# planted tank algae issue



## WhiteDevil (May 7, 2009)

Hi again.


Ive searched and nothing really answered what I was looking for.

I have a tank with algae issues.

My 52g planted has algae all over the glass, my rubblernose and BNP did nothing for this, the otos didnt much either. I am loaded with MTS in this tank and they go around this stuff. 

lighting is 2x40W 6500K
substrate is plain jane flourite
no Co2
Dosing excel 5ml/day
if anything it came on stronger with excel


What can I do to combat this stuff


My lights are on for 24hrs

Tank is established and planted well, not much room to plant more without removing hardscaping.

Filtration is a penguin 660R w/ sponge RUGF system and a AC70 HOB and an AC20 powerhead for cirrculation.


Thanks

Anything else let me know what I left off

Water parameters are fine, havnt had any changes in the readings in well over 10 months.


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Cut back on the lights? 24 hrs of light is... wayyyy over what ANY tank should have IMO.


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## WhiteDevil (May 7, 2009)

I meant 12hrs, sorry, On at 730am off at 730pm


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## mos90 (Jul 7, 2009)

12 hours may still be too much light for a tank with no c02. im still tring to get mine right to get brown hair algae under control. im down to 7 hours at 1.8wpg cf, and i use co2 and ei dosing. 

u could try a 3 day blackout, then clean up some dead algae, try 8 hours to start. it cant hurt. more light requires more co2. 

is your algae just green spot on the glass? if so then just scrape it off,do water change and cut lights back. no need for blackout. blackouts seem to be the only way to kill brown hair beside tearing the tank down.


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## DVS (Nov 20, 2005)

Nitrate levels? PO4 levels? Do you dose traces at all? This is nothing but a guess at this point but I wouldn't be surprised if one or more nutrients haven't bottomed out.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm definitely with DVS on this one. I wouldn't mind knowing your full dosing routine (NPK and micros), your target PPM's and so on. Low PO4 makes life easier for GSA; 3-5ppm seems to keep the stuff in check. While it doesn't go away or stop growing completely on glass and hardscape, it's slowed to a very manageable pace.

-Philosophos


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## aquatic_clay (Aug 17, 2009)

Try cutting your lights to 8 to 10 hours a day and that should help. If you're like me and like to have the lights on when you leave for work and then come home you could just add a 2 hour break in the middle of your photo period.

Keep dosing your excel it will kill algae very quickly. You could even dose double what your dosing now and be fine. You may also want to try spot treating the algae using excel with a medicine dropper. Just turn off your filter and powerheads for about 15 minutes and use the dropper to nail the algae.

What are you dosing for ferts? The issue might be with nutrients but I think the lighting is the main suspect.

Clay


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

Yeah I would agreet with 8 to 10 hours for lights. At the same time add much less what ever fert. you added in and start adding it only when your plants needed it.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

armedbiggiet said:


> Yeah I would agreet with 8 to 10 hours for lights. At the same time add much less what ever fert. you added in and start adding it only when your plants needed it.


Why less fertilizer? Many of us just keep our plants in a column full of non-limiting nutrients using water changes to prevent excessive buildup that's toxic to fish. Algae is not a problem in tanks where I and many others have done this.

-Philosophos


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## aquatic_clay (Aug 17, 2009)

Since your tank is 1.5 watts per gallon and no co2 I would look in to the diana walstead(pretty sure I spelled that wrong)/el natural method of keeping low tech tanks. If I was on a computer instead of posting from my cell phone I would add a link to the site. I remember seeing some pretty good info about this method on aquaticeden.com also just a quick google search will pull up loads of info that will help you out.

Clay


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

Philosophos said:


> Why less fertilizer? Many of us just keep our plants in a column full of non-limiting nutrients using water changes to prevent excessive buildup that's toxic to fish. Algae is not a problem in tanks where I and many others have done this.
> 
> -Philosophos


Why less fertilizer? 
I think to help get thinks into balance. Though there are people like me that have problems with fertilizers and algae. That's why I went to the Walsted method.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

But that's just it... Diana doesn't advocate limiting nutrients either as far as I'm aware. The issue is more one of nutrients proportionate to demands than it is of nutrient excess. Algae is far more adaptable than plants; if plants are limited by a nutrient, there is at least one algae that can easily take advantage of the situation where they can not. Rather than too much nutrients, look to too few nutrients, to little CO2, or too much light. Everything is driven by light levels when it comes to SAM's and algae.

I've got a tank sitting around that I've dosed at EI levels under low tech conditions; algae is definitely not a problem. How could this tank exist if excess nutrients cause algae?

-Philosophos


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

The thing is, in the Walsted method, that the majority of the avaliable nutrients are in the soil and there for harder for algae to access. Thats neither here nor there.... I think the idea is that the lighting in this tank maybe insufficient in comparison to the amount of ferts offered.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

No, the idea of limiting column nutrients is your own. I have never seen a shred of evidence showing that a tank with high nutrients and yet adequate CO2 levels for the given amount of light will cause algae blooms. Diana's book doesn't agree with you either.

Check page 105 of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium and the table of critical concentrations, as well as page 78 for how it relates to the nutrients food provide. Check her statements on page 160 regarding phosphate removal and the fact that even when PO4 limitation was popular, she said it was not relevant. Go check page 164 where it clearly states that algae can take up nutrients from the column with greater efficiency. These are concepts you're going to find echoed by just about every major figure in the hobby today.

I really want to know where all these "excess column nutrients = algae" ideas are coming from. Everyone espousing it seems to credit Diana, but this clearly isn't what I've seen advocated by her or any other major figure in the hobby. The only exception would be the ADA line of products, and I watch algae happen in ADA spec tanks exactly as I'd expect for a nutrient limited column with high sediment under high light.

-Philosophos


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## aquatic_clay (Aug 17, 2009)

In my aquariums the only time I've ever had algae problems is when I haven't dosed enough nutrients. When I start dosing more the algae will go away since the plants start to out compete the algae.

Clay


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## snail_chen (Dec 4, 2009)

definitely not light on for 24 hrs! Plants need rests but algae don't!


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