Algae on glass

[JL15219]

Okay I want to know whats the best way to keep algae of the front glass of my 60 gal african cichlid tank?
It usually grows really quickly maybe 2or 3 days after I have cleaned it off with a sponge...I tried reducing the duration of the light to about 9-10 hours I try not to reduce it too much because I have some plants in the tank...I also tried reducing the amount that I feed the cichlids...I have even done large water changes...the last resort thing that I tried was adding Tetra Algae Control I Know I know what everone is going to say that I shouldnt add chemicals, but I did so get over it...I was desperate...because I had all types of algae growing everywhere it actually helped quite a bit....but the algae on the glass still grows quite rapidly...so if anyone has any suggestions...maybe a pleco or other algae eaters...or something else (phosphate remover).....

[Bk718]

what color is the algae?? brown/green?

[JL15219]

Its green...now that i look at it, it kind of looks like really small hairs

[Bk718]

Light can be reduced to 8hrs safely without plants suffering. I had a similar problem before but a simple glass cleaning helped, now if they do come back its once a month and its only a few dots.
Hmm phosphate remover? I thought phosphate actually makes it go away.

[JL15219]

It comes back with in a couple of day I wish it was with in a month...no it actually causes algae as does silicates

[Bk718]

Actually no,
green spot algae on the glass is caused by high light, low co2 levels and low phosphate levels.
So you can reduce lighting to 7-8hrs a day, check co2 (if you dont have one running maybe look into one even diy) and purchase Flourish Phosphate.

Silicates cause brown algae.

[Bk718]

btw whats your lighting like?? watts and K rating?

[JL15219]

how will the co2 help with the algae...i know it will help the plants

Blue-Green (http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebluegreen.htm), also known as Slime or Smear algae – Caused by excesses of nitrates and phosphates, this is actually not an algae at all. Instead it is a cyanobacteria. It can spread rapidly, and can cause considerable damage. Good water care will help, but if your water source has phosphates in it, you may have to use special treatments to remove the excess nutrients. Erythromycin is also effective against Blue-Green algae.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/algae/a/attackalgae.htm
Phosphate is utilised by all plants and consumed quickly by algae.
http://www.thatfishshop.com/aquaticplants/algae.htm

[Bk718]

Okay then we are talking about 2 different algae forms..
If you are sure you have Blue-Green algae
http://www.aquamax.de/Shop/Artikelbilder/Zusatzbilder/Algen%20im%20Aquarium_Blaualgen%20-%20Cyanobacteria_STUG_cyano1.jpg

and not Green Spot algae
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/mralgae/algae%20forms/greenspotalgae-2.jpg

then get Maracyn.
Also causes for blue-green algae are:
Dirty substrates and filters can also bring it on.
Poor water circulation

[JL15219]

I was saying in general that most algae use the phosphate as a nutrient...but it is kind of like the spot algae but the spots are alot smaller and the kind of look like like hairs i think it maybe fuzz algae like this one on this website
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm#fuzz

my light is 1.3333333 wpg and it a 6500k daylight bulb

[JL15219]

Keep nitrates, phosphates and silicates at a low level. If you have a persistent problem - use reverse osmosis (RO) or deionised (DI) water, or specific adsorption resins (e.g. PhosGuard). However, note that although high levels of such nutrients may encourage algae, it is not generally possible to completely eliminate algae by attempting to reduce them, as algae can survive at levels below those which can be measured by a hobbyist test kit.same website as abouve

[Bk718]

not for all algae
Heres another link (http://www.irishfishforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=79)

and if it is blue-green then i guess check this (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143526) thread out.

[JL15219]

Excessive phosphate will not cause algae in a well planted tank, but in a tank that it not well planted it will contribute to the algae problem because there are not enough plant to use up the phosphate...my tank only has some java moss and tiawan moss...but I not what to keep arguing about this...i guess we are both right depending on the situation...I dont have any co2 on my tank maybe i should try diy co2...i didnt know that co2 will help control the algae...do you have any other suggestions?

[Coler]

just interested as to how bad the scale of the problem is...if its just a few spots here, just keep the front of the tank a quick rub down with an algae scraper or whatever.

[JL15219]

the algae on the glass looks kind of like the green spot algae but it has little hairs growing out of it

[JL15219]

It all over the glass....not just a few stops...it kind of looks like little hair...I dont know if if my be hair algae

[Bk718]

It all over the glass....not just a few stops...it kind of looks like little hair...I dont know if if my be hair algae

try and take a picture (though i dont think it will be that focused)
My guess is green spot algae since thats very common algae that grows on glass (besides brown algae)
Perhaps someone else can throw in their opinion here..

[grannylvsfish]

pictures would help, is this hair algae??

[JL15219]

I dont have a camera...and my camera on my phone doesnt do a good job of taking a pic of the algae its too small

[Bnoble]

just interested as to how bad the scale of the problem is...if its just a few spots here, just keep the front of the tank a quick rub down with an algae scraper or whatever.

:iagree:

[Coler]

It all over the glass....not just a few stops...it kind of looks like little hair...I dont know if if my be hair algae

so is it all over the other sides of your aquarium as well ? if you literally have algae all over your glass 2 days after cleaning it there is an interesting problem.

[JL15219]

well in about 3 to 4 days but i still think that is pretty quick...thats what I am trying to figure out

[Coler]

I wonder if you should try using more a scrubber/scraper and less of a sponge...the sponge may not be cleaning right down to the glass, and probably is leaving some alage traces smeared on it, leading to very quick regrowth...the magnetic scraper doodads typically have a tough durable plastic scrubby side that may do the trick for you. I know the kind of algae buildup you're describing and I use a large mag scrubber on my own tank. I get a couple of patches but a quick wipe twice a week does the job..tip : get one that floats for easy retrieval if you lose traction.

[Sportsnutim]

Okay I want to know whats the best way to keep algae of the front glass of my 60 gal african cichlid tank?
It usually grows really quickly maybe 2or 3 days after I have cleaned it off with a sponge...I tried reducing the duration of the light to about 9-10 hours I try not to reduce it too much because I have some plants in the tank...I also tried reducing the amount that I feed the cichlids...I have even done large water changes...the last resort thing that I tried was adding Tetra Algae Control I Know I know what everone is going to say that I shouldnt add chemicals, but I did so get over it...I was desperate...because I had all types of algae growing everywhere it actually helped quite a bit....but the algae on the glass still grows quite rapidly...so if anyone has any suggestions...maybe a pleco or other algae eaters...or something else (phosphate remover).....

Have you considered putting algae eaters in or maybe they wouldn't be compatible with the fish you already have? I have Farlowellas in my 55 gal and they do a awesome job on my algae and very peaceful.:idea:

[Coler]

they wouldn't go well with africans - no bottom dweller algae eater really does, aside from the occasional bristlenose plecs. but then most of the small rift lake africans are actually algae eaters themselves, which is why extreme algae build up of this type is unusual in such a tank...mine will graze on the rocks, the sides of the tank...

[Lily'sDad]

I was always told that alga need phosphate. Higher plants don't need as much. I remember way back when it was a big deal that washing detergent began removing phosphate from their ingrediants because it caused alga blooms in the waterways.

[JL15219]

Yeah maybe I should use a scrubber instead of a sponge...I never thought that I may not be getting all the algae...never thought i could be something so simply....yeah as far as i know algae does use phosphate....