# Algae Problems!



## Chondro (Apr 12, 2006)

My tank has been set up for about 2 months. While some things (gloss) weren't growing as fast as I would have liked, things were going along just fine. Within the last month, algae has started to take over. About 2 weeks ago I got 6 rasboras, but prior to that, the only fish was 1 oto cat. Yesterday I added 6 shrimp, but I'm not sure if they are the right kind... anyone know?... and 3 more otos.

Plan to do a large water change tomorrow... should I try to remove as much algae as I can by hand? Will the ottos and those shrimp help with the types of algae I have? What kinds do I have? There is some hairy stuff over alot of it, and my riccia has been overtaken by a green slime... should I just trim it back as far as I can & cut the algae?

20H
DIY CO2
Aquaclear 300
65watt CF

Sorry for all the questions. Any suggestions are welceme.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

It is normal for newly setup tanks to have algae outbreaks.

Could you tell us about your water parametersH, KH, N03 & P04 levels. _What ferts are you dosing and what is the schedule/amounts?... How long are the lights on daily?_

The thing is to keep a well balanced tank to keep the algae at bay.

Each time you do a water change remove as much by hand as possible.


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

Are you fertilizing?


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## Round Head (Feb 28, 2006)

I have the same problem with hairy algae too.
It was so bad that I had to remove all of the plants to trim them down and replant. So I am very interested in this topic.


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## Chondro (Apr 12, 2006)

PH = 6.9 - 7.0
Ammonia & Nitrite = 0
GH & KH = <1 (I have very soft water right out of the tap)
Have not added any ferts thusfar
Lights are on for about 10 hrs a day, but I was thinking of cutting back to 7-8 for the next few weeks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

With the amount of light you have you will need to dose NPK and traces to avoid algae growth. Your CO2 isn't doing much because the plants will only grow as fast as the least available nutrient will allow. Do some searching on the fertilizer forum for EI to get you started. You can get the fertilizers you need very cheaply from Greg Watson. Once you have them and figure out the amounts to dose, you need to physically remove as much of the algae and algae infested leaves as you can. Then start over with regular fertilizing and good CO2 maintenance and you will be on your way to controlling the algae.
Or, you can reduce the light intensity and go el Natural - see that forum for more information.


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## Chondro (Apr 12, 2006)

thanks for the advice.... exactly which products do I need to get? should I cut down on the light time in the mean time?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Chondro said:


> thanks for the advice.... exactly which products do I need to get? should I cut down on the light time in the mean time?


I use KNO3 for nitrate and potassium, KH2PO4 for phosphate, and CSM+B for traces. You could also use Seachem's Flourish Excel as a supplemental carbon source. Please do read up on the estimative index method of fertilizing. And, yes, I would suggest reducing lighting for now.


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