# algae



## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

I have a little too much algae in my tank. The algae on the rocks does not bother me as it makes everything look more natural. Algae on the glass is easy to clean so NP there. My problem is the algae growing on my crushed coral gravel. How do I get this off! Will a BN pleco clean the gravel? I have cut my feedings to 1x per day and cut light back too. I have also been doing a 30% WC every 3 days. The tank is cycled, 40g with 3 2 inch mbuna. Nitrates are low with all the WC.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I have not had great experiences with cleaner creatures cleaning the gravel. But that's because the 2 kinds of algae I had on the gravel won't get eaten by cleaner creatures. What kind of algae is it?

My pleco and nerites won't eat hair algae off the gravel. In another tank I have cyanobacteria(blue-green algae) that I struggle on and off with since it's a low nitrate planted tank. No one eats this algae.

They can be kept under control, but I've had to turn to other means than cleaner creatures.


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## car0linab0y (Aug 10, 2009)

BN's will probably work. Mine are small, so my dems haven't given them a shot at the gravel yet. In fact, they have to hide up around the filters the whole time the lights are on.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

I have no idea what kind of algae it is. When it first started growing it was bright green but the more that grew it turned brownish green. I can rub it off the glass with my fingers but it is tough and feels more rough than slimy. The water is crystal clear also.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sounds like hair algae. How low are your nitrates? You might want to let them increase a little. You want at least 10ppm in the tank at all times.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

I looked up hair algae and it does not look like it to me. There are no filaments or appendages so to speak. It is flat and I can barely feel it on the glass, feels like roughed up plastic or even roughly sanded wood. I can not feel it on the rocks at all only see it. It looks bright green when it first begins to colonize an area of the tank but quickly turns a brownish green, like a thin layer of mud. Raising nitrates wont be hard, I skipped the WC last night so they should be up above 10 ppm by the next WC.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Cyanobacteria (a.k.a. blue-green algae and slime algae)?


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Nope, not slimy. I think I found it on this site (which was very helpful) 
http://www.guitarfish.org/algae

Green dust algae. It looks just like this. I scrubbed it off the glass last night and it actually looked and felt like baby powder, like it was dry underwater, weird. Anyway, looks to be harmless and finite so only a problem of aesthetics at this point I guess.


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## robertw (Aug 6, 2009)

I am having the same issue. It just means I have to clean the tank more often than before. I noticed a growth spike with this algae, the brown algae and green algae, when I upgraded my lighting for my plants. Before I had a 40w light, now I have a 110w. I have no idea how to slow down the growth, as it is on my glass, rocks, and substrate.

Anyone have any ideas?


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## 98vols (Aug 10, 2009)

I too am looking for a cure for this. I always had brown algae untill I upgraded my lighting from a 1 bulb standard lamp to a 2 bulb high end blue and white setup and then it turned green started out almost floresent. I love the way it looks on the rocks and caves but the glass and coral it is driving me nuts. I am going to leave my light off for a few days and see what happens.


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## robertw (Aug 6, 2009)

98vols said:


> I too am looking for a cure for this. I always had brown algae untill I upgraded my lighting from a 1 bulb standard lamp to a 2 bulb high end blue and white setup and then it turned green started out almost floresent. I love the way it looks on the rocks and caves but the glass and coral it is driving me nuts. I am going to leave my light off for a few days and see what happens.


Seems like no one has any answers on this. I tried keeping my lights off during the day when I'm not home, and just keeping them on when I am home, and still the algae persists on spreading. It's even on my spill way for my aqua clear. I will be doing an extensive cleaning this weekend, equating to a massive water change, filter cleaning, and vacuuming up some sand that has the algae on it as well.

If anyone knows how to get rid of this algae or how to manage it please let me know.

Thanks.


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## Cichlidaevid (Jul 27, 2009)

In my experience, the brown algae always wound up turning into red hair algae. It starts off as a brown "powder" that easily wipes off. In my tanks, it would propogate on every surface exposed to the light. If left alone, over the course of a few months, it would turn dark maroon red color and begin getting "fuzzy" with hairs.

I started using a phosphate removal media pouch and it greatly slowed it down. Apparenly my 50% weekly water changes were introducing phosphates into the tank at alarming rates. (Most municipal water supplies have phosphates in them).

While the PhosGard slowed the growth, the only thing that eliminated it completely was a good thorough cleaning and then the introduction of a few albino bristlenose plecos (or non-albino bristlenose plecos...whichever you prefer). I continued to use the phosphate removal media just to be sure that the algae didn't get a foot hold, and to ensure that the plecos could keep up.

The other thing I would recommend is that you be sure you replace your fluorescent lighting annually. After about 12 months, the bulbs still burn, but don't produce the proper light temperature and can exascerbate the algae problem. (I use a 50/50 coralife bulb that looks great and enhances the blue in the fish without looking like an actinic bulb)

Good Luck. Follow my advice and let me know what happens.


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## car0linab0y (Aug 10, 2009)

Cichlidaevid said:


> ...The other thing I would recommend is that you be sure you replace your fluorescent lighting annually. After about 12 months, the bulbs still burn, but don't produce the proper light temperature and can exascerbate the algae problem...


Is there a certain light temp range green algae prefer as opposed to brown/red?


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## Cichlidaevid (Jul 27, 2009)

car0linab0y said:


> Cichlidaevid said:
> 
> 
> > ...The other thing I would recommend is that you be sure you replace your fluorescent lighting annually. After about 12 months, the bulbs still burn, but don't produce the proper light temperature and can exascerbate the algae problem...
> ...


I see you have 19 demasonis in the tank. If this is the case, I would highly recommend using the 50/50 type bulb. (50% daylight and 50% blue actinic). It will make the dems look incredible without casting a blue tint on the tank. The other 50% daylight should grow plenty of algae for you in time.


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## car0linab0y (Aug 10, 2009)

running 6500k right now. got a few specks of green, then a few specks of brown, next thing I know half the tank is brown.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Check out this thread on algae scrubbers--just found it a few days ago and it might be worth trying. 
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=330606


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