???algae on back glass of tank, good or bad???

[cristiangarcia]

OK, quick question..My old roommate had his 55 gallon tank covered in all sorts of algae on his rear glass of tank. There was like purple, and brown , all sorts of color. Back then I wasnt a fan of letting my tank get built up like that. Now I'm starting to re-think about that. My question is ...are there any positives from letting the algae grow and or negatives???? Also mayeb your personal opinions on this matter would be greatly appreciated- ty-Cristian

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by cristiangarcia
http:///forum/post/2830999
OK, quick question..My old roommate had his 55 gallon tank covered in all sorts of algae on his rear glass of tank. There was like purple, and brown , all sorts of color. Back then I wasnt a fan of letting my tank get built up like that. Now I'm starting to re-think about that. My question is ...are there any positives from letting the algae grow and or negatives???? Also mayeb your personal opinions on this matter would be greatly appreciated- ty-Cristian
SCRAPE IT NOW OR YOUR TANK WILL CRASH!!!
Just kidding, it's perfectly fine as long as it doesn't get out of control. Its a good source of food for any blennys or tangs. It's also really cool if you have a wall of algae on the back cus then the hermit crabs can climb up it like spiderman.

 

[cristiangarcia]

so how do i keep it in control? lightly scrap it?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by cristiangarcia
http:///forum/post/2831007
so how do i keep it in control? lightly scrap it?
Just scrape it every now and then. I usually like to keep the front really nice and clean, and then just scrape the back about once a week.

 

[jeanheckle]

If it's purple algae you should just leave it be. It means your tank is healthy, this is a picture of what that algae looks like.

 

[zman1]

It's Coralline Algae, I would just leave it. I think having this on the back glass looks far more natural, than the plastic murals or seeing the wall or painted tank. IMO.
I do clean it off the front glass when it builds up. I use either a scraper or safety razor. I prefer the safety razor even though I have to put my arms in the water, it give me better control.

 

[big]

It is a part of the natural aging process.... Keeping it clean can be an ongoing chore..... I gave up on my back and one end long ago......... I have even resorted to gluing stuff to it Like The GSP coral weeds.The little buggers are spreading everywhere........Next gluing project is Clove weeds..................

 

[cristiangarcia]

well thanx 4 all the info ...I think I'm gna let mine go..hopefully I wont regret it
-cristian

 

[big]

If you do decide to scrape or for the other sides this is a good little tool. Kent and others make them and the longer handle version of them is good for getting into the corners and where rock is close to the glass. They are about 7or 8 bucks or so at good LFS's and they have replacment blades for them too.........
Just be careful with any scraping tool to not tear or damage the seals in the inside tank corners and edges........

 

[mopar9012]

I personaly dont like the algea on the back, I like to see a nice clean black.
But Im too lazy to go scraping everything off the back. I just keep and eye on it and keep all the other sides as clean as possible.