# Advice needed with algae problem



## irishspy (Feb 7, 2003)

Hello. My name is Anthony and I have an algae problem. :drinkers:

So, after several months with little to know algae, in the last few weeks it's really taken off in my tanks. There are three types I've spotted. Green spot, Green Fuzz, and Green Beard. It's a very Green tank. ound:

Here are a couple of photos.

Green fuzz and green spot:









Green beard:









The green fuzz has mostly attacked my alternanthera, which was once a lovely red, now a bilious green, It seemingly came out of nowhere over the span of about ten days and mostly covered it. 

The green beard is weird stuff: I've never encountered that grows of the substrate before. It first appeared on some drift wood months ago, but that's since vanished. However it grows in large patches on the substrate --for example at the base of my e. tenellus-- and sometimes I find patches growing amongst leaves. Am I right to suspect it likes low-flow areas?

Anyway, I ran tests on my aquarium and tap water. Here's the data:

Tap as of 8/10 (after sitting 24 hours):
PH 7.6
NH3 <.25
NO2 0.0
NO3 <= 5
GH 7-8
KH 3
PO4 0.0

Aquarium as of 8/7, after a water change (a week ago, but the readings have been stable):
PH 7.4
NH3 0.0
NO2 0.0
NO3 0-5ppm (and I'd bet on zero from the chart)
GH 8
KH 3-4
PO4 0-0.25
Free Iron <= 0-.1
Chelated Iron .25-.5

The test kits were an API Master kit and a Nutrafin iron test.

Hardware:
20-long tank
Aquaclear 50 and 20 filters, one at each end of the rear wall of the tank. The 50 has sponge, purigen, and biomedia. The 20 has sponge and biomedia.
Finnex Planted+ LED, on eight hours a day. Distance from light to substrate about 12 inches.
40 pounds of Eco-complete substrate.
100 watt Visitherm heater
Fertilization is liquid: I dose the whole Seachem line including Iron and follow the instructions on the bottles. (I may soon be switching to Aquarium Co-op's "Easy Green" to replace much of the Seachem and cut expenses.)
The tank gets a 20% water change every week. It's been running since February, has had fish and plants since April.

Inhabitants:
11 neon tetras
6 adult platys and a bunch of fry, soon to be moved to another tank.
5 amano shrimp
2 otocinclus
Numerous tiny snails.

Plants:
Cardamine Lyrata (grows like a weed)
Ludwigia repens (grows fast)
Hygrophila corymbosa stricta (slow grower)
Echinodorus tenellus, Narrow Leaf (spreading nicely)
Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia (slow grower)
Marsilea hirsuta (mostly gone)

So, I'm open to suggestions and advice. I think I've done generally well with this tank, but something is out of whack, and I'd like to get it to the pretty aquatic garden it was a few weeks ago. For now I've upped the Excel to 3ml daily to see if it will retard the algae, and I've just test 2-3ml of hydrogen peroxide on a patch of the green beard algae to see if it has any effect.

My theories:
Nitrogen starvation
Carbon starvation
A combination of the two
Evil spirits

Thanks much in advance! :yo:


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## NYC (Jun 28, 2016)

Less light, more co2, better flow will stop algae.... be careful with excel and h202. It melts certain plants. Rarer plants...

H202 diluted is not bad for spot treatment. Never dump.into tank unless your just growing anubias and swords....


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## irishspy (Feb 7, 2003)

NYC said:


> Less light, more co2, better flow will stop algae.... be careful with excel and h202. It melts certain plants. Rarer plants...
> 
> H202 diluted is not bad for spot treatment. Never dump.into tank unless your just growing anubias and swords....


Thanks. The H2O2 was just for spot treatment of the worst outbreaks. Seems promising, so far.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Very low NO3 and PO4.

Rex Grigg Guide to Algae Control: http://rotalabutterfly.com/rex-grigg/Algae1.html

It's a balancing act between, light strength and duration, filtration, water changes and fertilization.

Read the entire thread: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/algae/89126-organics-analysis.html


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I have only Walstad tanks, and so do almost no fertilization or Excel. But I do have a Finnex Planted Plus fixture over a 75 gallon tank, and a 20 long (like yours) with the much less powerful Stingray over it. Based on PAR measurements and personal experience, I think the Planted Plus is too much light for a 20 long, especially with the relatively undemanding plants you have.


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## irishspy (Feb 7, 2003)

Thanks for the advice and links, folks! :hail:


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