Nitrate?

[Zman16]

I have a bit of an algea problem and I think it has something to do with my nitrate levels being at zero. Is that wat it is? If so how can I raise my nitrate?

My LR doesn't look as nice as most peoples because of this brown algea and I want it gone!!

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[shwnicus]

nitrate being at zero is a good thing, not a bad thing. you don't want to raise nitrate levels, ever. it will do that all by itself. check your other levels, especially nitrite and ammonia. if clear, congradulations you have a perfectly balanced tank (of note: the algae are now part of that balance).

you get brown algae when there is enough food source and light in the tank to support a bloom. generally the food sources are excess food, bacterial/LR die off, and fish/bio waste. how long are you running the lights in your tank and how powerful is the light?

 

[Zman16]

I have been running the tank for a couple of months now. The lights are not too powerful, there only 15 watt flourescent lights. My other parameters are:

Amonia - about 0.12

Nitrite - 0

Ph - 8.1

 

[1979camaro]

if you have ammonia in your system there is a problem...how frequent are your water changes? is it possible that your make-up/mix water has ammonia in it?

 

[Zman16]

Weekly water changes, but my water has no amonia in it.Is my ammonia causing the algea?

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

It could cause a bloom of algae Zman16. Ammonia is caused by fish waste and excess food wich algae feeds upon.

 

[RockingCricket]

If you system is only 2 months into it's infancy then algae blooms are pretty much to be expected. If the algae is a brown rusty colour then it is likely a diatom bloom. Nothing major. Are you using reverse osmosis water or just conditioning your tap water? If the later, this is certainly your cause as the silicates in tap water feed the bloom. Check out this thread I began when I started my system as I had the same problem.
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=29218&highlight=diatom+bloom

 

[Zman16]

O, okay thanks, bedcause I was using regular water. Where do u get RO water?

 

[RockingCricket]

Your local supermarket might have a water vending machine or you might have a water store in town. I pay $1.25 to fill a 5 gallon bottle.

 

[Zman16]

Would walmart have it?

 

[RockingCricket]

I live in California and yes, some of the Walmarts here do have reverse osmosis water vendine machines outside. Failing that, look in your yellow pages or enquire at some local offices as to where they get the water for their drinking water from.