Another Algea Question

BowMaster

BowMaster

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Jul 7, 2006
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I've got an algea outbreak. I don't know what has caused it, but it is there. It is a very thick fuzz that is carpeting my plants leaves. My algea eating army isn't touching it so I don't know what to do. I also dose with 5ml of Excel every morning, but it is just getting worse.

Please help, I am concerned that this may block my plants ability to absorb light.

I've got a 72 gallon tank, CO2, Excel and 3.6 WPG of Light.

Lyle
 
BowMaster said:
I've got an algea outbreak. I don't know what has caused it, but it is there. It is a very thick fuzz that is carpeting my plants leaves. My algea eating army isn't touching it so I don't know what to do. I also dose with 5ml of Excel every morning, but it is just getting worse.

Please help, I am concerned that this may block my plants ability to absorb light.

I've got a 72 gallon tank, CO2, Excel and 3.6 WPG of Light.

Lyle
Click to expand...

most likely thats stankin hair algea or blue green algea. i know exactly what ur talking about, looks like you just got a spider fish. have u changed the lighting, co2 dosage, ferts, or added plants recently? that will usually cause it. mine is horrible!!! i clean it everysingle day and i still cant get it all. ( its in my newly planted tank). black mollys are pretty much the only fish that will eat it, so i dont know if u want to get any of those, they make good feeder fish if u dont want them after a while. i wouldnt recommend adding any algea reducer as it can cause more problems than it can help. but thats definately up to u. other than that, just wait it out, it should go away in a couple months =/
 
just out of curiosity, what kind of fish/inverts are you using for your "algae eating army".

I used to have a horrible algae problem, even in a 10g until I got some otto affinis. 2 little guys (its recommended 3 per 10g) cleaned the entire tank in a day of every type of algae I had. Now my problem is providing them with ENOUGH food to eat.
 
With 3.6w of light, you need to dose macro (nitrate, phosphate, potassium) and micro (trace) nutrients in addition to CO2. Flourish Excel supplies carbon, like CO2, but does not supply either macro or micro nutrients. Read the fertilizing sticky to find out where to get the nutrients you need for cheap.

As for dealing with the algae, manually remove as much as you can. Trim off the severely affected leaves and scrub down any decor. If the algae breakout is extreme, a 3 day blackout period (where you block out all light from the tank) should kill the algae while leaving your plants alive, do a big water change afterwards.
 
OK, based on advise here and what I've read. I am vacuming my gravel once very two days. I will do a 25% water change each week with RO water. I am also cleaning the glass and decorations very well. That way, I'm forcing my Octos, snails and shrimp to the plants for food. I will trim down the highly affected leaves, etc. Also, I will cut back my light cycle to 10 Hrs instead of twelve. I was wondering if shutting down my CO2 for now and just running on Excel and Micro/Macro nutrient dosing would help curb this problem?

I think what caused this issue was when I did some major work to my substrate, rock and plant arrangement. By doing this I stirred up a butt load of crap that was deep in the gravel. I think this dumped a ton of nutrients into the system allowing the algea the extra ummph it needed to take off. Before this, my algea army was doing a fantastic job. After I added my last batch of Amanos they demolished any algea that was on the plants/rocks. But now, this is way worse than it was.

Now I will vac my gravel WAY more often so the sediment can't settle out so bad.

Let me know about my plans for lighting and CO2.

Lyke
 
Reducing your lighting period is a good idea, 8-10 hrs is sufficient and 12 is a little excessive.

Turning off CO2 is a bad idea. The best way to fight algae is healthy growing plants and plants need CO2, reducing the amount of CO2 will only reduce the plant's ability to uptake nutrients.
 
why are you using co2 and excl?
maybe this link will help.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24916

controlling algae is a balance of lighting co2 micros and traces. how heave planted is your tank? can you get pics? how long have you been at 3.3wpg? sounds like messing with the gravel messed with the ferts in the gravel. i would bump up the water changes to 50% gal a week. i would also do a few 50% in the next couple days to clear your water of any extra ferts an in hopes to reset your water column.
 
I've been running 3.6 WPG since May. Like I said before, this is a new algea problem. Two weeks ago, I could hardly find algea in my tank. I dose withe excel aswell because if it's algea reducing properties and othe benefits besides just carbon.

I don't like the idea of replacing 36 Gallons of water from my tank twice in a week. That seems like too much, everywhere else I've read recommends 10-25% to help curb an algea outbreak.

I'm going to pick up some additional ferts tommorrow. So, hopefully I will be able to improve the health of my plants. They are not looking so hot, the algea is definatily taking it's toll. I never really wanted to bother too much with additional ferts until I noticed a decline in my plant health. Until this algea outbreak, I was almost wishing my plants would stop growing so fast, healthy was a major understatement. I guess I got what I wished for. :(

Lyle
 
Just to ask, but is your aquarium possibly nitrogen deficient? With lots of plants and co2 injection it may be a possibility. Just thought I'd ask since I don't see any info about nitrate levels.
 
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