I got some plants from a friend, I noticed the tank had a few black algae on the plants still I'm the tank how do I avoid getting that algae in my tank
Late reply.
UV will only help with free floating algae once it is attached to a surface UV will do nothing.
The easiest way to control adding things on plants would be to kill the pest before you add the plants.
You can make a weak bleach solution and soak the plants in it for a few minutes.
Another way to kill BB algae is to pat the plant dry and spray the BB with hydrogen peroxide.
With either treatment you should rinse well with fresh water before you add to your tank.
I will add that peroxide is quite a bit safer and can be used in the tank.
You lower the water level below the BB algae and spray it with HP wait a few minutes and fill the tank.
The HP will just break down into it’s main components, Hydrogen and Oxygen =water