I found this page and it is very interesting and may explain the cause of your algae problems.
http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/algae.shtml
http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/algae.shtml
Interesting Algae Info
- Thread starter jade71301
- Start date
I would say the first link is halfway correct. Excessive nutrients aren't the problem. Excessive lighting is. Take for example my 100g cichlid tank. My nitrogen and phosphate levels are insanely high due to the waste these big fish produce. But I wouldn't say I have an algae problem. I have a little, and I know for fact that it's due to the lighting. I'm using compact flourescents to light it, when I should be using normal T12 flourescents. How do I know that the lighting is the problem? I have a bit of BBA on the back glass, but not on the front. I'm only running the rear set of lights. Coincidence? Go to your LFS. They always have BBA. Why? Too much light for too long. But rarely do they have hair algae, or green spot.
Nutrient levels have nothing to do with algae. Algae requires far less than you think! It's highly unlikely you'll ever get them to true zero. Starve algae of light, and it will die. Diatoms and BBA are a couple examples of "prehistoric" algae. They are the simplest of the simple and are designed to survive. Thread algae, and most of the greener algaes are higher order, and require more to survive. That's why in controlled tanks, you rarely see them.
Keeping fish only tanks algae free is very simple--reduce the light. It's in high light tanks such as planted and reef where things get really difficult. But one thing to keep in mind is that if you have a body of water, you will have algae. Some algae adds character, and you might consider using that to your advantage when designing your tank (ex. if you can't stand brown algae, don't use white gravel! Use brown). It's useless to go around bleaching your ornaments all the time.
Nutrient levels have nothing to do with algae. Algae requires far less than you think! It's highly unlikely you'll ever get them to true zero. Starve algae of light, and it will die. Diatoms and BBA are a couple examples of "prehistoric" algae. They are the simplest of the simple and are designed to survive. Thread algae, and most of the greener algaes are higher order, and require more to survive. That's why in controlled tanks, you rarely see them.
Keeping fish only tanks algae free is very simple--reduce the light. It's in high light tanks such as planted and reef where things get really difficult. But one thing to keep in mind is that if you have a body of water, you will have algae. Some algae adds character, and you might consider using that to your advantage when designing your tank (ex. if you can't stand brown algae, don't use white gravel! Use brown). It's useless to go around bleaching your ornaments all the time.
So another wards algae is caused by light. Well how do you explain this I put my light on only for a half hour in the morning to feed my fish and maybe 3 or 4 hours at night, thats if I remember to put it on at night. Yet I have algae on the back glass of my tank. I cleaned it and it formed now on the front. My tank is far away from a window with a door blocking the light. What can cause this brown and now green algae in my case. Too much heat? Tank is always around 76. I even baffled the guy at the pet store. if you can figure it out then let me know plz.
Brown algae is a curious algae (err, diatom). Typically, it appears in unbalanced or unstable tanks, such as newer tanks. When I started up my 10g tank with 6.5wpg, I was bombarded with it, for a little over a month, and I mean BAD. I kept scrubbing and cleaning. One of the keys to getting it to go away appears to be a very mature, adequate, and stable biological filter. On my 10g, I have a Fluval 104, and it was brand new. It takes roughly 2 weeks for bacteria to begin to establish, but much longer, around a month to begin maturing and become adequate; you might also notice this when cycling a tank. It really takes longer, given stable tank conditions such as fish load. After around 6 weeks or so, I cleaned the tank really good, did a water change, and it has never come back. I have no fish in this tank.
I also noticed that when I took my Eheim 2028 off my cichlid tank and left only 2 AC 500's, I got brown algae kind of bad. However, my pleco loves it, so I never have to clean the glass. He can knock out about half of the 100g tank in one night (tank is divided so fish don't kill each other, I just move him back and forth).
I'm from the planted tank camp, where we dump in all kinds of nutrients, use high light, and basically provide every condition possible that is favorable to algae. Plants are our weapon, but we must think about the foundation we provide for the aquarium in order for all things to thrive--a "natural system." First and foremost is the biological system because it does FAR more than just convert ammonia to nitrate. This means from gravel that facilitates good bacterial activity, to a good filtration system. Cannister filters are the filter of choice in this case, as they are meant to allow for a biological system. Power filters do not, and at a point cannot, and are meant for lighter loads.
If you clean your tank too much, too often, and think you're doing a favor by keeping things "hospital clean," you aren't. Cleaning should only be done for our aesthetics, like wiping the glass down or removing excess algae. Cleaning the filter or changing the pad is not aesthetic. Cleaning the gravel too often disrupts bacterial stability. Only clean it 2-3 times per year. I know what dirty gravel is...I've got monster cichlids that churn out more waste in one day than a beta will all year, and I only clean their gravel 3 times per year.
So give that a shot. I bet it will help.
I also noticed that when I took my Eheim 2028 off my cichlid tank and left only 2 AC 500's, I got brown algae kind of bad. However, my pleco loves it, so I never have to clean the glass. He can knock out about half of the 100g tank in one night (tank is divided so fish don't kill each other, I just move him back and forth).
I'm from the planted tank camp, where we dump in all kinds of nutrients, use high light, and basically provide every condition possible that is favorable to algae. Plants are our weapon, but we must think about the foundation we provide for the aquarium in order for all things to thrive--a "natural system." First and foremost is the biological system because it does FAR more than just convert ammonia to nitrate. This means from gravel that facilitates good bacterial activity, to a good filtration system. Cannister filters are the filter of choice in this case, as they are meant to allow for a biological system. Power filters do not, and at a point cannot, and are meant for lighter loads.
If you clean your tank too much, too often, and think you're doing a favor by keeping things "hospital clean," you aren't. Cleaning should only be done for our aesthetics, like wiping the glass down or removing excess algae. Cleaning the filter or changing the pad is not aesthetic. Cleaning the gravel too often disrupts bacterial stability. Only clean it 2-3 times per year. I know what dirty gravel is...I've got monster cichlids that churn out more waste in one day than a beta will all year, and I only clean their gravel 3 times per year.
So give that a shot. I bet it will help.