Why am I getting black algea?

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falcon

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Dec 16, 2003
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In all my tanks I seem to be getting black algea. This is the one that grows like fur on equipment and decorations in patches and also on glass. I'm not sure if it's a result of nutrient imbalance or something else. Maybe it's too much of something?

The first tank is 120g(60x18x26), gH 11, kH 5, pH 6.5-6.6, pressurized co2, pc lights 260w. I change around 50% once a week. Dosing: 4g of kNO3 3x/wk plus 14 drops of phosphate(enema), 20ml of traces 3x/wk(solution 300ml r/o and 9g of hydroponics trace mix).

Second tank is 65g(36x18x24), gH 5, kH 3, ph 6.4-6.5, pressurized co2, pc lights 192w. I change around 50% once a week with r/o mix. Dosing: 2.2g of kNO3 3x/wk plus 7 drops of phosphate, 10ml of traces 3x/wk.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
 
Since you are using R/O, are you using anything like "R/O Right" to put trace chemicals back into the water? Most tap water is just fine for plant tanks.
 
Since I have had (let alone heard of ba) I ask my lfs owner (knows alot, my sister worked for him and breeds fish etc) and what he told was that my phosphates were too high. My water was other wise excellant. So I'm tearing down the tank (I am going larger). So many be your phosphate level is too high?
 
freeless2002 said:
Since I have had (let alone heard of ba) I ask my lfs owner (knows alot, my sister worked for him and breeds fish etc) and what he told was that my phosphates were too high. My water was other wise excellant. So I'm tearing down the tank (I am going larger). So many be your phosphate level is too high?
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I have high PO4, I dose it and have for oh, perhaps 15 years, no BBA.

I can tell you right now it's a CO2 issue.
You need to recheck those pH readings and KH readings and make sure you have 30ppm and keep the CO2 at that level all day long.

That will stop the growth of the BBA, if you over feed and have very high fish loads, that will also cause BBA in some cases.

Trim what's there, remove the BBA as best you can, perhaps over a 3 week peroid, a little each week or 2x a week, then crank the CO2, even if the pH/Kh say obne thing, add a little bit more.

Recalibrate the pH probe, make sure the probe reads true when the light are off as it does when they on, stray current will reduce the pH causing a false positive.

If you use a test kit, well, add more CO2.

You have everything well covered.
Except CO2........

PO4 FYI, does not cause algae, any that I am aware of in a well planted tank that has good nutrient level etc.

You can do this test and repeat it many times as it has been done for close to a decade now by many folks all over the world.

It's two main things: too little CO2, or NH4, sometimes too low NO3, K+ or PO4, GH etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Just keep after it, it'll work out soon if you keep doing those things.
Then it will be easy once things start to grow well.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Tom I have another tank that is fully stocked if not overstocked. Currently, I am doing 50% w/c on it once a week and I find that I'm getting quiet a bit of waste. I have 10 small/medium altums in a 65g tall. I guess I have two options. Either, do 25% w/c mid-week to remove some of the waste and then do another one, 50% on the weekend. With this option I would continue dosing as usuall. Or if I continue doing just one weekly w/c, should I reduce dosing? I pretty much am doing the same routine as on my 120g. All the ferts are the same, just pro-rated from the 120g to fit the 65g. I'm thinking that maybe it's too much given the fish stocking level of the tank.

Thanks.
 
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