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I had a major problem with hair and brown algae. I finally got those under control only after I stopped adding fertilizer for my plants. I also reduce the lighs to 8 hrs a day from 10. Now I'm getting a bright green algae on the gravel. In a week it covers about 1/2 the gravel, mostly along the front of the tank.

Any ideas???

James

Hi J,
First, I would put the lights back to 10 hours/day.
Then I would post this problem in the Planted Aquaria
section. Tetra, Little Fish, and Ben have all fought
through the algae problem that you are having and have,
with one minor setback, conquered the problem. I don't
know how often those guys look in this forum but they
are constantly in the Planted Aquaria section.

Have you looked at this site?
http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html

This describes the various types of algae we deal with and
offers suggestions on its elimination.

I think the reason the current problem is primarily at the
front of the tank is because of the placement of your
light strip(s). I think the light is focused to the front
of the tank thus giving the algae the perfect place to
grow.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Is it growing in sheets rather then stings/hairs ?

Sounds like BGA.

Algae is easy enough to get rid of, but unless the root cause is tackled it will always come back.

To get to the root cause we would need a bit more info.
Amount of light, fert routine, fish stocking, plant mass etc.

If it is BGA it could be caused by chronically low nitrates, poor water flow, low oxygen or a build up of mulm.

A 3 day total blackout will kill it off easily but as I say it may very well come back if the underlying cause is not addressed.

I agree with Frank on the lights. If you've got plants they need to be on 10-12 hours a day. Reducing the intensity can help but reducing the duration below 10hours usually does more harm then good.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I've got 2w/gal in a 125 gal (22" high). I used to fertilize once a week with a liquid but stopped that appx 6 weeks ago. I've got 10 angles, 9 black neons, 3 SAE's, 4 oto's, 1 whiptail pleco.

Here are some links to pics:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/459553078/1484442765054074011HtIbhI
http://community.webshots.com/photo/459553078/2869150680054074011YsaibF

I removed the Wisteria two weeks ago (way too wild) and the two swords are now only about 6".


I do 20% water changes weekly with well water that goes through a water softner. Filtration is a Magnum 350 canister(double biowheel)and a Rena XP2 so there's plenty of water flow.

Light placement:

_________________________________________________________
| |
| |------------| |--------------| |-----------| | | |
| |
| |
| |-------------| |-------------| |
| Front of tank |
|________________________________________________________|

I've looked at the site Frank suggested but didn't see this stuff there.

James

The diagram of the light placement didn't work...I've got 5 compact stips, two across the front and 3 across the break (spaced evenly across).

James

Forgot to mention, the pic of the algae was just taken. I cleaned the tank yesterday morning. I vacuum the gravel and pull clean gravel on top of the algae covered stuff.

James

Well it definately looks like BGA.

As to the cause. The gravel looks clean so shouldn't be mulm. Possibly low nitrates can you check.

What's the water flow like in the tank? It's a big tank you may be lacking some current especially lower down near the substrate. A couple of small powerheads to keep the water moving may help.

A black out will kill it easy then it's a matter of find the cause and keeping it away.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I've actually got the spray bar from the Rena pointed lengthwise across the tank, angled a little upward. I'll try pointing it downward to get a current going across the bottom. I'll also try the blackout and see how that does.

Thanks for the info!

James

...Possibly low nitrates can you check.

What is a good nitrate level?

Hi,
In a well planted tank (way more than yours) we try to
keep the nitrates around a 10 to 20. While plants will
use the nitrates, it takes one heck of a lot of them to
make any real difference. Generally nothing beats regular
aquarium maintenance such as water changes and
gravel vacuuming to hold the nitrate to manageable levels.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--