I have a black algae problem in my 47 gal. tank. It's been set up for over a year, but this black algae cover everything in the tank. I just have schooling fish and live plants. will a few snails help? I;ve been told that plecos won't eat black algae. The tank is about 7 feet from a window, on the other side has skylights approx 15 feet away. What is causing this and how do I keep it from coming back? Thanks!!
Black Algae Problem
- Thread starter Kellie
- Start date
Excess nutrients in the water.
Not enough plant mass to absorb nutrients.
Too much light, not enough CO2 or other carbon source (flourish excel)
Lights on for too long.
Excess light from skylight, windows.
Snails will not likely take care of a serious black algae problem...maybe not even a small one.
Siamese Algae Eaters might eat black algae. (But good luck finding them.)
Manually remove the algae.
Check your nutrient levels, do water changes to ensure low nitrates. Perhaps use a phosphate remover if that is a problem.
As long as it doesn't interfere with the photosynthesis on your plants (ie, isn't shading out the light to a degree that will choke the plants of light nutrients) then it really is just an aesthetic problem.
Learn to like the way it looks? hehe
I have a bit of algae in almost all of my tanks and honestly as much as I would like to see it completely gone, it's unrealistic to do so unless you want to put forth some serious time and effort. I just see it as part of the natural world and deal.
Not enough plant mass to absorb nutrients.
Too much light, not enough CO2 or other carbon source (flourish excel)
Lights on for too long.
Excess light from skylight, windows.
Snails will not likely take care of a serious black algae problem...maybe not even a small one.
Siamese Algae Eaters might eat black algae. (But good luck finding them.)
Manually remove the algae.
Check your nutrient levels, do water changes to ensure low nitrates. Perhaps use a phosphate remover if that is a problem.
As long as it doesn't interfere with the photosynthesis on your plants (ie, isn't shading out the light to a degree that will choke the plants of light nutrients) then it really is just an aesthetic problem.
Learn to like the way it looks? hehe
I have a bit of algae in almost all of my tanks and honestly as much as I would like to see it completely gone, it's unrealistic to do so unless you want to put forth some serious time and effort. I just see it as part of the natural world and deal.
By carbon, he means carbon suspended in the water, as in what you would get from CO2 injection. High carbon won't kill black algae, but it will halt it's growth.
Flourish Excel is a plant fertilizer with a high carbon content. It has the same effect as injection CO2, just without the CO2 - that also means no PH dips or crashes.
Flourish Excel is a plant fertilizer with a high carbon content. It has the same effect as injection CO2, just without the CO2 - that also means no PH dips or crashes.
One word of caution with Excel is that some plants respond negatively to it. I've heard that vallisnerias and anacharis can sometimes "melt" a bit when it's added to a tank.
I have no personal experience with this, though I have added it to tanks with vallisneria and I haven't noticed any significantly adverse effects.
I have no personal experience with this, though I have added it to tanks with vallisneria and I haven't noticed any significantly adverse effects.
Most of the "black" algae, actually all of it, was not algae but cyanobacter (blue-green bacteria). It can be a challenge to deal with. I've managed to take care of mine before by removing & manually scrubbing the larger decorations then doubling the number and volume of water changes for a couple months.
Given the proximity and access to natural light, you will need to be paying very close attention to your available nutrients anyway and should probably consider relocating the tank to where it gets less sun. Especially for a planted tank.
Given the proximity and access to natural light, you will need to be paying very close attention to your available nutrients anyway and should probably consider relocating the tank to where it gets less sun. Especially for a planted tank.
Last edited: