nasty green algae
- Thread starter texag04
- Start date
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Not totally familiar with your system but you may want to tread lightly on removing the algae from your tank. plant life even algae consumes ammonia, nitrates, phosphates and carbon dioxide. and in the process filers out heavy ions and raises ph. If you had no plant life in your system it will be difficult to impossible for livestock to survive.
That said, plant life needs nutrients, carbon dioxide and light. Eliminating any one will eliminate the plant life. You could, for instance turn your lights off and in two weeks the plant life would be gone. And if nothing changes, the plant life will return when you turn the lights back on. A much more effective way is to add plant life you desire such as macros or true marine plants. That way you deprive the undisarable algae if nutrients.
That said, plant life needs nutrients, carbon dioxide and light. Eliminating any one will eliminate the plant life. You could, for instance turn your lights off and in two weeks the plant life would be gone. And if nothing changes, the plant life will return when you turn the lights back on. A much more effective way is to add plant life you desire such as macros or true marine plants. That way you deprive the undisarable algae if nutrients.
dreeves
Active Member
Originally posted by beaslbob
Not totally familiar with your system but you may want to tread lightly on removing the algae from your tank. plant life even algae consumes ammonia, nitrates, phosphates and carbon dioxide. and in the process filers out heavy ions and raises ph. If you had no plant life in your system it will be difficult to impossible for livestock to survive.
Do you see how you are so incorrect here bob?^^^
That said, plant life needs nutrients, carbon dioxide and light. Eliminating any one will eliminate the plant life. You could, for instance turn your lights off and in two weeks the plant life would be gone. And if nothing changes, the plant life will return when you turn the lights back on. A much more effective way is to add plant life you desire such as macros or true marine plants. That way you deprive the undisarable algae if nutrients.
This is so...ummm....bob-ish
dreeves
Active Member
Both you two...bob posts strange, unusual, unorthodox, experimental, un-proved methods and ways...please for the sake of your tanks and inhabitants...look at what he has to say...then toss most of it aside.
Tex...we need more information about your tank for anyone to be able to help you correctly...i.e..how long has tank been cycled...what type of water do you use, do you test for the phosphates, nitrates, if so, what are the readings, and so on.
Nusiance algae, and cyanobacteria are both fairly easy to control, once the cause of their existance is known.
Roggy...macro algae and other marine plant life are fine in aggressive setups...most will advise against introducing most macro algaes into your main tank, as they are invasive for the most part...in most opinions, ideally, the macro would be in a refuge...
Plant life does compete for nutrients used by nusiance algae and the cyano...it is however, not the complete answer as bob would have you believe...adding the plant life would simply mask the underlying problem without offering any remedy for it.
Tex...we need more information about your tank for anyone to be able to help you correctly...i.e..how long has tank been cycled...what type of water do you use, do you test for the phosphates, nitrates, if so, what are the readings, and so on.
Nusiance algae, and cyanobacteria are both fairly easy to control, once the cause of their existance is known.
Roggy...macro algae and other marine plant life are fine in aggressive setups...most will advise against introducing most macro algaes into your main tank, as they are invasive for the most part...in most opinions, ideally, the macro would be in a refuge...
Plant life does compete for nutrients used by nusiance algae and the cyano...it is however, not the complete answer as bob would have you believe...adding the plant life would simply mask the underlying problem without offering any remedy for it.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by roggy23
is plant life ok in aggressive set ups? also it sounds like plant life realy does wonders with the control of algae. is this true for controlling hair algae as well?
Absolutely! Before this hobby had live rock, live sand, skimmers, filters and the like, there was plant life. All of the other stuff helps the plant life but the plant life is still necessary. The reason you have hair algae or green water is that the system is providing it's own plant life to process the waste being generated. So either you have plant life you desire or you get plant life you are constantly trying to get rid of.
Plants not only control algae but result in a more stable and balanced system. Additionally, they provide hiding places and break up the swimming area. That should help any tank.
In any system there is the very real possibility that the live stock will eat the plants. Therefore, a refugium (in tank or external) may be needed to keep the plants protected. In my case i cultured the plants in an old 20g and added some to my 55g display each week. After a couple of months the plant mass in the display was sufficient to keep a constant plant mass. Meanwhile my tang and crabs has a constant source of live food to graze on.
I do not recommend external sumps or refugiums for newbies. But simply partitioning the back 2" of the tank with say an egg crate would protect the plant life and allow plenty of free swimming area in the front of the tank. In my 55g I have moved the plants behind the base rock which has had the same effect. And if you could do that right from the beginning your 55g plus skimmer, sump, refugium, ls,lr, could become a 120g+macros/plants+eggcrate+playsand+base rock. That way the newbie does not have to worry about floods, constantly changing filters, constantly cleaning up algae and the like. they simply can start enjoying their system.
texag04
Member
I do a six gallon water change every month using RO. I never tested for phosphates but I do nitrates. My nitrates bounce between 5-10 ppm. My tank has been up in running for three months. My methods for ridding this nuisance algae are slim because I have 50 lbs. of LR which are beginning to be engulfed with desireable coraline. I dont want to use any chemicals or turn off the lights in the day. I just use a brush for now to scrub off the green algae. It's pretty tough to scrub off.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
The nitrAtes are comming from your LR and other livestock. With coraline increasing you may just be having a temporary algae bloom until there is enough coraline to consume the nitrates being generated. If the green on the glass is extremely hard it may be coraline also. So if you hang in there eventually the algae on the glass my be overcome by the algae in the LR.
Good luck.
Good luck.