Algae growing on specific material

[Caveden]

True but can’t too much algae be bad or certain types cause harm.

Not that I know of, but the algae you have can keep nitrates lower and adds a more natural look to your tank. Personally I find the algae on your decoration nicer looking

 

[Rtc/tsn]

Not that I know of, but the algae you have can keep nitrates lower and adds a more natural look to your tank. Personally I find the algae on your decoration nicer looking

Thanks, I like the different look it gives off. Kinda makes it look aged. And the fish has been picking at it a bit but not much

 

[A201]

Algae will grow in proportion to the amount of nutrients in the environment & duration of light exposure.
Excessive growths of algae can deplete the water column of valuable minerals. I don't believe your algae situation is anywhere near that point.
IMO, a sterile tank devoid of algae looks very amateurish & unappealing.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

True but can’t too much algae be bad or certain types cause harm.

Nope, they absorb nutrients in the water and clean it. Algae can be a symptom of poor water quality, but isn't a cause.

Although, apparently some cyanobacterias can produce toxins. I don't think I've ever heard of it being an issue in aquariums, just in the river near us where it kills a few dogs every year.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

In new tanks, diatoms come up all the time. Mine is always growing back. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to get rid of it besides manual scrubbing. These, along with Black Beard Algae, looks ugly on fake decor. Driftwood and rocks with that look great. I have both diatom and bba in my tank.

 

[Jexnell]

Here a tank beautifully covered in BBA

 

[Toiletcar]

I have found algae beneficial and love the more natural look. Like already said, it’s good for water parameters and my fish graze on it all day long. I’m also using it to aquasacape. Have been trying to grow it as a background for years now. The tank is right by a window that faces directly east. That means intense sunlight in the mornings. I only scrub the front and sides when doing water changes.

 

[C. Breeze]

So if that is diatom like it looks- it will eventually run out of silicate in the water with which to feed itself and build its “house” at which point that brown will take on a ghostly quality as it fades. As it dies it will release all of the silicate back into the system, triggering a fresh bloom. It’s typically one of the first things and usually the first noticeable thing to take hold in a new tank. Stem Plants will use free silicate - but green algae will not- or won’t to a meaningful extent. Float some
Anacharis in there. That will go a good way toward helping, as will time.

algae killer? Is that like “poison”

 

[twentyleagues]

I agree with those who said diatoms. They feed off of silicates like C. Breeze said. That particular piece of decor may have a high silicate composition, it may or may never run out of available silicates.

 

[C. Breeze]

I agree with those who said diatoms. They feed off of silicates like C. Breeze said. That particular piece of decor may have a high silicate composition, it may or may never run out of available silicates.

I guess the point about feeding on free silicate is meaningless without context. As evidenced by the brown color and lack of green stuff, chlorophyll - Diatoms aren’t much of a hand for photosynthesis so to speak- hence they need little light- and will crop up in the absence of nitrogen and phosphorus input - I guess that’s why they seem to show up first. But it also means that in the ammonia/ nitrogen reduction respect they do very little if anything for water quality. But hey- that’s way more than enough bro science for one evening.