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Ok, i will get my phosphate tested this coming weekend at my LFS.

If its high does that mean i have to get rid of the phosphate?? However i have live plants so would i just need to lower the phosphate levels? if so how would i go about doing this?

I read about water sprite being fast growing in the right conditions becaus it has a pooor root system so it takes nutrients out of the water instead.

So i will probably be going with that.

So the answer i should of got in the first 5 replys is that i should add more plants like i said?

Pretty much so yes but make sure they're fast growing plants that, in your case, do not need an awful lot of light. One kind of fish that I have myself absolutely adores eating hair algae, and that is the Black molly. These guys just rip it apart, they're much better than Otos against hair algae. The only algae that they don't seem to touch is beard algae.

For the rest, follow the advice, keep nitrates low (your water change schedule seems fine to me) by adding some fast growing plants. Cryptos and Javafern aren't fast growers and Vallisneria is only intermediately fast. hornwort, Elodea canadensis or Cabomba spec. should do the trick, if the older parts of the plants get overgrown, just remove them. More light and CO2 should also increase the growth rate of your plants, but keep an eye on your pH when adding CO2, especially if you have very soft water.

Good Luck

I did a DIY hood for my 30 tall with 121 watts of compact flouresent lighting for about 40 bucks. Including the light bulbs fixtures wood and wiring. That is one route you could take. Anouther (more expensive) way would be a retrofit kit. DIY co2 is about free. yeast is about 85 cents Sugar is cheap and you can go dumpster diving for old 2 litre soda bottles. Airline tubing isnt ex either. so Co2 would be less than 5 bucks. You could also get the cheap hagen Co2 kit for about $30 at most lfs.

Kerry

and also how much would it cost me to upgrade my lighting and use CO2?

So the answer i should of got in the first 5 replys is that i should add more plants like i said?

DIY CO2 is cheap
SeaChem Excel is also an alternative.
Add more plants

If you do not wish to go that route:
Add more plants(some floating also) and remove all the algae you can.
Stop changing water. Leave the tank alone.
Stop adding things beside fish food.

Top off tank for evaporation. Change water only after large pruning.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Ok, i will get my phosphate tested this coming weekend at my LFS.

make sure your phosphates are no greater than 0.5 ppm.

lower the phosphate levels? if so how would i go about doing this?

???

WOnt be able to do co2 or lighting because it will be too expensive for me

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-01 10:07][/span]

Get your nitrates down to 5 ppm.. make sure your phosphates are no greater than 0.5 ppm. Try to keep this ratio. Once you do that, get a hold of some trace ferts like tropica mastergrow, but only dose 1/4 of what the instructions say. Float some hornwort in an inconspicuous area, careful to not shade your other plants.

Is it possible to upgrade the lighting and add diy co2?

Its a lowish light tank.i think

2x 18watt tubes over 28gallons.
NO co2
No Ferts
Vals, java fern and crypts.

Well, first you have to set the scene for the nutrients in the tank to be absorbed by the plants... do you have co2? What do you use for ferts? How many watts of lighting and what kind of lighting? What plants do you have besides java ferns and vals?

Finally i thought i could sit back and enjoy my tank when The algea strikes.

Problem.
1. Green spot algea on the glass.
2. Blackish Hair algea growing on some parts of the gravel and on the edges on java fern and now on my Vals!!
3. Short green fuffy/hair alge growing on my driftwood.

- Tank temp 25 degrees celcius.
-I feed twice a day.
-HAve lights on for 10hours a day.
-Change 7 gallons every week. 5gallons on Friday and 2 gallons on Monday.
- I have mostly real plants.


Any ideas how can i rid the algea of my tank?

Could i add more plants to take in more of the nutrients?

My nitrates are never above 15ppm. I dont have a phosphrus tes kit. i could see if my LFS could test my water to check the levels.

I have true Siamese Algae eaters and BN plecos in my heavily planted tank and have no algae problems anymore. That and I've learned about water chemistry a bit...how many watts of light do you have, what and how much ferts, what are your Nitrates, Phophorous ( there is a test kit for phosphorus... I highly recommend getting one if you keep live plants).

I just noticed some hair algae starting to grow on my hygro last week, and now on my bacopa. I scraped it all off the hygro with my finger, all came back the next day.]:|
I have two ottos, (20 gallon tank btw), and they don't touch the hair algae. They only eat spot algae on the glass, and any green algae on driftwood and gravel, at least for me.

28gallon

i have ottos in my 29g, they do great, but won't eat the green tufts of algae. my 2 hillstream loaches love the green tufts

Amano shrimp are pretty good on algea and light on your Bio-load

I have a BN but that only eats brown algea.

I have
5 lemons
6 black neons
5 corys( 1 of the smallest species)
1 BN
1 guppy