20 watt CFL too much for my 5g rimless?

[knifegill]

I know that blue-green algae is a bacteria and that I'm basically stuck with it until it decides to go dormant again, but could the hair algae in there be due to too much light? I've got a 20 watt CFL bulb directly on the lid and it is running about 7 hours a day now. Is that too strong or too long? Should I try an ugly yellow 13 watt and see what happens? I heard yellow can actually contribute to algae growth, so what kind of ghetto fix is there for my tank? (lightwise, that is. I'll probably never have enough $ for fertilizer or any more test sets. It's already costing too much as it is...)

 

[FLESHY]

Co2 if done properly could help both.

I had issues with cyano, but I got my co2 dialed in just right, did a lot of pulling it up off the substrate using airline tubing, and won the war.

Its do-able, and in the end will make you love your tank more because you put in the effort to make it look the way it is.

I wouldnt say 20w CFL was too much, I have 40 on my 10g.

 

[knifegill]

Oh, cool. I guess I should read up on CO2 DIY and maybe give it a whirl if it's affordable. Thanks again.

 

[FLESHY]

What is the color of your bulb?

You cant find one in a smaller size with a k rating that you like?

I could sell you some red root floaters if you wanted to dim down the light that got into your tank...I find that floaters work great for people with algae problems. It dims the lights, and pulls nutrients pretty fast, allowing the other plants to adjust and recover.

Dont be afraid to throw some plants out and just start over, I think I did that twice while getting my new tank into the algae free zone that I am in now. Sometimes its not even worth leaving algae covered plants in the tank.

 

[knifegill]

Oh, okay. I can use my water lettuce to block the light a bit. Maybe I'll elevate the lamp off the tank as well.

I could probably find a smaller bulb in the right frequency, just haven't seen one pop up for cheap yet.