# Do you overhaul your tank?



## schmoop (Jul 5, 2004)

I've been running my tank for over three years now. The plants are pretty old. I keep pruning them, and they keep growing. Some of the slower growing ones are quite large now, and lovely, but for the older leaves that are covered with green spot algea.
Green spot algea...that's my problem. The past couple months, I've watched that stuff all but take over. I scrub it every week, but if life gets busy and I miss a week, it's a real nightmare. I don't remember it being this prevalent before. I'm thinking that it may be time to overhaul my tank. Take out all the plants and start over. Does anyone ever do that?
Did I screw up royally somewhere, or is that normal? Might be time for some new lights, too (my present bulbs are nearing 6 months).


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I think we need more info on your setup in order to be able to try to give any meaningful advice (tank size, substrate, light amount and period, plant density, CO2?, fertilization...).

In a well planted, well lit tank with CO2, Green Spot Algae is usually a sign of low PO4 and/or insufficient CO2...

And welcome to APC!


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## olsaltybastard (Sep 28, 2006)

I'm about to perform another overhaul on my tank in order to (once again) try to get hold of black algae. I have tried everything I can think of to combat it, but it just returns in higher concentrations. The rock and the wood in the pictures below were immersed in a bleach solution to kill the algae, but you can see that it's only temporary. I have this nasty stuff covering the entire back pane of glass as well. I'd really like to upgrade my entire setup to an Elos system, but right now it would only give the algae a prettier place to grow.


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