Help! Algae!

[cassandra87]

I have an algae problem that's gotten a wee bit out of control. I don't have a lot of experience with aquariums.

I have a 20 Gallon high lightly planted tank. Current denizens are 2 amano shrimp, 5 bloodfin tetra, a pleco (purchased to stem the algae issue, worked for a while...) and a variable number of nuisance snails I seem to be constantly removing. The substrate is mostly gravel, although theres some fluval stratum around the base of some of the plants. I change 5 gallons out every 7-12 days. I have a 24 W full spectrum light. I was previously keeping the light on 12 hours, because my plants have only ever done so-so, and my light is relatively low power for a planted tank, but I've since dialed that back in hopes of tackling the algae problem.

There are two issues. First, a green, impossible to remove, algae on the glass. The sponge-on-a-stick scraper does virtually nothing. It doesn't exactly look like the pictures I've seen of spot algae.

Second, there is short, fuzzy green algae on all the plants, which I think all need to be removed and replaced because the algae is killing them. There doesn't seem to be much hope of scraping that algae off the leaves either. There's also algae on the gravel, particularly where the plants are planted where I can't vacuum.

I've read a lot of articles about algae control, and they are confusing - I don't know whether to add more plants, less pants, fertilize, remove phosphates, turn the light down or up or what.

Any help would be most appreciated!

 

[goatnad]

Drop your light to 6-8 hours a day and you might want to look into a split light cycle. 3-4 on, 3-4 off, 3-4 on. More plants is always good. Pictures would help.

 

[cassandra87]

Pictures

Here are a few pictures, two more in the next reply

 

[cassandra87]

And a few more. Will that low light kill my plants? Should I take out the algae covered ones and put in plastic until I can order more live ones?

 

[cassandra87]

Also I have no idea what the whitish wormy thing stuck on the driftwood is. Today is the first day I’ve seen that.

 

[Barliman]

Drop your light to 6-8 hours a day and you might want to look into a split light cycle. 3-4 on, 3-4 off, 3-4 on. More plants is always good. Pictures would help.

Endorsed. I've done this and it's helped to control algae.


cassandra87: The problem is that the existing plants aren't absorbing nutrients fast enough to out-compete the algae. Are you using any sort of fertilizer for your plants? Flourish Comprehensive is good, plus root tabs for your root feeders. I'd also suggest weekly 50% water changes to remove excess nutrients.



The algae on the glass will probably need a safety razor or some other blade to remove. As for the green fuzz on the plants, that just wiped out my alternanthera reinickii before I learned to control the algae. You might try trimming off the worst leaves.

 

[cassandra87]

Thank you so much!

- I've cut the light down to 8 hours
- Got a magnetic algae brush for the tank that actually worked great.
- Ordered some new low light plants, since I think many of mine are done for. Will put those in as soon as I can rinse and soak them.
- I did use root tabs before, although they didn't seem all that helpful in making the plants look healthy, although I suppose algae wasn't as much of a problem. I'll do the flourish too. I was a little confused with "nutrients" - I thought fertilizing would just feed the algae, but I guess the algae is more dependent on the nitrates from the fish waste - do I have that right?
- when I put in the new plants, I'm planning on replacing the filter (not the medium, just the mechanical bits) because this one is starting to wear out, and I'll scrub the algae off the heater as well. Should I try to do anything about the algae on the driftwood or gravel?

Thank you!

 

[ZxC]

Thank you so much!

- I've cut the light down to 8 hours

- Got a magnetic algae brush for the tank that actually worked great.
- Ordered some new low light plants, since I think many of mine are done for. Will put those in as soon as I can rinse and soak them.
- I did use root tabs before, although they didn't seem all that helpful in making the plants look healthy, although I suppose algae wasn't as much of a problem. I'll do the flourish too. I was a little confused with "nutrients" - I thought fertilizing would just feed the algae, but I guess the algae is more dependent on the nitrates from the fish waste - do I have that right?
- when I put in the new plants, I'm planning on replacing the filter (not the medium, just the mechanical bits) because this one is starting to wear out, and I'll scrub the algae off the heater as well. Should I try to do anything about the algae on the driftwood or gravel?

Thank you!

Drop lights down to 5-6 hours a day.
What root tabs did you use?
Flourish Comprehensive only contains micro nutrients, no NO3, PO4 or K that plants need the most of.
Algae thrives off of ammonia and carbohydrates that struggling plants release. NO3 does not cause algae, nor does nutrients (within reason). Get the plants growing well and the algae will begin to subdue.
You can disturb / clean the gravel to rid if of some algae, you can also take the driftwood out and scrub it, or apply some H2O2 to it to kill the algae.