help - plants losing out to algae

[WyldFya]

if yo have any kind of beard algae the best way to get rid of it is to do several 50% water changes a week to your tank and fill back up with R/O water. this will eventually kill off the algae and many other kinds too. make sure any fish in the tank will be able to handle the ph changf though

Not a very good idea, as this will stress the fish, and cause pretty dramatic swings with the pH. There are many easier, and more cost effective methods to get rid of beard algae. Patience is a virtue.

 

[evercl92]

if yo have any kind of beard algae the best way to get rid of it is to do several 50% water changes a week to your tank and fill back up with R/O water. this will eventually kill off the algae and many other kinds too. make sure any fish in the tank will be able to handle the ph changf though

Not a very good idea, as this will stress the fish, and cause pretty dramatic swings with the pH. There are many easier, and more cost effective methods to get rid of beard algae. Patience is a virtue.

Exactly.

Depending on the current pH of the tank, R/O water may have a drastically different pH. This also depends on the KH, which is another story in itself.

Not to mention that 50gal of R/O water at a time isn't going to be cost effective. Basically, that would be cutting the amount of nutrients found in the water column by 1/2. Same could be accomplished with a normal 50% WC, feeding less, and patience.

I would suggest test kits for phos, nitrate, pH, KH, if you are ordering supplies.

Granted it's not the absolute answer, and probably won't solve your dilemma, but siamese algae eaters will help control beard algae, especially young ones. They don't tend to eat old growth, IME, but they do seem to keep new growth in check. Also an option would be florida flag fish, as they are decent at eating the beard algae as well. They don't get as large as the SAE, but they can get nippy, especially males.

Or, get some faster growing plants to help take up the excess nutrients in your tank.

The real / more permanent answer is finding what is causing the imbalance of nutrients in your tank.