View Full Version : Cleaning back of a planted tank
Bk828
02-03-2008, 12:57 AM
Im just wondering how people with heavy planted tanks clean the back glass?? Every time i do a water change i normally first scrub the inside glass with a sponge to remove the spot algae (or what i think it is) but never really got a chance to clean the back glass since theres just so many plants blocking it..
So how do you go about cleaning the back glass?
Would it be okay to leave it be?
Will the spot algae (if thats what i have) cause any other problems in the tank??
-Thanks
Mgamer20o0
02-03-2008, 1:14 AM
no problem leaving the spot algae. tend to do cleaning when i am replanting.
theotheragentm
02-03-2008, 4:39 AM
Is it a glass tank? A razor blade works wonders on glass tanks and is nice and thin. Don't use one on acrylic though.
echoofformless
02-03-2008, 8:33 AM
Ideally a heavily planted tank will leave little to no sight of the back glass. I rarely if ever worry about cleaning the back glass. The algae that grows on it really does more to naturalize and add depth to the piece rather than make it look dirty.
soobie
02-03-2008, 11:41 AM
I don't often clean my back glass either. It's not very visible, and I think it adds depth. Plus, it makes a good algae farm for my otos.
alright just making sure. Also can this algae spread onto the leaf?? (read its not really algae but diatoms) I have some hydrocotyle leafs which have one or 2 leafs which have a few of the green dots on them, my being so paranoid i just snip off the leafs right away..
rrkss
02-04-2008, 12:22 AM
The green spot algae is caused by too little phosphates in the water. If you add some potassium phosphate to the water at a dose of 1/8 teaspoon per 20 gallons, you will notice that the green spot algae will stop appearing. As soon as it comes back, you know that the phosphates in your water has been depleted.
Bk828
02-04-2008, 12:39 AM
any simple form of this i can find in the lfs??
Josh275
02-05-2008, 8:56 PM
look around in the section that has all the coral tank supplements you can find almost anything there:grinyes:
thanks josh and welcome to AC
echoofformless
02-13-2008, 5:59 PM
You can easily get Flourish Phosphate. Or you can look into the dry ferts if you want to save money in the long run.
yee yesterday after making another thread about ferts i realized that flourish makes phosphate.. I dont know, im unsure about using the NPK since i dont wanna spend 2 much money as is + dont want to buy more test kits and dont wanna throw off my balance in the tank..
Seachem makes a product designed to buffer your pH to around 7. It uses a phosphate buffer and should do the job.