How to manage / remove algae (varius types) ?

[jordzcov]

Hi,

My tank seems to be a bit invested with different types of mold including:
- A green sludge type that forms on the glass just above substrate
- Black hair like algae forming on some of the plants ( black beard algae i believe?)
- A greenish fuzz growing on the tank ornament
- A black 'film'/ gunk on the tank ornament


Tank light is only on from about 8:30am - 3:30pm (7 hours)
I give the ornament a clean in the extracted tank water during a water change each week to try and remove the algae, but it just returns.
I also tried manualy removing the black beard algae with my hands from the plant, but it would multiply and grow to quickly to fully remove.

I also use this plant food, which i think is meant to help prevent algae growth.
https://www.jbl.de/en/products/detail/2343/jbl-proflora-ferropol-24?country=us

 

[Jacky12]

I had similar problems. I pulled the plants out & rinsed them under running tap water. I read dipping for a few seconds in diluted bleach helps. It didn’t help me, may be I was too aggressive. So I salvaged what I could & moved some to a 10 G sick plant tank. Some improved & some croaked. I did big water changes and scrubbed the tank decor. Not long after I was overran by snails from eggs on new plants at the LFS. I’m done with plants except my lovely silk ficus vines and a few tall plastic ones needed for shelter for certain fish.

Does your tank get much ambient light from the windows? That’s what did in my most heavily planted tank. I now keep the blinds drawn by some tanks.

 

[Colin_T]

There's no such thing as a plant fertiliser that inhibits algae growth. Algae are simple forms of plants and any fertiliser designed for plants will feed algae.

Algae grows anywhere there is water and light. If you have algae problems, it's normally caused from excess light or excess nutrients or not enough plants to use the light and nutrients. If there are lots of higher forms of plants (like aquarium plants), the algae won't do as well. However, if there isn't many plants in the aquarium, then algae will grow instead.

The first picture is blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). It is a photosynthetic bacteria that has been around since the Earth had water. It loves nutrients, low oxygen levels and red light. The easiest way to control it is by reducing fertiliser and fish food, doing big daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate for a couple of weeks. Make sure there is an equal amount of red, blue, green and white light.

The second picture appears to have black filamentous algae on the plants.

The third picture has either green filamentous algae or a bleach/ faded black filamentous algae. It's pretty pale and that usually means it's not doing well.

The forth picture appears to be a green brush algae and should be easy to wash off the ornament.

All the filamentous algae love nutrients and regularly grow in dirty tanks and tanks they get too much fertiliser. Considering the variety of unwanted growth in the tank, I would stop using fertiliser for a few weeks and do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for at least a week. This will reduce the nutrients and food for the algae. Then start adding fertiliser again but monitor the algae and if it grows back, reduce the fertiliser a bit.

If you can post a picture of the entire tank, it might provide more information on how many plants you have. Some plants like Ambulia and Hygrophila polysperma will close their leaves up when they have had enough light. They close the leaves closest to the light and gradually work down the plant. If you have these plants in the tank, you can wait an hour after they close the first set of leaves, and then turn the lights off or right down.

When plants get really bright light, they produce little bubbles they flow out of some of the leaves. This is called pearling and is an indication the light is bright enough for them to easily photosynthesise. If you see this, you have good light for growing plants and you will need lots of true aquatic plants in the tank otherwise algae will grow instead.

 

[jordzcov]

I had similar problems. I pulled the plants out & rinsed them under running tap water. I read dipping for a few seconds in diluted bleach helps. It didn’t help me, may be I was too aggressive. So I salvaged what I could & moved some to a 10 G sick plant tank. Some improved & some croaked. I did big water changes and scrubbed the tank decor. Not long after I was overran by snails from eggs on new plants at the LFS. I’m done with plants except my lovely silk ficus vines and a few tall plastic ones needed for shelter for certain fish.

Does your tank get much ambient light from the windows? That’s what did in my most heavily planted tank. I now keep the blinds drawn by some tanks.

the tank does get a bit of sun in the morning, so thats why i shifted the light schedule to come on abit earlier, and shut off an hour earlier than it used to to 'include' the bit of sun it gets in the morning

 

[jordzcov]

There's no such thing as a plant fertiliser that inhibits algae growth. Algae are simple forms of plants and any fertiliser designed for plants will feed algae.

Algae grows anywhere there is water and light. If you have algae problems, it's normally caused from excess light or excess nutrients or not enough plants to use the light and nutrients. If there are lots of higher forms of plants (like aquarium plants), the algae won't do as well. However, if there isn't many plants in the aquarium, then algae will grow instead.

The first picture is blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). It is a photosynthetic bacteria that has been around since the Earth had water. It loves nutrients, low oxygen levels and red light. The easiest way to control it is by reducing fertiliser and fish food, doing big daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate for a couple of weeks. Make sure there is an equal amount of red, blue, green and white light.

The second picture appears to have black filamentous algae on the plants.

The third picture has either green filamentous algae or a bleach/ faded black filamentous algae. It's pretty pale and that usually means it's not doing well.

The forth picture appears to be a green brush algae and should be easy to wash off the ornament.

All the filamentous algae love nutrients and regularly grow in dirty tanks and tanks they get too much fertiliser. Considering the variety of unwanted growth in the tank, I would stop using fertiliser for a few weeks and do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for at least a week. This will reduce the nutrients and food for the algae. Then start adding fertiliser again but monitor the algae and if it grows back, reduce the fertiliser a bit.

If you can post a picture of the entire tank, it might provide more information on how many plants you have. Some plants like Ambulia and Hygrophila polysperma will close their leaves up when they have had enough light. They close the leaves closest to the light and gradually work down the plant. If you have these plants in the tank, you can wait an hour after they close the first set of leaves, and then turn the lights off or right down.

When plants get really bright light, they produce little bubbles they flow out of some of the leaves. This is called pearling and is an indication the light is bright enough for them to easily photosynthesise. If you see this, you have good light for growing plants and you will need lots of true aquatic plants in the tank otherwise algae will grow instead.

I've attached a picture of my tank (60L) for you. Ignore the mess as its an old picture, but the plants remain the same.


Thats for the advice. My take awaya is to stop using fertaliser for a while, and increase the water changes. Is it worth alos lowering the light timer to maybe around maybe 4 hours a day instead?

 

[Colin_T]

Do not reduce the photoperiod (lighting time). Plants need enough light to be able to photosynthesise and grow. If they don't get enough light, or a long enough photoperiod each day, they die.

 

[Joe_D]

One way cut down on the light needed for most plants is to add some floating plants like "Frog Bit".
They thrive on the direct bright light while cutting down on some light reaching other plants and the rest of the tank.

One issue is they do not like excessive surface disturbance.
However, a tank's natural current will move them away to calmer water, even in a smaller 10 gal tank.

 

[Joe_D]

BTW, it has been my experience that a little algae on the substrate is normal. Keep in mind that a tank is not a really a natural environment : so, we have to take a bit of bad with the good . :

Since all tanks are different, just do what is best for you.

 

[Caliban07]

How old is the tank?