Purple algae that mbuna will eat.

markstrimaran

Potamotrygon
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Nov 21, 2015
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1501883197026166689782.jpgMy half Acie mbuna X Dragons blood algea grazers . Bare algea covered glass, under the sump return. It got kept very short, during a week with out food, I was on vacation.
The pink fish are siblings to the purple ones.
 

tarheel96

Polypterus
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Feb 2, 2015
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I was wondering what the water hardness and alkalinity was (about)? What kind of lighting do you have on the tank? I see one multi color led strip on top. I can't believe how good green hair algae looks here. And it's a food source. Outstanding!
 

markstrimaran

Potamotrygon
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Nov 21, 2015
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I was wondering what the water hardness and alkalinity was (about)? What kind of lighting do you have on the tank? I see one multi color led strip on top. I can't believe how good green hair algae looks here. And it's a food source. Outstanding!

7.8 ph
About 200 watts total, the lights are built for growing coral in salt water.
The center fixture is on a timer and got bumped, as I just noticed that the light has been on 24 x7 for at least a couple of weeks. I have been reprogramming the hourly light intensity, so the algea, will grow slower.

Too busy with a broken jeep, to keep up maintenance. Airlift jamed, I never got the filters swapped out. So nitrates are 40ppm. Lots of uneaten food, never got removed.

Also the algea scrubber was harvested and scrubbed to white plastic last week.
 
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markstrimaran

Potamotrygon
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Purple algea, that has grown tough enouph. That the mag scraper, won't remove it any more. Razor blades will.

20170823_201310.jpg
 
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markstrimaran

Potamotrygon
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20170917_174827.jpg
, Recent algea trimming. My led algea scrubber lights, burned out, still need to check nitrates. Have had lots of aggression from the large male blue psuedotrophuses. Probably a couple of females ready to lay eggs.
Had to remove one female, which was getting harrased, by every male in the tank. The males don't fight each other, as they all have "private property ".
It has a 50/50 mix of male to female. No problems up until now.
I epoxied some pvc pipe tubes together, as a better cave system. It is still curing.
 
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J. H.

Potamotrygon
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Oct 14, 2016
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You seem to have less algea on the hdpe than you used to. Is that on purpose?
 
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markstrimaran

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It's not intentional, just running less watts of lights. The hdpe is also sitting back behind the rocks. We're the led is above the rocks.
I have 2 48" 50/50 acentic T8 tubes, in the back. That I have had off for a while.
 

markstrimaran

Potamotrygon
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20170918_202257.jpgI think this is a female, it should be olive green though. I had an other blue female holding eggs, a while back.
 
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