Algae Help

[KentFishFanUK]

Ok so I know algae problems etc have been done to death but I can't wrap my head around it or figure out my best solution for my 20 gallon community tank. 

I am playing around with adding more fertilizer and more plants etc in the hope I can get the tank nice and balanced.

My light is on quite a while but it's only the starter light that comes with the tetra starter line so I doubt it's very strong?

I've added a pothos in the hope of getting nitrates down as my tap water is quite high in nitrates. However I'm pretty sure a lot of the 'algae' I'm getting is cyanobacteria which I'm just reading tonight happens when there isn't enough nitrates? So now I'm confused. Also low flow but I thought my tank had pretty good flow, is there a way to move more water around gently, without a powerhead etc? Already have an internal power filter and two air stones (running on one USB air pump so not that strong) and don't want it to be too strong for my neon tetras etc. 

In the meantime I'm trying to figure out an algae cleaning crew. Part of my problem is I'm struggling to identify what algae types I have. I have some diatom and green spot but I actually don't mind those and everything seems to eat it anyway. I have only a small amount of BBA which I can remove manually so far. There is a lot of what I think is some sort of hair algae though? It's not really hairy or stringy (though I do have a small amount of string algae too) it's more like a soft almost smooth spongy texture that keeps growing on leaves and driftwood mostly. There is also a lot of (I think) blue green algae and a bit what looks like the blue green algae but red coloured. However the soft algae and the blue green coloured stuff is kind of growing amongst or on top of each other so I'm not really sure what I'm looking at really it might not even be two different algaes maybe it just looks different colour depending on what's behind it?

My main issue is keeping the leaves of plants clean, not too worried about the glass and hard scape. I've heard otocinclus are good for that however I've also read they don't eat hair algae? I don't like amano shrimp as I've heard some horror stories that put me off plus I think they are kind of creepy. Cherry shrimp would be ok if they would help but don't know if they would eat the hair algae or cyano? Also don't want them to overpopulate. I don't want any snails that will overpopulate either so I'm considering nerites but don't want those ugly eggs everywhere so I'm unsure. Do they even eat hair algae? I don't mind the diatoms and green spot they are easy to clean and a little on the hardscape looks kind of nice.

Any ideas?

Oh and an aside question while I'm here, if Alternanthera reineckii mini melts completely - leaves and stems - do I assume it's dead or can it regrow from the roots? It did well for a month or two grew loads of leaves but then started melting. 

Thanks for anyone who reads all of that! Hope it makes sense, halfway through my second night shift here and my brain is a little fried. 

[Patrick_G]

Here’s my formula for algae control:

1. Limiting light  2. Clean up crew 3. Sufficient plant mass to outcompete the algae. 4. Easy Green to keep the plants growing fast. 5. Seachem Excel on occasion 
I still have some green spot on my Anubias in two tanks and some tufts of BBA in one tank but it’s tolerable. 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/4/2021 at 4:15 AM, Patrick_G said:

Here’s my formula for algae control:

1. Limiting light  2. Clean up crew 3. Sufficient plant mass to outcompete the algae. 4. Easy Green to keep the plants growing fast. 5. Seachem Excel on occasion 
I still have some green spot on my Anubias in two tanks and some tufts of BBA in one tank but it’s tolerable. 

Thanks!

Might have to get a timer for my light but how long? It's just a basic starter light, it doesn't go on for more than 12 hours at the mo. 

What clean up crew would you recommend? 

What does the Seachem Excel do?

[Patrick_G]

On 8/3/2021 at 9:03 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

Thanks!

Might have to get a timer for my light but how long? It's just a basic starter light, it doesn't go on for more than 12 hours at the mo. 

What clean up crew would you recommend? 

What does the Seachem Excel do?

On my inexpensive lights I use a little WiFi plug as a timer. It’s cheap and works great. Most are on for an eight hour period. 
For algae clean up crew I have Otocinclus and Amanos. 
Seachem Excel is marketed as liquid carbon, but works as an Algaecide. 
 

[Keeg]

The only way I've managed to get algae under control is a clean up crew. In my 40g I have guppies and a place that keep it spotless. In my desk tank I have a ton of shrimps, a snail, and a few guppies. By far way easier to manage it in my opinion, nature vs nature. 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/4/2021 at 5:20 AM, Patrick_G said:

On my inexpensive lights I use a little WiFi plug as a timer. It’s cheap and works great. Most are on for an eight hour period. 
For algae clean up crew I have Otocinclus and Amanos. 
Seachem Excel is marketed as liquid carbon, but works as an Algaecide. 
 

I was thinking Otocinclus as they are sweet little things, but do they ear hair algae for you? I don't like Amanos 🙊 

How does an algaecide work? Won't it hurt plants? What about diatoms? If I had algae eaters I'd want some algae for them haha. Though I guess I could get rid of some with Excel then get in the algae crew to keep it under control going forward. Is it safe for all fish?

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/4/2021 at 5:29 AM, Keeg said:

The only way I've managed to get algae under control is a clean up crew. In my 40g I have guppies and a place that keep it spotless. In my desk tank I have a ton of shrimps, a snail, and a few guppies. By far way easier to manage it in my opinion, nature vs nature. 

Yeah I prefer the idea of the clean up crew method, just need to pick the right crew! I have some Endlers but they don't seem to eat much. Pleco would be too big for my 20 gallon I think. Considering shrimps and/or snails, which have you got?  

[Keeg]

On 8/3/2021 at 9:50 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

Yeah I prefer the idea of the clean up crew method, just need to pick the right crew! I have some Endlers but they don't seem to eat much. Pleco would be too big for my 20 gallon I think. Considering shrimps and/or snails, which have you got?  

There's tons of pleco species, some get massive while others stay pretty small. In my smack desk tank I have brown cherry shrimp and a couple rams horn snails. I think shrimp do a better job for my hair algae. I don't care if they breed out of control because I will feed them to my puffer. That seems weird about the endlers, mine peck at surfaces all day long. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Keeg
typo

[Patrick_G]

On 8/3/2021 at 9:45 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

I was thinking Otocinclus as they are sweet little things, but do they ear hair algae for you? I don't like Amanos 🙊 

How does an algaecide work? Won't it hurt plants? What about diatoms? If I had algae eaters I'd want some algae for them haha. Though I guess I could get rid of some with Excel then get in the algae crew to keep it under control going forward. Is it safe for all fish?

Otos devour diatoms for me and do a good job on some other types of algae but they seem to leave bba alone. 

You might just need one initial dose of Excel and then use the more gentle techniques going forward. 

I learned algae control from @Irene’s videos. She’s totally up front about her past struggles with algae and how to control it. 
here’s one vid but she has a bunch. 

 

 

[Ragnarok12]

12 hours of light is definitely too much. Don't underestimate the power of the default lights, they can still do some damage, especially if your plants are close to the surface or if its a low tank. I agree with the wifi timer and set it for like 8 hours a day. otocinclus are lovely. You can also look into a hillstream loach, they're super cool and would fit well in a 20 gallon. I would clip anubias leaves that are too far gone and completely covered, and hopefully you'll limit algae growth with the lowered light so that new leaves that sprout don't grow algae.

[KentFishFanUK]

On 8/4/2021 at 3:28 PM, Ragnarok1200 said:

12 hours of light is definitely too much. Don't underestimate the power of the default lights, they can still do some damage, especially if your plants are close to the surface or if its a low tank. I agree with the wifi timer and set it for like 8 hours a day. otocinclus are lovely. You can also look into a hillstream loach, they're super cool and would fit well in a 20 gallon. I would clip anubias leaves that are too far gone and completely covered, and hopefully you'll limit algae growth with the lowered light so that new leaves that sprout don't grow algae.

I had a hillstream loach but it died 😢 was going to replace it but not sure I will as I'm now planning a hillstream biotope in one of my other tanks so might just wait until then.

I think I have one of those basic plug timers sitting around somewhere I'll try and dig it out and see if that helps. 

Weirdly my anubias are doing ok, I mean they're leaves have some algae growth on them (looks almost grey against the green leaves?) but it's still growing really well doesn't seem to be suffering and I can get the worst of it off by rubbing the leaves with my fingers. The worst affected of my plants is actually my stem plant - ludwigia super red mini. Though all of them get some.