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About a year ago, i picked up a random fluorescent bulb for my tank. I bought it replace the incandescent bulb the tank came with. It did not say sunlight/daylight, have a K rating, or anything plant bulbs usually have.

Now I have spot algae all over my glass

Does this mean the bulb would grow plants too or is just enough to get algae going?

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Hi,
That is kinda sparce information to give you a "real"
answer.
Usually, we would want to know how big the tank is and
we would need to know how many watts the bulb is. When
we knew that, then we could tell you what general kind
of plants you could expect to trive in the tank.

If we knew what you had in the tank for fish, we would
be able to tell you if you were going to be feeding them
fresh vegetables, or if they would leave the plants
alone.

Generally speaking, IF you have plants in the tank,
you would want to leave the light on for about 10-12
hours, continuiously.

Generally speaking "green spot" algae is normal and
can easily be removed with a algae scraper, an old
credit card, or a safety razor.

Here is a site describing the types of algae, what
causes that type, and how to eliminate or control it:

http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html

Frank


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

Duh..lol

1 oto
1 betta

5 gal hex
13 watt bulb


Ive been researching the plants I would expect to do well in 2.6 wpg, but in your sticky'd thread at the top of the forum you mentioned buying bulbs with 6500K and the words daylight or sunlight.

My bulb did not mention those two things and so I did not think it suitable for plants. However, the appearance of algae made me wonder if the light was strong enough to grow them.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Katie,

Like Frank said, some green spot is normal, a lot of it all over the place would be a different story though.

About the light: Any K rating between 5,000 and 10,000 will grow plants as well, with around 6,700 being the best temperature. Given your small tank size, you should limit yourself to low light plants as your light will not provide enough output for plants that require more light.

Others: Give yout Oto at least two buddies, they like to know that more of them are around.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

you should limit yourself to low light plants as your light will not provide enough output for plants that require more light.

Really? I thought a 13 watt would have enough output to grow low-medium light plants.

Give yout Oto at least two buddies, they like to know that more of them are around.

Im actually thinking of returning him the LFS. I hate keeping him alone and my tank is too small for friends

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Are you saying it has taken a year for this problem to happen? Depending on the "light" it might not be the correct type for an aquarium at all even good quality aquarium lights have a life span of about two years yes they will give of light but not the correct full range type. Also what are your water peramiters, filtration etc. Algae on the glass is easly removed by using the glass cleaners sold at LFS or a razor blade. This will remove it but solve the problem and it will keep returning.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

"Are you saying it has taken a year for this problem to happen?"

Im not sure, when it first started occuring. I only have a small amount of spot algae on the front pane of my tank.

"Depending on the "light" it might not be the correct type for an aquarium at all even good quality aquarium lights have a life span of about two years yes they will give of light but not the correct full range type."

I bought the bulb just to have a light(not really for plants). Is there a certain type that should be used in all tanks?

"Also what are your water peramiters, filtration etc."

I dont know my water parems
I have an eclipse filter at a rate of 7gph.

"Algae on the glass is easly removed by using the glass cleaners sold at LFS or a razor blade. This will remove it but solve the problem and it will keep returning."

I figured the problem was the lighting and the lack of plants to outcompete the algae.

What usually causes spot algae?


I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

By tank parameters they mean, what are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc levels

-Josh

Hi,
It sounds like you kinda need to rethink your tank, and
realize that it is a living organism. It will grow and
mature over the years, and needs regular (emphasis on
the word, regular) maintenance. The small hexes can be
beautiful tanks with fish and live plants, or they can
become just ornaments sitting on an end table or desk.

The appearance of the algae is letting you know that
it's time for some maintenance. Were you to test your
water, you would probably find the nitrates fairly high,
and if you were to use a gravel vacuum, that the gravel
was becoming fairly "dirty."

Because you don't seem to have any plants in the tank
I would do a wholesale cleaning of the tank.
What you do NOT want to do is empty the tank washout the
gravel and put it back together again. Instead, I would
take out any ornaments, and wash them under
running water. Then, I would set the fish in a bowl filled
with tank water for just a bit, and then run your hand
through the gravel stirring it up. Drain off the dirty
water, and refill the tank with water that is the same
temperature, and add a water conditioner (something to
remove chlorine and chloramine). Then I would net your
fish, and return them to the tank. For the filter, I would
wash out the filter components, and replace them back into
the filter and restart it.

These bulbs are, in general, only good for a year. As they
age, the frequency of the light or the Kelvin rating,
shifts, generally in the lower direction, and that shift
can favor the growth of algae. It's generally best to
replace the bulbs at their one year anniversary.
Assuming you want to have live plants in the tank, I would
go to any hardware store and, as you have read, purchase
any of the fluorescent bulbs that is labeled DAYLIGHT or
SUNLIGHT. Don't get anything that is labeled "warm" or
"cool," as you have read, they are designed for reading
and eye comfort. You want the harsh glare of the day or
sunlight bulbs for the plants.

If you are going to put some live plants in the tank,
I would suggest that you try some wisteria. It has a
nice leaf structure, and is an attractive shade of
green which would highlight your tank. It can also
be a fast growing plant and through trimming and replanting
you could quickly have "extra."
The plant is sold in bunches, and just purchase
one bunch. That is all you will need for that size tank.
When you get home, remove the rubber band
or metal wrap, and wash the plants off under running water.
Remove any discolored leaves, and any snails or snail eggs
that might be riding along on the plant leaves. Lay the
plants out on a counter and try to visualize how you want
them to look once in the tank. Then plant them in the
gravel. Bury the roots, and leave the crown (part of the
plant that turns from the root into the plant) just at the
surface of the gravel. Leave the tank light on for about
10 hours continuously, put it on a timer if need be.

You should change out about 10% of that tanks' water
every week, and replace it after treating it with a water
conditioner.

Testing the water can be important. When things go awry
it is best to know why, and weekly testing can catch things
ahead of time before they become problems.
Most every test kit will allow you to check for pH,
ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate values. Depending upon how
involved you become in the hobby, you later, may want to
also be able to test for the General Hardness (GH) and
Carbonate Hardness (KH).

As for the cause(s) of algae or that specific type, go
back and reread the link that I gave you earlier. Algae
is an opportunistic critter. It fills niches and takes
advantage of excess, or deficiencies in nutrients.
If there is a niche to fill, it will fill it and thrive.
Hope this helps...

Frank

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

By tank parameters they mean, what are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc levels

I know, I just dont know the actual levels.




Frank,

All I can say is wow! I will deffinately be doing all that.
Between work and family vacations/get togethers my tank maintence has slipped.

I hope to sit down and really get it back to normal and maybe give it some greenery. Hopefully Ill find some driftwood too.

ETA: Also, can you recommend a good testing kit. I was thinking Aquarium Pharmacueticals.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Aquarium Pharmacueticals are good test kits, IMO. I used them for years without trouble. I recently upgraded to Salifert test kits. They are supposedly the best out there but AP are great kits

A lot of LFS will test your water for little or no charge...you might want to check into that but having your own test kits are ideal. I would suggest getting an AP master test kit. That'll be all the basic testing you need

-Josh