

[Fin35]

The tank is mature, it’s been running since October, yes the algae is definitely green. Also I’m not sure if it’s normal for a tank to get smelly et the end of the week when it needs a cleaning. There is definitely a lot of poop on there during cleanings.

[Fin35]

I read online that java ferns, and banana plants and java ferns need 12 hours of light a day. I can reduce to 8 but I don’t think they’ll do well with much less.

[Aiken Drum]

All of the plants you have are low light requiring. 6 to 8 hours will be plenty.

[Fin35]

I did this as now my beautiful banana plant with flowers that shot to the top has died. The tubers and the flower has melted. It needs more light. Hard balance between the plant and algae