# Algae help needed



## Garmoni (Dec 24, 2003)

I have been battling an algae problem for the last several months. It is predominantly covering plant leaves but also builds occasionally on the glass. It’s brown in color and comes off easy when rubbed. When I rub it off the leaves it looks like a cloud of smoke as it drifts away. Any idea what this is?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Sounds like Diatom (Brown Dust) Algae. This is common in new tank setups but doesn't usually last more than a month or so. I have had it last considerably longer in lower light, non-CO2 tanks.

Can you give us some more info about you tank like lighting levels, fertilization routine, substrate, etc?


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## Garmoni (Dec 24, 2003)

Brown dust is a good description. A month or so ago I took a leaf with the algae on it to my local fish store and the guy I spoke with indicated that he thought it was diatom. How do you get rid of this stuff?

Well I wish I could say it’s a result of a new tank set up but unfortunately that’s not the case. This is very established tank. It’s a 180, fully planted, co2 injected, ph controlled, and well lit. The substrate is nothing special, just tank gravel. I run 4 x 96 watt power compact bulbs and 2 x 30 watt regular bulbs. The pc bulbs were changed a month or so ago but well after the problem started. The 30 watt bulbs are old. 

I do not dose ferts which I’m guessing is not a popular approach with many here but keep in mind I was somehow able to maintain balance for years with out them. 

In the past would I would have rated my maintenance schedule fair to good. Weekly water changes at least ¼ of the tank. Over the last year or so my attention to maintenance has dropped (now have two kids under the age of 3). Water changes are not as consistent. Sometimes they may go two weeks. Sometimes I try to make up for that and do two changes in a week. 

Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated. The tank is in a very prominent place in the house and I’m getting pressure from my wife to sell it. Not sure I’m ready to take that kind of action yet.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Amano shrimp would most likely clear out that algae in a week. I put about 6 in a 120 gallon tank several years ago, hoping to get rid of brown algae which mostly collected on the substrate. In a week I never saw the shrimp, but the substrate and leaves were largely algae free. In a month, they were algae free and I still hadn't seen the shrimp. Later I became a more skilled Amano Shrimp Hunter, so I learned they were all still there.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

My kids are 5 and 2 so I totally understand the child situation and lack of maintenance issue!

Diatom algae usually goes away on it's own. About the only time I have ever gotten diatom algea in a tank other than a new setup was when I increased the light level. This happened to both my 75g and a 10g low tech tank. Otocinclus will eat it and it looks like Amano Shrimp will too. 

I wonder if your lack of maintenance was the trigger that caused it? With less then 3wpg in my 75g tank, I've never been able to go much more than a week without fertilizing without getting some sort of algae, though not diatoms. Do you happen to have nitrates or phosphates in your water supply? The weekly water changes you were doing before may have been enough when combined with fish food/waste. About the only thing I see that has changed in your tank is the lack of consistency in maintenance. 

Where do you live? I'm in the market for a 180g tank if the wife makes you get rid of it ;-)


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## Garmoni (Dec 24, 2003)

I have had thoughts of possible low nitrate levels. Here is my rationale. I used to have discus. They are larger fish and I was feeding the entire tank with an almost 100% frozen food diet. Don’t have those large fish any more. Just community fish and now I feed flake food. Although I have been away from the chemistry end of this hobby for awhile I’m thinking I have no where near the nitrate levels I used to have. 

I’m thinking about the following game plan. I cleaned the tank well today dusting off as much of the algae as I could and changed 1/3 of the water. Plan to leave the lights off the tank all week and dose a little nitrate each morning. Plan to do a few water changes this week and then at the end of the week add new plants (possibly some fast growers depending on what the fish store has). I currently run the lights 10 hours a day. When I turn them back on next week I’m thinking I may reduce that to 8. Please share your thoughts and provide additional direction if needed.

Matt, I’m in Columbus so it looks like a transaction would be feasible. Would you be interested in the whole set up or just the tank?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Ahh, with Discus you probably didn't need to add any fertilizers to the tank as the fish waste and feeding probably provided plenty of nutrients for the plants.

If it were me, I would leave the lights on (maybe reduce the photoperiod to 8 hours like you suggested) and add some nitrates and phosphates to the tank. Of course, this would depend on how your wife reacts to the tank  I don't know how the plants will react to a week without light...it may actually worsen the situation since the plants will need to recover somewhat after having no light for that length of time. There really isn't much sense in adding NO3 to the tank if you plan on leaving the lights off.

What kind of filtration do you have on the tank? If you have a Magnum 350 or HOT Magnum (or can borrow one for the week) you should be able to get by with a daily "fluffiing" of the plants to suspend the algae and let the micron cartridge filter out the diatoms. This should greatly reduce or eliminate the need for any time consuming water changes this week. 

Adding new plants would help if you can get submersed growth. Most of the stuff I have seen around Columbus (AA, PetSmart, PetLand, Jacks, etc) seems to be emmersed growth and those plants will take some time to acclimate to submersed conditions. Get your plants from a hobbyist in the area if you can. CAFE has a good website and there are usually a few people offering plants for sale. Stick with Hygro species if you want some fast growers.

As far as the tank is concerned I'm really just looking for a tank, stand and lights. I hope to set up a Tanganyikan tank in the next month or two (mainly Neolamprologus pulcher 'Daffodil' and some Julidochromis sp.) but if the price is right I would consider the whole setup. I'm sure I can find a SWOAPE member or two who would be interested in some CO2 equipment and lights. However, I think if you start to fertilize and get some more plants in the tank you will beat back this algae problem in the near future


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## Garmoni (Dec 24, 2003)

Thanks for the direction. The lights will come back on tonight and I will start the nitrate addition. Does fertilizer go bad? I have KNO3 already mixed in a dispensing bottle. My records show it was mixed back in 2004. I’m thinking about dumping that and mixing up some more. Does the powder go bad? It’s just as old. 

Unfortunately I did not keep good notes on the mixing ratio so I have two questions. How many table spoons of KNO3 would you add to a 500 ml bottle and then how many ml of solution should I start to dose to 180 gallons. I’m thinking I added 3 tbs to 500 ml and then dosed 10 to 20 ml in the past. Does that sound about right?

I run two Ehiem canister filters on the tank. Neither of them have any type of cartridge in them but they do have the white filter floss. Is that the same thing? Will have to get you a list of everything on the tank to get a ball park figure from ya. At a minimum if you are not interested in everything it would help me get a feel for what to list it at if I go that route.


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## aley1511 (Apr 23, 2007)

hoppycalif said:


> Amano shrimp would most likely clear out that algae in a week. I put about 6 in a 120 gallon tank several years ago, hoping to get rid of brown algae which mostly collected on the substrate. In a week I never saw the shrimp, but the substrate and leaves were largely algae free. In a month, they were algae free and I still hadn't seen the shrimp. Later I became a more skilled Amano Shrimp Hunter, so I learned they were all still there.


Otos also love to eat that type of algae


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