NorCalAl
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hey all, after three planted tanks and some real serious algae problems, I think I have it down now.
First off, (and all of this is from my experience, ymmv) I think one of the prime things we do wrong (and one of the main causes of the algae) is that we introduce too much light, too soon. That, coupled with the introduction of nutes (ever looked at seachems site for dosage recommendations? they have a chart suggesting dosing everyday. crazy for a new tank!), especially in a new tank (less than six months old) is a certain recipe for a good thick algae soup.
I've had bba, hair, you name it.
So, the first thing is - DON'T introduce too much light too soon! Wait for the cycle to complete and then, no matter how strong the temptation, wait 6-8 more weeks before blasting up the light. All in all, I've started three physical tanks, but I've started them time and again now to determine cause and effect and solutions. So, start out with low-light and low-light plants. About four months into a tanks life, then you can start upping the light.
Second, should you already have the issue, there's four things I've found that simply work wonders. By this, I mean I've allowed tanks to get to the point where the plants are dying for lack of light due to algae growth. I've had rocks/driftwood so covered, you'd wonder if it was moss or algae! In other words, lots o' algae!
Here's the four things (and you've heard them all):
1) otos. they are really wonders for getting started on the problem. They aren't THE solution, but they are PART of the solution. I've used from .5 to 3 per 10 gallons and the ration of 1 to 10 seems to work very well.
2) proper nutes including nitrogen. Again, not the solution, but part of the overall one.
3) many plants. We all know and have heard they'll suck up the food before the algae does, once they are in numbers. It's true. Again, by themselves, not much help but as part of the solution they are invaluable.
4) a bristlenose plec!!! My goodness! The latest test tank, my 29g, had a thick coat of algae on every decor item. He stripped them in a week.
Which brings up the last item: TIME.
You gotta have some patience. Nothing solves the problem like time. Using the four items above and using time, it will be solved. Two weeks is the longest I've gone from inundated to liveable. And three to nearly clear.
Will this work for all situations? I'm not sure. I've not had every situation. But my testing shows it works very well for new tank (less than six months old) algae issues.
You know, I read back over this post and it seems we've all seen this before. All these things. I've used combinations of the items with less than great success. I've had time on my hands, obviously.
But I usually see, just try this or just try this. That was one of the reasons I did the specific testing. If anyone has any comments, they are welcome!
First off, (and all of this is from my experience, ymmv) I think one of the prime things we do wrong (and one of the main causes of the algae) is that we introduce too much light, too soon. That, coupled with the introduction of nutes (ever looked at seachems site for dosage recommendations? they have a chart suggesting dosing everyday. crazy for a new tank!), especially in a new tank (less than six months old) is a certain recipe for a good thick algae soup.
I've had bba, hair, you name it.
So, the first thing is - DON'T introduce too much light too soon! Wait for the cycle to complete and then, no matter how strong the temptation, wait 6-8 more weeks before blasting up the light. All in all, I've started three physical tanks, but I've started them time and again now to determine cause and effect and solutions. So, start out with low-light and low-light plants. About four months into a tanks life, then you can start upping the light.
Second, should you already have the issue, there's four things I've found that simply work wonders. By this, I mean I've allowed tanks to get to the point where the plants are dying for lack of light due to algae growth. I've had rocks/driftwood so covered, you'd wonder if it was moss or algae! In other words, lots o' algae!
Here's the four things (and you've heard them all):
1) otos. they are really wonders for getting started on the problem. They aren't THE solution, but they are PART of the solution. I've used from .5 to 3 per 10 gallons and the ration of 1 to 10 seems to work very well.
2) proper nutes including nitrogen. Again, not the solution, but part of the overall one.
3) many plants. We all know and have heard they'll suck up the food before the algae does, once they are in numbers. It's true. Again, by themselves, not much help but as part of the solution they are invaluable.
4) a bristlenose plec!!! My goodness! The latest test tank, my 29g, had a thick coat of algae on every decor item. He stripped them in a week.
Which brings up the last item: TIME.
You gotta have some patience. Nothing solves the problem like time. Using the four items above and using time, it will be solved. Two weeks is the longest I've gone from inundated to liveable. And three to nearly clear.
Will this work for all situations? I'm not sure. I've not had every situation. But my testing shows it works very well for new tank (less than six months old) algae issues.
You know, I read back over this post and it seems we've all seen this before. All these things. I've used combinations of the items with less than great success. I've had time on my hands, obviously.
But I usually see, just try this or just try this. That was one of the reasons I did the specific testing. If anyone has any comments, they are welcome!
