Algae in 55 gallon?

[stlouiscards8]

In my 55 planted aquarium, I have had some algae. One type is these long strands coming from my cabomba. It almost looks like the silk strands from corn on the cob. Another kind I have is on the glass of the tank. It's white and is probably about a couple centimeters big. It's like a fan and kinda waves around in the current. Does anyone know what these are and how to get rid of them?

 

[sombunya]

I have no experience with planted tanks but when I get a little algae now and then I brush it off and let the filter get it. You may want to brush it and then try to catch it with a net or something.

 

[BlueStraggler]

I'd net it out or suck it out with a vacuum. A lot of people worry about algae but it only becomes a problem if its out of control. I hear a lot about algae in planted tanks though I've never kept one. I'd say reduce lighting but you have plants to worry about...so for now just try to remove it.

 

[Ammy]

White doesn't sound like algae to me. It sounds like some kind of film or buildup (probably not anything toxic like a fungus unless it grows on your fish too, but I couldn't say for sure). Mostly the "fan" structure is probably just aquarium scum or an odd kind of algae I have never heard of, and yeah, it could just be wiped off. People seem to think that algae in a tank is a bad thing, but a huge portion of the oxygen on our oceans is created by photosynthesizing algae, so it will perform the same functions in your tank. But I understand that visible algae can be annoying. If you MUST get rid of it, I would definitely not recommend algaecides or other chemicals to get rid of it. I don't know for sure if they could hurt your plants but I wouldn't risk it, and I personally try to refrain from adding any chemicals to my tank. Good luck!

 

[BlueStraggler]

its not algae? I never even considered that so I guess that is some more homework for me to do. Does fungus grow from plants and glass?
Do you have any pics of this?

Does it look like this http://images.aquaria.net/plants/algae/unknown/
If so the person said they successfully removed it with a 50% water change but I don't know how reliable that information is.

Hopefully someone with knowledge on aquatic plants can help you identify/treat it. They probaly didn't even read your post unfortunately and you may have better success starting a new thread in the aquatic plant section. (They are more likely to see it)

 

[Ammy]

I'm not saying it can't be algae, I'm just saying that I've never seen algae that is white and fan shaped. To me it just sounds like some aquarium scum.