Algae in planted tanks.

[FishyJames]

I have tried everything in my planted tanks but always end up with algae.  I have a fluval 3.0 and have tried low, medium and high light, C02, no C02, fertilizer (low medium and heavy) and have good water quality…..    All. I have to say is you people that have the algae free planted tanks are geniuses.

[Mmiller2001]

Were your using tap water?

Edited August 15, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:27 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Where your using tap water?

I’m using conditioned city water.  

[Mmiller2001]

Yeah, it can be very challenging balancing a tank with city water. 

Do you know your KH and GH and the ratio of Ca to Mg? Sometimes they will post that information in their water report. Were you using an all in one fertilizer or dry fertilizers. 

Were you monitoring and tracking pH drop?

And what did your water change schedule look like?

Edited August 15, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Patrick_G]

@FishyJames, I’m pretty sure everybody gets some algae. It sounds like you’re way more experienced than I am but here’s my formula to keep it as minimal as possible.

-Photoperiod of around eight hours

-Enough fertilizer to keep the plants growing and help them outcompete the algae

-Clean up crew. I use Otocinclus and Amano Shrimp

-As much plant mass as possible. I’m shooting for at least 50% of total tank volume. 
-good circulation 

-Occasionally I’ll use some Excel if I’m getting nervous about some Spots of bba. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Patrick_G

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:41 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Yeah, it can be very challenging balancing a tank with city water. 

Do you know your KH and GH and the ratio of Ca to Mg? Sometimes they will post that information in their water report. Were you using an all in one fertilizer or dry fertilizers. 

Were you monitoring and tracking pH drop?

And what did your water change schedule look like?

Water is hard.  I don’t know kh.  I don’t know what the ph drop is.  Does harder water help algae grow?

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/14/2021 at 8:08 PM, FishyJames said:

Water is hard.  I don’t know kh.  I don’t know what the ph drop is.  Does harder water help algae grow?

Plants prefer softer water. Unhappy plants can cause algae. I'm not sure what kind of plants you are growing, but you want to accommodate them as best as possible. If they start to struggle, it will cause algae. 

If you really want to take the next step, you'll want to start understanding GH and KH and a few ratios.

This link really helped me to achieve a certain look.

Hope this helps.

https://www.2hraquarist.com/

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:13 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Plants prefer softer water. Unhappy plants can cause algae. I'm not sure what kind of plants you are growing, but you want to accommodate them as best as possible. If they start to struggle, it will cause algae. 

If you really want to take the next step, you'll want to start understanding GH and KH and a few ratios.

This link really helped me to achieve a certain look.

Hope this helps.

https://www.2hraquarist.com/

Thanks.  I currently have jungle Val, Amazon swords and an octopus plant.

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:53 PM, Patrick_G said:

@FishyJames, I’m pretty sure everybody gets some algae. It sounds like you’re way more experienced than I am but here’s my formula to keep it as minimal as possible.

-Photoperiod of around eight hours

-Enough fertilizer to keep the plants growing and help them outcompete the algae

-Clean up crew. I use Otocinclus and Amano Shrimp

-As much plant mass as possible. I’m shooting for at least 50% of total tank volume. 
-good circulation 

-Occasionally I’ll use some Excel if I’m getting nervous about some Spots of bba. 

I would use excel but I hear jungle Val reacts poorly.  Maybe I will get a few otocinclus. Thanks.

[Patrick_G]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:23 PM, FishyJames said:

I would use excel but I hear jungle Val reacts poorly.  Maybe I will get a few otocinclus. Thanks.

You’re right. I’ve heard  excel will kill Val. 
Some more fast growing stem plants might help outcompete the algae. 

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:31 PM, Patrick_G said:

You’re right. I’ve heard  excel will kill Val. 
Some more fast growing stem plants might help outcompete the algae. 

I was thinking about adding more plants. 

[Patrick_G]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:43 PM, FishyJames said:

I was thinking about adding more plants. 

What type of algae do you have? 

[FishyJames]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:45 PM, Patrick_G said:

What type of algae do you have? 

Mostly green hair algae with a little black beard.

[Patrick_G]

A little extra flow, less light and manual removal with a toothbrush  is what I would do to combat green hair. 
For bba I like to remove affected leaves and spot treat with excel if it seems like it’s not going away on it’s own. I guess you could remove the plant or hard scape and spot treat it outside of the tank. 
 

[CalmedByFish]

I happen to have this tab open. It might help. 

 

[Crabby]

On 8/15/2021 at 1:09 PM, Patrick_G said:

A little extra flow, less light and manual removal with a toothbrush  is what I would do to combat green hair. 
For bba I like to remove affected leaves and spot treat with excel if it seems like it’s not going away on it’s own. I guess you could remove the plant or hard scape and spot treat it outside of the tank. 
 

By ‘a little less light’ do you mean decreasing the hours you have your light on for? I also struggle with green hair algae in all of my 5 gallon tanks. I want to heavily plant them but the algae takes control so quickly that the plants don’t get a chance to take hold. 

[Patrick_G]

@Crabby, either less intensity or a shorter lighting period. I’m starting to get some in my unfiltered three gallon. I’m shortening the photoperiod and adding an Amano Shrimp. 

[Crabby]

On 8/15/2021 at 2:32 PM, Patrick_G said:

@Crabby, either less intensity or a shorter lighting period. I’m starting to get some in my unfiltered three gallon. I’m shortening the photoperiod and adding an Amano Shrimp. 

Do you reckon ornamental shrimp (like neocaridina or caridina dwarf shrimp) will eat much of the hair algae? 2 or 3 of my 5 gallons will eventually have either neos or caridina shrimp. We don’t have amanos in Australia so I’d have to work out a native species that gets large enough that my male betta will leave them alone.

Also is there any risk for the plants in shortening the photoperiod? Or will it be the same kind of response either way to decreasing intensity or photoperiod?

[Patrick_G]

It can’t hurt to try some Neos, except that your Betta might make them an expensive snack. I think the trick is to have just enough light to keep the plants growing but not enough to cause algae. I pretty much learned from @Irene’s video that @CalmedByFish posted above. 

[CalmedByFish]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:44 PM, Patrick_G said:

I think the trick is to have just enough light to keep the plants growing

Yeah, but this takes some serious self-discipline for me. Half of me hates algae, and the other half of me wants to crank the light and make the fishies SHINY. Oooooh shiny fishies!