algae

[VT2011]

i know not a lot of people like algae, but is there a quick way to grow it? like on a rock?

 

[davo]

i used to put rocks in a bowl of water and outside in direct sunlight, got algae pretty quick then. Always left some algae in the container so it would spread quicker. Used to change old fish water before the water change to get higher nutrients to promote growth.

 

[VT2011]

so if i place a rock in a bucket with "algae dense" water in it with a light over it for 24 hours a day that should do the trick?

 

[Mystix212]

Algae grows very quick when left in sunlight.

If you got a clear container with a big footprint and a small height then threw some rocks in there, you could just place it outside in direct sunlight and leave it. The rocks could have a fluffy, hard to clean, dense algae growing on it. I have it all over my tank which is near a window.

 

[WyldFya]

Depends on the type of algae desired.

 

[VT2011]

Im hoping for the kind that almost looks like moss on a rock or tree outside of water...

 

[WyldFya]

You probably are looking for BBA, which you need extremely high lighting levels for, and phosphate levels need to be pretty high as well.

 

[VT2011]

once established on a rock, can it be placed in a tank with normal water conditions? what is BBA?

 

[WyldFya]

BBA needs some pretty good parameters to grow, particularly in the lighting department.

 

[Ianab]

Most people want to get RID of algae

But get a tub of old tank water, add some rocks and put it on the window sill for a few weeks and see what happens. It's a trick thats used by Hillstream loach and pleco keepers to produce extra algae. It's a bit hit and miss what you actually get, but with luck you will get some hardy green 'moss-like' algae. It should survive in the tank, unless you have plecos or hillstream loaches

You could also get a heap of rocks and cycle them from the tank to the window sill as needed

Cheers

Ian