# Green algea on glass!!!



## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

I would just like to start off by saying HI to everyone at these forums. I've been lurking around reading some info and trying to get better at taking care of my plants and the tank inhabitants. 

Well as you can tell from the thread title, I have an algea problem. I've been dealing with this type of algea for long time and I've tried adjusting 
my nutrients to try and get ride of it. To no avail.

Here are my tank specs.
90 Gallon 48X24X18
Lighting: 3.0WPG, 265 watts PC, 130watts @ 10000K, 110 watts @ 6700K. 
Substrate: Pea sized gravel, mixed with Laterite
Ph 6.8 and 6.9
Co2 concentration: 30mg\l
Water is really hard out of the tap.
fish load: Medium 

Here is my weekly dosing routine:
Sunday: 50% water change
1tsp Kno3
1\8tsp K2po4
2tsp K2so4
Monday:20ml TMG
tuesday:1tsp Kno3
1\8tsp K2po4
wednesday: 20ml TMG
Thursday:1tsp Kno3
1\8tsp K2po4
Friday:20ml TMG

Observations: Everthing looks great until wednesday, then the algea starts to appear, and the plants just don't seem to look like the days following the water change. They don't seem to be absorbing the netruience like they should.(Hopefully no one is confused) LOL. Well I'm just hoping that some of you out there will be able to give me some tips as to what I should try to do get ride of that algea and make my plants look better.

Thanks
Tankedfish


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Reduce the KNO3 down to 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon range.
Add K2SO4 at 1 teaspoon after water change only.

These will not help the algae, but you don't need this much.

Algae:
Green dust.
Wipe off casrefully when doing a large water change with paper towel and be careful, not to lose any green algae back in the water.

Throw away.

Vacuum good after cleaning. Be quick about it.
Repeat this for the next few days (2-3) and then see if the algae comes back or not. If you reduce the biomass way down and do the water changes often, the algae will take a good beating.

Each time you wipe it off, unless you remove it, it'll come right back and land on the glass again. 

So it comes back in a few minutes to hours.
Annoying, but harmless to plants.

Pull the light back from the glass or bend the reflectors away will help also.
Blackouts have helped after cleaning it off good a few times.

Several folks did fine by not doing water changes and removing every few days and after a couple of weeks, it went away on it's own.

I've always had trouble keeping long enough to do anything with it but I've seen on going cases in other folk's tanks locally here. 

Elbow grease and attacking it mercilessly for a few days seems to do the trick.

Remove algae and make life hard for it.
This does not require pruning or messing with plants or decore, just the glass.

I'd imagine Excel or H2O2 may hurt it some also.
I have not found any critter that will eat it all, some will munch, but none have removed and eradicated it.

So there are 3 or so ways to attack and harass it back.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Thanks alot for your reponse Tom. I really appreciate all you your efforts in helping us who have a few bugs to take of in our tanks. I will most defenately change my dosing regime to suit what you have suggested and see what that will bring me. 

As for the algea I will try and keep up the battle and take your advice on the methodes that you have posted and hopefully kick the green stuff away. I am hopefull that I can see some results in the few weeks that will follow. I'll keep an update on my success (hopefully) LOL. 

Once again thank you!

Tankedfish


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