Im a sucker for bright light, what do i do?

[WilliS]

I like an aquarium that is really bright, almost like a planted or marine tank but of course this brings on alge problems, which i already have, and it hasnt even finished cycling yet :?

any ideas of what i can do to keep it under control? i have brown alge on my rocks/decor and on the sides of the tank is more greenish.

i got a pleco, but hes 3" and my tank is 80 gallons... he doesnt seem to do anything

 

[smallfry]

get a crew of 4-5 otocinclus....they will eat the brown algae, thus limiting future green algae growth.

 

[smallfry]

You could go with as many as 10 otos if you wanted....once in a while they like a supplement of sliced cucumber/zucchini too.

 

[robertmarda]

Algea can bloom during an ammonia spike which you could be going through right now since you say cycling isn't finished yet.

I would keep the lights off and cover the tank with a blanket that will keep light out and leave it that way for a few days. If you only have the pleco in there he should be ok with the algea that is in the tank already.

I believe you will have less problems with algea once the tank is finished cycling.

If you are willing to put live plants in there, they can help keep the nutrients algea needs to bloom down to a minimum since they use the same nutrients. But I don't think they will help until you get the current situation under control.

 

[Menagerie]

I believe you will have less problems with algea once the tank is finished cycling.

I agree. If you want otos in the future, that's fine, but they do much better in an established tank.

What other fish are in the tank? What are your current water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?

 

[flipz]

just like robert said, brown algae is very common with a new tank cycle. i would keep the lights off, let the tank cycle, and you will probably be ok after that.

exactly how many wpg of light do you have?

-brent

edit: menagerie got in there seconds before me.

 

[WilliS]

Currently i have 30 zebra danios and 1 pleco. I have 1 watt per gallon i guess? (2 lights, 40 watts a piece). One is a standard light that came with the tank, and the other is an 18k light. I still dont know why the tank isnt done cycling. Im at class and cant remember my water specifications off the top of my head. I scraped off the alge on the sides of the tank and turned off the lights for the last 2 days, so the sides are still squeeky clean, but the plants, decorations, and gravel is still brown.

i would like to put some live plants in there, but i dont want to change my substrate, upgrade my lighting, and all the junk that comes with a planted aquarium.

i just started working at PETsMART in the specialty department (fish, birds, small animals) lol, so ill be learning more as i go (hopefully). they have a planted aquarium set up and nothing really special about it, doesnt seem like too much more light than i have in my tank... would putting 2 18k, 40 watt lights over my tank be ok for some plants? and maybe just have the lights on for a little longer than usual?

also, would brown alge on the gravel mess with my cycling process?

thanks guys

 

[Menagerie]

would brown alge on the gravel mess with my cycling process?

No. It's more than likely diatoms, unless it is really dark and slimy.
You can do a planted tank using low light plants--I have some and they are doing well--so far.