# Fastest Way to Grow Algae on Rocks?



## TCP

I was wanting to grow GREEN (not brown :lol: ) algae on my rocks..... I only leave the lights on for approximately 10 - 12 hours a day due to my schedule.

If I could, I am trying to achieve the goal as shown in the pic below....

*This is GTZ's tank..... all credit goes to him!) :wink: *










Thanks in Advance,
TCP


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## Nodalizer

I think a lot of the credit will go to those rocks also. If you get those rocks green algae is a lot easier, have one or two of those in my tank, they always have the most green algae.


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## skurj

It often starts brown and will slowly be displaced by green over a few months with enough lighting. My oldest tank is only a little over 3 months old, not alot of green in there yet, but it did go brown at first and then steadily green took over. I have swapped my rockwork around a lot or it would be much greener. 
Oh and thats with BN plecos.


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## TCP

Thanks for the input 

I have lace rock in one and these big granite chunks in another heres a pic:

I really want green algae on these!










**I do have one of those chinese algae eaters - not a pleco...*


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## JimA

Give it time and the green may show up. That being said with a chinese "algae" eater, it may not be around long. :lol:


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## TCP

JimA said:


> That being said with a chinese "algae" eater, it may not be around long. :lol:


Why not?


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## brandon O

i have that growing on some of mine and my bristlenoses don't eat it.


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## GTZ

The rocks are now completely covered, but, there's brown algae making it's way over the rocks. We'll see how it goes, in the past it has pretty much taken over but those were smooth beach rocks, perhaps these will be different.
The sig pic was taken about a month after I added those rocks.


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## JimA

TCP said:


> JimA said:
> 
> 
> 
> That being said with a chinese "algae" eater, it may not be around long. :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> Why not?
Click to expand...

 If I am understanding you right you want to grow algae? Yet you have a fish in your tank that eats it. So call me crazy but it seems to me it being the algae wont be around long if the chinese algae eater is doing his job.

Unless of course the chinese algae eater does not eat algae then I would say somebody named it wrong??


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## DJRansome

I'm watching this thread to see if anyone has a different experience. For me that lovely touch of green is but a short stop on the way to a raging algae forest, and green becomes black (red or brown too) brush algae.

So...I don't try for green anymore...I plant the tanks to keep it all away as much as possible.


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## bernie comeau

TCP said:


> I was wanting to grow GREEN (not brown :lol: ) algae on my rocks..... I only leave the lights on for approximately 10 - 12 hours a day due to my schedule.


Plug your lights into a timer; 14-18 hrs. of light a day will accelerate growth. Looking at the pic of your tank it doesn't apear to be brightly lit. T8's or T5's will provide more light for the amount of power being used.

CAE is a very active and effecient algae eater. With out any algae to begin with, a CAE may very well prevent algae from taking a foothold, at least for a very long time. you might have to remove it for some time, until the algae becomes more developed.

Some of us actually like BBA!(Black Brush Algae) :lol: A pleco and CAE are not 'goats'. They prefer new growth and only occasionally eat up and eliminate older growth. They will control it, but certainly not eliminate it. Actually in my tanks they eat a little more of it then I would like.....but with out an algae eater, it grows 'out of control' to the point that algae will begin to rot away.
Here's a pic from my 180 gal. showing the bare bottom fiberglass coated with a mat of BBA:








The rocks as well are covered. It is trimmed continuesly by a pleco and CAE and does not grow nearly as long as it does with out any algae eaters in the tank. The growth of it tends to follow current, and the very top parts of the walls of the tank are completely bare of it because of the continous action of the algae eaters. Those that claim that algae eaters do not eat the stuff have the unrealistic expectation that algae eaters are suposed to completely eliminate the stuff. Even many cichlids will graze on it and consume a fair amount of it now and then. Of course i still have to clean the front glass with a spunge scraper oncde a week with every water change, otherwise the tank will begin to look very 'dirty'.


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## Mike_G

Exposure to real sunlight for an hour a day will grow the heck out of algae

I tried to locate my tank where it wouldn't get direct sunlight, but I hadn't counted on the glass-framed picture in another room reflecting the sun directly on my tank :roll:


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## TCP

Thanks everyone for your replies! 



GTZ said:


> The rocks are now completely covered, but, there's brown algae making it's way over the rocks. We'll see how it goes, in the past it has pretty much taken over but those were smooth beach rocks, perhaps these will be different.
> The sig pic was taken about a month after I added those rocks.


What kind of bulbs are you using?



bernie comeau said:


> Plug your lights into a timer; 14-18 hrs. of light a day will accelerate growth. Looking at the pic of your tank it doesn't apear to be brightly lit. T8's or T5's will provide more light for the amount of power being used.


I have a ZooMed 50/50 Reef-Sun florescent tube in the light fixture... 6500K daylight and 420 actinic (blue effect :wink: ) In person the tank is about 50-60% brighter than what the picture shows 8)

*Scratch the thing I said about algae eaters.... I was talking about two different tanks  So, what I am trying to say is I am just focusing on this tank for now :roll: *


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## bernie comeau

TCP said:


> I have a ZooMed 50/50 Reef-Sun florescent tube in the light fixture... 6500K daylight and 420 actinic (blue effect :wink: )


How many watts and what is the dimensions of the tank? These are T5 flourescent tubes?
What's in the tank for fish?

My own beleif is that more of an empasis on the red spectrum (yellowish lights) in comparison to more bluish lights will tend to grow most algae better. But even so, if the light is strong, and some nutrients are there, some kind of algae will usually do well.

Then again, sometimes it's just a matter of time for algae to take hold.


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## TCP

bernie comeau said:


> How many watts and what is the dimensions of the tank? These are T5 flourescent tubes?


17 Watts not a T5 I think..... and a 40 gallon tank...



bernie comeau said:


> What's in the tank for fish?


nothing....... :lol: trying to get it how I like it before I add fish.


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## bernie comeau

TCP said:


> nothing....... :lol:


Well there is your problem right there :lol: 
Some nutrients, if not just about all nutrients (with the exception of nitrogen if youy have cycled your tank) are going to be limiting for algae growth with just tap water and no fish waste.
If you want the algae to grow before you add any fish, your going to have to use some fertilizer. Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, sulfur, plus micro nutrients. Any one of these lacking severely, will limit or even prevent algae growth. Carefull if you do decide to use a fertilizer, that you don't go over board......you may end up with floating algae and green water.

17 watts total? Even if they are T5's, that may not grow algae too well, depending on how much of the light is plant available. Usually you would probably need twice that or more to grow algae well in a 40 gal., depending as well on the height of the tank.


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## TCP

bernie comeau said:


> TCP said:
> 
> 
> 
> nothing....... :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> Well there is your problem right there :lol:
> Some nutrients, if not just about all nutrients (with the exception of nitrogen if youy have cycled your tank) are going to be limiting for algae growth with just tap water and no fish waste.
> If you want the algae to grow before you add any fish, your going to have to use some fertilizer. Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, sulfur, plus micro nutrients. Any one of these lacking severely, will limit or even prevent algae growth. Carefull if you do decide to use a fertilizer, that you don't go over board......you may end up with floating algae and green water.
> 
> 17 watts total? Even if they are T5's, that may not grow algae too well, depending on how much of the light is plant available. Usually you would probably need twice that or more to grow algae well in a 40 gal., depending as well on the height of the tank.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all your help, I think I will just wait until I get fish in there :wink:

I did put some of API's LEAF ZONE in there but I don't know if that will do anything :roll:


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## JimA

I had the brown diatoms for ever till I changed lights to one 6500k and one acitnic. Within a week plus I had green growing. Downfall you ask? Cleaning the glass once a week if not more it became a pain in the arse after awhile. 
I did have a nice green carpet going though with fish grazing to keep it down. I then switched to the LED lights and the algae on the glass is not an issue anymore but still provides enough light for it to grow on the rocks. I do agree what others said you need to get fish in there and up the wattage. The light I used was a haggen GlO light I don't remember the wattage but pretty sure it was fairly high.


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## GTZ

TCP said:


> What kind of bulbs are you using?


2xT5HO 6500K 54W each.
1xT5 6500K 28W
1xT5 Actinic 28W
They run 10 hours daily.


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## TCP

TCP said:


> I did put some of API's LEAF ZONE in there but I don't know if that will do anything Eye Roll


So will this do anything opcorn:

Thanks again for the help :wink:

------------------------
TCP


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## bernie comeau

TCP said:


> TCP said:
> 
> 
> 
> I did put some of API's LEAF ZONE in there but I don't know if that will do anything Eye Roll
> 
> 
> 
> So will this do anything opcorn:
Click to expand...

Well that is Iron and Potassium. What about Phosphorous, Sulfer and every other micro-nutrient besides Iron? I am assuming, of course, that you have cycled your tank with a fishless cycle and should have suffecient Nitrogen(?).

Once you have some fish and get some fish waste, with the amount of light that you have in your tank, I doubt Potassium nor Iron would be a limiting nutrient. Certainly Nitrogen won't be....it seldom is in most aquariums :lol: Once you have fish, and get fish waste, there would likely never be a need to even consider adding ANY nutrient to the tank, unless you provide a lot more light.


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## vann59

I'm sure no expert on plants, but I know that green algae likes a high pH. So keeping the water pH high, along with calciferous rocks, which are high in pH, as opposed to something more inert and neutral, along with enough of the right type of light, will surely help.


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## aquariam

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n88/ ... 0001-3.mp4

Before adding fish I dosed the **** out of this tank with multivitamins. Once there were fish once a week I'd add a multivitamin.


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## TCP

aquariam said:


> multivitamins.


 :-?


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## cgmark

Fastest way I have found, put some epsom salt crystals directly on top of the rocks. Green algae seems to love the stuff.


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## TCP

cgmark said:


> Fastest way I have found, put some epsom salt crystals directly on top of the rocks. Green algae seems to love the stuff.


Hmmm.... Ill try that and see if it works


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## smiller

DJRansome said:


> I'm watching this thread to see if anyone has a different experience. For me that lovely touch of green is but a short stop on the way to a raging algae forest, and green becomes black (red or brown too) brush algae.
> 
> So...I don't try for green anymore...I plant the tanks to keep it all away as much as possible.


Isn't that the truth! I want my tank without a spot of algae in it if possible.

Anyone who wants algae has never had algae.


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## underwatergirl

smiller said:


> DJRansome said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm watching this thread to see if anyone has a different experience. For me that lovely touch of green is but a short stop on the way to a raging algae forest, and green becomes black (red or brown too) brush algae.
> 
> So...I don't try for green anymore...I plant the tanks to keep it all away as much as possible.
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't that the truth! I want my tank without a spot of algae in it if possible.
> 
> Anyone who wants algae has never had algae.
Click to expand...

So does this mean that tanks that are covered in diatoms should just be cleaned off? I must say, after reading so much about algae (changing brown to green vs not having it at all), it gets to be confusing. I have 2 small bristle nose plecos in my grow out tank until they are large enough to go into the adult tank, but it's my adult 45g that really has the brown coating all over the rocks, somewhat thick on some rocks. I changed lighting to a Zoo Med 10,000K to help change, but nothing has happened after 3 weeks.


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## Kalost

how many hours a day do you have the lights on in your adult tank?


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## DJRansome

Diatoms do not change into algae, but they do tend to grow in new tanks and then die off (months later) when other types of algae start growing.

People who want algae may want it to feed the fish or for the look of it. It is hard to keep it attractive however, so other people just want no algae at all.

I guess the question is, do you want it and why?


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## underwatergirl

Kalost said:


> how many hours a day do you have the lights on in your adult tank?


12, on a timer. It gets a lot of indirect light, but I can open the one drape for some afternoon sun, as shown in the pic.









As you can tell, diatoms are a pain in the butt around substrate. :x


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## underwatergirl

DJRansome said:


> Diatoms do not change into algae, but they do tend to grow in new tanks and then die off (months later) when other types of algae start growing.
> 
> People who want algae may want it to feed the fish or for the look of it. It is hard to keep it attractive however, so other people just want no algae at all.
> 
> I guess the question is, do you want it and why?


Aaah, you may have just answered my question. I thought diatoms were brown algae waiting to turn green with the correct lighting. I don't mind having some green, but this brown stuff is driving me nuts. It's on the glass 3 days after I clean it off. I don't take the rocks out to scrub them, but they do get brushed mildly each week. I'm not against some green.


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## DJRansome

Go ahead and clean it off, no problem.


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## underwatergirl

is there any way to speed up the process? The rocks look awful IMO and cleaning them each week is a nuisance.


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## DJRansome

I have never found a way. Some people swear by bristlenose...how small are the ones in grow-out?

Truthfully, if you have any algae at all in the tanks (post-diatoms) you will still have about the same level of nuisance cleaning it off. Scrape front and sides of the glass, including down into the substrate. Scrub the rocks if you want it off.

What I was trying to say before...the green does not stay short and pretty (or even green)...so you either end up scrubbing it off or trying to starve it out so you don't have ANY algae.


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## underwatergirl

Bristle nose are 1.5" tip to tip. I was afraid the 4" haps and peacocks would beat them up.


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## Galc

I am wondering if you achived this goal?
. Did you suced to grow green algae? What wa the formula?


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## BillD

For what it is worth, a member on another forum who keeps hillstream loaches grew algae on his rocks outside the tank by adding urine to the water and exposing it to sunlight or intense light. You could do the same with a plant fertilizer. If I remember correctly, phosphates encourage algae growth, so you could possibly do that. You could add the fertilizer to the tank, leave the lights on 24/7 to get the algae started and then do a 100% water change before adding fish. Algae will grow if you leave the lights on a long time, even if the light isn't that intense. Of course it will grow faster with brighter light. If you do the rocks in tank, you are likely to get algae all over everything, which you may not want. So, you could place the rocks in a shallow container such as a dish pan, and place a light over it. You could use something as simple as a CFL in a desk lamp. When the algae has started, you can add the rocks to the tank.


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## Galc

BillD said:


> For what it is worth, a member on another forum who keeps hillstream loaches grew algae on his rocks outside the tank by adding urine to the water and exposing it to sunlight or intense light. You could do the same with a plant fertilizer. If I remember correctly, phosphates encourage algae growth, so you could possibly do that. You could add the fertilizer to the tank, leave the lights on 24/7 to get the algae started and then do a 100% water change before adding fish. Algae will grow if you leave the lights on a long time, even if the light isn't that intense. Of course it will grow faster with brighter light. If you do the rocks in tank, you are likely to get algae all over everything, which you may not want. So, you could place the rocks in a shallow container such as a dish pan, and place a light over it. You could use something as simple as a CFL in a desk lamp. When the algae has started, you can add the rocks to the tank.


I was actually wondering if he succeed to grow green algae in tank and what was the appearance and if it was worth doing it. I have Tropheus and I was wondering if I should put light to 10-12hours daily to grow green algae in tank. But I do not know how it would look like and if it worth doing it.


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## BillD

You can grow the algae on rocks outside the tank, so it wouldn't really matter how long it took. Then, you can rotate the rocks through the tank as food. Only you can decide if it is worth it.


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## judyok

Diatoms will disappear on its own, but takes several months. It's usually associatied with a new tank. The only fish I've known that will eat diatoms are otocinclus cats and they will completely clean it up in a few weeks.


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