My algae problem...

[PeterGwee]

Stop thinking that the critters are going to solve the problem for you. It just would not work well in a high light CO2 enriched tank since they grow pretty fast. A good clean up of the plants/tank is in order to beat this algae. There is no easy way out! I got this algae quite a long time back when I neglected the tank by not dosing but kill it off good by good cleaning up of the tank. It never return since.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[StanChung]

Hahaha agreed Peter, Anyway while learning how to rid of the stuff permanently it's good to have some help.

R

Stan

[genes]

Peter, when you cleanup your tank, do you literally throw away all the plants infected with it?

Would be quite unberable to throw away some plants though...

[PeterGwee]

Peter, when you cleanup your tank, do you literally throw away all the plants infected with it?

Would be quite unberable to throw away some plants though...

Don't worry, they will grow back fast enough if you nutrients are non-limiting and CO2 cranking well (30ppm w/mist).

Regards
Peter Gwee

[Plantbrain]

I consider algae eaters much like the icing on the cake, they do help and in milder cases can be very effective and in lower light tanks.

They never hurt
But I think many expect them to solve their woes, algae eaters will not make your plants grow.

That's the probelm and why you have algae.............

Regards,
Tom Barr

[ranmasatome]

algae eaters will not make your plants grow.

That's the probelm and why you have algae.............

Regards,
Tom Barr

I think this is a really good quote... it's all what you have in your head... Tackle the problem at its root.

[Skyfish]

I agree you have to have your nutrients and co2 in check, which eliminates most algae. In my case I had everything in check, Co2 was above 30ppm, EI dosing at max, water changes ever week like a religion. When I got 2 pots of a new plant, unfortunately they were infected with Spyrogyra, and it was my mistake that I did not do a dip before I planted them, just washed them in running water. The Spyro started growing along with the plants. Pearling was fantastic. I was pruning every 2 weeks. I tried blackouts, twice, tried nuking them. SAE's, Ottos would not touch them. Finally I read a post over at APC and someone who had the same problem, tried Rosy Barbs, and I was also recommended to use them by Mr. Barr. I did and it was gone overnight. The Rosie’s worked in THIS case.

So, IMO, it's not only about keeping things in check, regular water changes etc. which is of course vital but sometimes algae just piggy backs. And an alga like Spyrogrya grows perfectly with the plants. You pluck them out and they multiply 5 folds within a day. So point being, algae eaters are not your sole problem solvers, but they do help, in certain conditions, otherwise we would not be keeping them. Like Mr. Barr said, they are the icing on the cake. PeterG also makes a very important point, keeping the tank clean and in check at all times is vital. But being humans we make mistakes, like I did. Things can't be perfect all the time, sometimes we slip. And I think that's what makes this hobby so interesting, everyday is a new adventure.

I would be bored if my tank was perfect.

[Plantbrain]

Some might think I'm saying that algae eaters are not effective nor can cure some issues, but they most certainly can.

They are much more effective per critter with less light.

If you neglect tanks or wnat to change things so you do not have so much pruning/work load, there are a few things you can do.

Less light watts.
Stagger the lighting if you have multiple bulbs to reduce it.
Change the plants, use Crypts, Moss, ferns, grasses, etc
Add hardscape materials, they do not need pruned.

You can reduce the dosing of EI down with less light, if you run 2w/gal, you can use about 1/2 or so 3x a week of the normal amounts.

That should cover all the plant needs for that light level.
Example: Say the tank is an 80 gal and you add 1 teaspoon 3 x a week of KNO3.

You can easily add 7/8ths, 3/4ths, 5/8ths, 1/2 etc progressively on down to the line till you see a response from the plants if you prefer to try leaner routines.

Not hard to do. No test kit needed either.
Just take the volumes based on EI and reduce down by the fractions listed above.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[grey_fox]

In my case, before my major rescape, I was plagued with those hair algae as well (festering between the E. tenellus foreground). I have since stuck to a high side EI regime and also a constant 35PPM CO2 range throughout the lighting period and so far, other than having a bit of BGA in the gravel, I've not seen anymore hair algae or BBA or GSA.

Before the rescape, I pulled out whatever was infected but it was never ending (daily basis). Even with Otos, SAE's, shirmps, etc in the tank, the algae was growing faster than what the algae crew couild handle.

It's been 2 months since my rescape and well, so far, so good. Flora & fauna are both doing well.

By the way, I'm on 8 x T5 HOs @ 54Ws each.

[bryan]

Rosy barbs... a new algae cleaning crew?

Yes! They do work. I got a pair for my 5FT. They are actually tugging off the hair algae from my moss. Strangely they are pretty shy about it and dart off whenever they know someone is watching. Weird huh?