Algae! Please help!

[aam4987]

I've been having algae issues for a couple of months, and I can't seem to get rid of it!

75 gal.
High Range PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 2 ppm
Full spectrum led fixture is on 11 hrs/day.
Tank is not near any window.

- Tank is stocked with a few Peacock Cichlids.
(I do have a Bristlenose Plecostomus, and 3 Nerite Snails)
- Weekly water changes of approx. 50%.
- Seachem Flourish Excel dosing once a week.
- DIY CO2 (approx. 2 bubbles/sec.)

Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do?

The algae is attaching to everything including my plants

 

[ZxC]

Cut the lights back to 6 hours per day.
Supply the plants with some fertilizer.
Large water changes + manual removal.
Clean filters regularly (every week - 2 weeks).

You can try the blackout method, H2O2 method ... user be warned.

 

[goatnad]

I will add to what ZxC said and say that the diy co2 probably isnt really doing much if anything. You could be having algae issues due to inconsistent co2 from that system. Diy co2 really only works well on small tanks of say 10-30 gallons.

Oh you could also try a split light cycle. I do 5 hours on, 4 hours off, 5 hours on. I would try ZxC recommendations first.

 

[aam4987]

Thank you so much for your feedback! I will try blackout method for a few days, and hook my light up to a timer to have it come on in the morning for a few hrs, then again later on for a few hrs. I will also keep up on the cleaning.

I had no idea that a diy co2 wasn't very effective on a 75 gallon. So is it pretty much a waste of my time to replace the solution every month?

 

[goatnad]

I had no idea that a diy co2 wasn't very effective on a 75 gallon. So is it pretty much a waste of my time to replace the solution every month?

Are you doing yeast or citric diy? If yeast then you can add extra bottles to the system to get better co2 but you would probably end up needing 3 or maybe 4 bottles added to get to proper co2 amounts. It will get tiring having to change out so many bottles so often. Not sure if you can just add more bottles to the citric system or not. I know the yeast will run out a lot faster then a month. Mine run out about every 9 days.

 

[aam4987]

I am doing the citric acid diy system. It lasts at least 3 weeks. What if I got a better reactor, in order to allow the co2 to dissolve into the water better?

 

[Barliman]

I am doing the citric acid diy system. It lasts at least 3 weeks. What if I got a better reactor, in order to allow the co2 to dissolve into the water better?

Citric acid is more efficient than yeast, but I still think DIY is not strong enough for a tank the size of yours. (I've read 40 is the max) You might want to look into a pressurized system.


The suggestions made above are all good: I'll second using a split photo period. It was after I combined that with pressurized CO2 that I got algae under control in a medium-high light, heavily planted 20-long.