Letting algae grow into decoration?

[BassetsForBrown]

I would say your light needs to be replaced. A t8 tube will loose it's spectrum. In less than a year.
I had a lot of awesome dark purple beard algae with a 50/50 acetic, light with high ph, and a high organic load.
View attachment 1221243
My cichlids will eat it before the green.

I have recently added LED Reef lights, too a 50/50 and a 6500k t8 tubes. Since then the green algae, and turf algae have dominated. I regularly add steel fillings for an Iron supply.

What kind of cichlid is that in the pic? That bright blue color is gorgeous.

 

[markstrimaran]

What kind of cichlid is that in the pic? That bright blue color is gorgeous.

Psudotrophus Elongated lake Malawi mbuna

 

[Stanzzzz7]

I love algea, can't get enough of it.

 

[cichlidfish]

Question-how do you encourage hair algae to grow? I am having a hard time growing any. Not sure if part of it is my cichlids snacking on it. My rainbow, h. Deppii and even caught my salvini eating the little.
In my other tank I only get green algae on the glass but not much. I think that is because of the plants-hornwort, Brazilian pennywort, java fern and anubias

Pic:

 

[BassetsForBrown]

Question-how do you encourage hair algae to grow? I am having a hard time growing any. Not sure if part of it is my cichlids snacking on it. My rainbow, h. Deppii and even caught my salvini eating the little.
In my other tank I only get green algae on the glass but not much. I think that is because of the plants-hornwort, Brazilian pennywort, java fern and anubias

Pic:

View attachment 1221351

I'm not sure. Mine just sort of started appearing by itself, then spread rapidly over the course of a few months

 

[cichlidfish]

I'm not sure. Mine just sort of started appearing by itself, then spread rapidly over the course of a few months

I'm confused because my tank is right by a window, and I run my lights for more than 8 hours a day. Plus my tank is pretty well stocked. Maybe its the amount of water changes I do w/ the stocking?