Algae on gravel

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shw104

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Mar 19, 2005
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I have a 30 gallon, planted, freshwater community tank. I have minimal algae with this tank but am getting a good bit on the gravel. Typically, I simply disturb the gravel a bit.. moving the algae covered top travel to the bottom and the cleaner gravel to the top...

I'm curious how everyone else controls algae on their gravel.

Thanks!
 
ask a forum for planted aquariums. i know that disturbing the gravel is not a way to go with algae.
 
usually algae thrives in water that has additional elements like phosphates, nitrates and other nutrients that just so happen to be in the water. usually if you have a planted tank, the plants will absorb this nutrient first, leaving only a little bit left for algae to use so they don't spread everywhere.

i also have algae growing on my substrate (and a lot of green fuzz on my decor), making it look green. other than visual, i think its great i have a lot of algae. my snails and shrimp love to graze on it. they leave the brown algae on the glass along though because its harder to get off. i just use some paper towels and elbow grease during water changes to keep those in check. usually my gravel vaccing picks up and displaces the gravel making the substrate look cleaner. eventually after throwing in some algae wafers for my guys, they come back.
 
I got the feeling that his tank is densely planted, so he doesn't want to disturb the substrate. Is that right?

Otherwise I would just recommend vacuuming the gravel. That always got rid of the algae for me, because the top layers would get mixed to the bottom, and the algae would die from lack of light.
 
Use a python or a strong gravel vaccum. Suck out the top layer if you can. Then bleach dip it for a while, then soak it in water. It should kill off all the algae.

What you have to address is why there is algae in the first place. What's your lighting, CO2 levels, fertilizers, and gallons on the tank? We can help you a little better if we have all this information.
 
A heavily planted tank shouldn't have algae on the gravel nor anywhere else. Unfortunately, people plunk a couple plants in their tank and start adding fertilizers or skip water changes thinking the plants will suck up all the extra nutrients.
You need to have a favorable environment for the plants and enough plants to rid the algae if you are using plants. This means ample nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, potassium, carbon, etc...) and lighting.

From the sound of it shw104, you have things under control as far as algae goes, so aside from all my prefaced blah blah-ing, try using some plants to shade the area the algae is growing on. You could try increasing your water changes, or adding more plants. A bunch of hornwort or anacharis might do the trick. I'm assuming it is just a small area you are getting algae, probably where there is direct light?

epic is right on in that providing more info would help us help you :) Sure, bleach will kill the algae, but as you already know, it will just come back. So let's address why it's coming in the first place.
 
beviking said:
I'm assuming it is just a small area you are getting algae, probably where there is direct light?

epic is right on in that providing more info would help us help you :) Sure, bleach will kill the algae, but as you already know, it will just come back. So let's address why it's coming in the first place.
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Exactly.. i'm only getting a modest algae growth on the 15% of the gravel that is exposed to come direct/indirect sunlight. My plants are growing vigorously and all of my water quality tests (ph, nitrates, nitrites, etc) are in the expected ranges. I used to have a small Siamese Flying Fox that did an exceedingly good job keeping this spot clean.. however... I don't have him anymore and have been unable to locate them at the local pet stores. They are always mislabeled in the stores and are standard algae eaters. I've been thinking about trying mail-order fish but guessing it is quite expensive especially for one fish.

Also, what plans would you recommend for low light conditions? I have some fairly large plants that have given me a good canopy affect over most of my tank.

thanks again..
 
It's very hard to keep algae off the gravel especially if you have sunlight shining on it. The idea of snails is a good one, but if you already have plants, I would think you have snails??? Ramshorn, MTS, and Brigs are a mainstay in my plant tanks.

The problem with using a low-light plant in the area, is that low-light plants are slow growers and would likely end up with algae growing on the plant. Your best bet is to prevent the light (or at least hinder it some) from getting to the spot.
 
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