Powerhead=Algae?

[justrelax]

I added a powerhead to my 55 when I noticed a film settling on the side of the tank not agitated by the spraybar. I set it on the lowest output setting possible and set the airline valve so that a moderate amount of bubbles were produced. Aside from a stock change and the addition of a couple more artificial plants the powerhead is the only thing different in the tank, and I have since noticed a sort of green fuzzy growth on the "plants". It's not on the driftwood or sand substrate, or any of the equipment for that matter. Any ideas?

 

[Devilishturtles]

I don't know about the algae, but I personally like the venturi valve (the air tube) better when it's off. It doesn't produce those bubbles and the flow is alot better. I have no idea though, if those added bubbles would be causing algae. In my community tank, my silk plants grow that busy algae on them, but it doesn't spread.

 

[MarkP]

I can't find your profile, so don't have the details of your tank.

However, if you are a 2 WPG or less, No Co2 tank, which I think is a safe assumption (Co2 users probably wouldn't use a venturi to inject air) I may have an answer for you.

You have a slightly elevated Co2 level in your tank. No big deal, but your plants aren't used to the level of Co2, and may take a week or more to adjust to it. Algae adjusts much faster, and so it's taking advantage of it right now.

In a Diana Walstad style aquarium, this sort of thing has been noticed during larger water changes- That also adds additional Co2, and can produce some algae. Algae can simply develope the enzymes required to use the additional dissolved Co2 faster then the plants, in what was previously a Co2 limited enviroment.

If the algae isn't too bad, I'd suggest waiting a week or two and see if the plants catch up. If not, or if the algae is bad, I'd suggest turning down or off the venturi. Possibly slowing turning the venturi back up over the course of a few weeks could help.

I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again, and I may even by wrong right now

- Mark

Edit- Speaking of being wrong, I just realized that A) I'm not in the planted tank forum anymore, and B) you have "plants", not plants.

Uhm... if you don't have plants, and you didn't have noticable algae, you didn't have a low Co2 enviroment, so you never had a carbon-limited tank... So, uhm. I'd suggest doing a PWC and getting some plants, not because that will help, but because I beleive you can never go wrong doing those things.