I have a 20 long planted tank with cherry shrimp, dwarf crayfish(shufeltii), dwarf mud crabs, white cloud minnows, an oto, and a butterfly loach. I am working on having it heavily planted and have a lot of different types of plants including java moss, crypt, subwassertang, wisteria, najas grass, water sprite, and some other stuff. I’ve been battling this type of algae that covers the plants and driftwood. I stopped liquid ferts (was using seachem flourish at a half dose 1/week) and installed a timer for a more reliable lighting schedule (11.5 hours per day currently) but this stuff is still taking over. It seems to suffocate the leaves it covers and becomes completely covered in small bubbles. I’ve been rubbing it off where i see it and doing twice weekly water changes. What type of algae is this and how do i control it? The shrimp and crayfish seem to be eating it as it becomes free floating after a tank cleaning. I’ve been removing hair algae from the filter output at least once a week and don’t know if this is related or the same type of algae. There’s also a film on the top of the water despite a steady current from the filter. Any help?
