algae problem on rocks?

[leesst200]

Hi all,
:help2:
I have had my cichlid tank running for about 3-4 weeks now. I have the lights on for about 8-10hrs a day but have recently noticed that I am getting a lot of algae on the rocks quickly forming.
Could this be because I have the wrong lights?
One is a marine blue and the other is a bright white (not sure but I think marine white?).

Any ideas or suggestions welcome.
Thanks, LEE.

 

[drdud]

Right after I set up my first african tank, I noticed lots of algae growing on them. I thought it added character, but soon I had an algae bloom. I did not like the green water. My lfs said that maybe the natural rock I used was very high in phosphate and it was slowly leaching. The algae started on specific rocks, not all.

I tried phosphate removing filtration pads in my knock-off Eclipse filter and it helped a little with the bloom but did not get rid of it. Same thing with reducing the number of hours of light. He said that the phosphate level in the local water fluctuates so much that even water changes may not help. He usually does not push chemicals, but said that the only algae fighting chemical he recommends is API Algaefix. I tried it and the bloom went away by the next day and the algae on the rocks stayed. That was what I wanted. Now I try to keep my lights on for no more than about 6 hours a day.

 

[leesst200]

OK then,
The lights were a Marine Blue Actinic lamp, the other was a marine white Daylight lamp.

I have since changed the marine blue for a normal tropical day lamp and it seems to have worked.
The daylight lamp gives the rock a good whiteish look because it is so bright but I have a reflector on this so that I can direct this light towards the back, so as not to bleech the colours of the fish.

Lee.