How do you keep algae off plastic plants
- Thread starter tbj
- Start date
WHY? It's all benificial, no harm done. I personally think algae makes the plants look "live" (sort of like live rock).
Just take them out during your water change and rinse them under hot water. then soak them in dechlorinated water for a bit, then add them back.
What are your nitrate levels in the tank? If you bring the nitrate levels down by doing frequent water changes, it should help with eliminating any excess algae as they won't have as much nitrate to feed on.
Yeah the easiest way to keep them clean is to reduce the hours of light they get and keep the nitrates down in the tank.
When I notice my plastic plants getting too covered in algea I set the timer for an hour or two less light every day for a while. After a few weeks of that, if I feel the need, I'll slowly bump it back up again.
The tank in this photo has been set up since somewhere around June last year and I haven't taken the plastic plants out to wash them, nor have I cleaned then during a PWC.
I agree with Dorkfish about SOME algea making the fake plants look nicer. You can see that they are not completely clean. I like it this way. It never gets too out of hand.
When I notice my plastic plants getting too covered in algea I set the timer for an hour or two less light every day for a while. After a few weeks of that, if I feel the need, I'll slowly bump it back up again.
The tank in this photo has been set up since somewhere around June last year and I haven't taken the plastic plants out to wash them, nor have I cleaned then during a PWC.
I agree with Dorkfish about SOME algea making the fake plants look nicer. You can see that they are not completely clean. I like it this way. It never gets too out of hand.
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Every few months, I just soak algae covered plastic plants in bleach water solution for an hour or two. Then rinse the plant real well and scrub with your fingers to get the dead algae off. Then let it soak in a dechlorinator solution (1-2 capfuls of prime with water) for an hour or two and your plants will come out good as new.
aquafan21 said:
Because most people have chlorine in their city tap water, and soaking it in the dechloranated water neutralizes it, also bleach has chlorine in it and soaking it in a conditiner makes any trace of left over bleach(if any) on the plants much less toxic(correct me if im wrong).
Better still get rid of those plastic plants and get some real ones in there, they'll aid filtration and eliminate your algae problem as they compete for the same nutrients as the algae.
But do some more water changes to stop algae.
But do some more water changes to stop algae.