Need some help with green algae...

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aro-guy246

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 15, 2006
57
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36
Virginia, USA
I've been doing some research trying to get some answers with my green algae problem in my planted 55. From what I have read it seems to be green spotted algae. It consists of green spots on the amazon swords' leaves as well as a light green film on the glass and even a little on the sand. Here's the rundown on the tank setup

55-gal
one penguin 350 biowheel filter
4x65watt coral compact flourescent light bulbs (coralife) on for 11 hrs/day
weekly 20% water changes
no CO2 system
I dose regularly with the flourish line in accordance with their recommended regimen

0 amonia 0 nitrite 10 nitrate
tank is about 3 months old...occupants are a varieity of gouramis, some tetras, a betta, and a couple of chinese algae eaters

plants:
two large swords
a couple of small dwarf hairgrass plants
a medium sized madagascar lace plant
3 medium sized valisneria plants


I've read that the green spotted algae is caused by a lack of phosphate...is this true? And if so, how do I fix this, more phosphorus ferts?

thanks for all the help.
 
Im no expert on aquatic plants but for starters 11 hours of light a day seems like alot!
 
phosphates are a crucial nutrient for algae. more phosphate, more algae. cut back on the phosphate. if you have the money and room, upgrade to a canister filter and add phosphate remover. this will help reduce the growth but will not make it go away. 3 chinese algae eaters should be able to keep up with that size thank however. i would also consider adding more plants. thats a lot of light power and u could grow most plants. 11 hours of lighting is fine. 10-12 normall according to drsfostersmith.com. through personal experience the longer the better, but no more then 12. this will also aid in the growth of unwanted algae, which is the reason i would add more plants. good luck
 
Thanks for all the great advice... Just got back from the fish store with some new plants... a couple of water sprite bunches and the largest anubia I've ever seen. I also installed one of those red sea co2 systems. Thanks again.
 
That red sea co2 system is going to be about worthless with the size tank you have and the bio-wheel filter. For all the light you have and the fertilizing you should definitely have more plants in your tank and you should seriously consider getting a pressurized co2 system. The initial cost is pretty high but after that it's cheap. I only ever get the green algae on the sides of the glass in one of my tanks and that's because it gets hit with direct sunlight for about 2 hours a day. Leaving your lights on for 11 hours a day shouldn't be a problem if you have enough plants, ferts, and co2 for the plants to thrive. My two planted tanks are on timers for 12 hours of light a day and my algae is minimal(amano shrimp and otto's help out). Right now you just don't have enough plants to take up all your nutrients so algae is going to grow. Do a few searches on this site and read the stickies and you'll get answers to any other questions you'll have.
 
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