Algae scrubber on freshwater...

[jschall]

Would an algae scrubber on a freshwater tank keep plants from growing? Specifically anubias, vallisneria, possibly african water fern.
I don't want a heavily planted tank.

Would seachem phosguard prevent plants from growing?

 

[WattaMelon]

I have an algae scrubber on my tank, and my Duckweed, Anacharis, hornwort, and Jungle Vals are all still growing like weeds.

 

[red_wall]

Algae scrubber as in, you scrub the algae off of the glass? Or are you talking about an algae eating fish?

If it's just scrubbing algae off of the glass, then no, it won't affect plant growth at all.

Phosguard will though, plants use phosphates to grow, unfortunately, so does algae, you need to find a balance between the plants and algae.

You probably just need to up your water changes.

 

[WattaMelon]

I believe he's referring to a "turf" algae scrubber. Where you make a place outside of your tank (in your sump) for algae to grow, like this one: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180385

Am I right?

 

[CHOMPERS]

Yep, that's an algae scrubber. I'm pretty sure that's what the OP was talking about. It will be in extreme competition for nutrients with the desireable plants so they are not recommended for planted tanks. However, if the tank is heavily fed and well populated, then a scrubber will still be usefull. The amount of nutrient export can be controlled by the number of hours that the light is on (so you don't starve your plants).