Soft Water + Light = Algae?

A

auxout

CEO Nothing Inc.
Jan 16, 2003
52
0
0
NW Indiana
Visit site
I can't pin down whats causing this algae. But I notice something strange. My g/f is running a similar tank same size same filter more fish and she has no algae problem like I do. It's a brownish/green patchy algae that grows all over any decorations, gravel and the glass of the tank and the filter parts. She has hard well water I have softened well water. PH was a little under 7 I'll check it again on both tanks and edit the post. My tank gets partial sunlight I don't think hers gets any less. I think I think I will try filling my new tank with the unsoftened water and see what happens.

PH in my tank is right in between 7 and 8.
 
Last edited:
More light will cause algae to grow......how much light does it get and is it by a window? Do you have an aglae eater? As far as the soft water goes...not sure on this.....maybe someone will answer this part. Do you vacuum and do water changes at all? We all get certain amounts of algae on our plants and glass...we just clean it off. But the more light you have the more algae you may have.
 
Last edited:
light doesnt cause algae. excess nutrients do.

Keep track of your nitrates and phosphates and you will never have algae.
 
Last edited:
Twilight - There is no basis in fact to nitrates being "controlled" by salt. Basic chemistry. Please do not start another myth through failure to understand tank chemistry and biochemistry. If nitrates were controlled by salt, SW & BW anks would have no algae, right? Wrong!

BTW, none of the cited references even allude to this use of salt. Did you have another?
 
Excellent Linkage, and information everyone, bookmarked all the sites didn't have any of them before.

It seems I have the brown algae, but I'm not sure whats causing it. I think I'm going to try more water changes and better lighting. Because I only have one fish in the tank under 2". So I don't see how I could have a huge amount of nitrates but something is causing it so it's process of elimination time.
 
Salt does nothing for algae. You have no reference covering that statement. Salt does nothing for nitrates. You have no reference covering that statement either. Salt does nothing for nitrite, again no reference. Salt can avoid nitrite toxicity in FW fish during cycling, but it has no effect in the nitrite level in the water, none, zero, zilch. If reduces or avoids the nitrite toxicity to fish, not any effect on the nitrite levels. Do you understand that difference?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There are several forums for all kinds of pseudo-chemistry.

Check some reports on nitrate nitrite, salt, and nitrite toxicity.

It's not a personality thing at all. It's factual.

BTW, we all learn in public here. That takes some courage. I've been corrected often by RTR and recently too! Thank you RTR.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
FYI, I have had no infectious disease of any sort in my display tanks in the 16+ years we have been at this house, nor in the house before that (~9 years). I have as well bred a wide variety of fish of fish and inverts. If you had been around a while, you might already be aware that I am not a medication user.

But that has little to do with basic chemistry or simple biochemistry and physiology.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom