Green algae on back glass of aquarium

[Jim Fox]

I have a 55 gallon freshwater planted aquarium.  I have mostly tetras along with a couple of pleco bristlenose.  I do a water change about every 10-14 days of around 20% and utilize a Fluval light and with sunrise from 7:45 to 10 AM, daylight at around 55% until 5PM with sunset going until 9PM.  So, total light is over 12 hours but the higher light setting is for around 7 hours at 50% with gradual shoulders on either side.  Over a period of a few weeks, I get green algae growing mostly on the back glass of the aquarium with smaller amounts on the sides and front.  Light position is in middle of tank (front to back).  Any suggestion on ways to reduce this algae growth?  The plants appear to  be doing OK and I dose with Easy Green every 10 days with 5 pumps.  I also have Nitrile snails.  I have thought about using some of the chemical algae controls like Tetra's Algae Control but am concerned about using it with my plants, fish, and snails.  The label says it is safe but I would like thoughts from others.

[AndreaW]

I get this (Green Spot Algae) on my tank too, and using a scrub pad works if you keep up on it, or if it gets really tough to scrub, you can use a razor blade (carefully) to remove it. You could also try dosing a smaller amount every 5 days instead to see if it will even out your nutrients and prevent as much algae growth.

[DaveO]

A couple things right off you could try. Some floating plants in the back to defuse the light a bit. Also a more even application of fertilizer so it is not depleted before each new dose. Maybe one squirt every other day. 

[Widgets]

If the algae is bothering you, you could try slowly reducing the light intensity or duration, or you could work on the fertilizer dose as @AndreaW or @DaveO has a suggested. But only change one thing at a time and wait maybe 2 weeks to see the impact. If you change too much too often, it will be hard to understand what changes did what.

Another option is to embrace a little algae in your tank. Some of your fish may enjoy munching on it. Just clean it off the front and sides. Maybe slide the light back a a bit to help keep the front glass clearer.

[Jim Fox]

Thanks for the responses.  I will start by changing the fertilizer dosage to a single pump every other day for the next month and see what happens.  I normally use a plastic scraper to remove the algae every few weeks or when it gets heavy enough to bother me.  If I can possibly avoid using chemical treatments unless necessary, I feel much more comfortable.

[Mmiller2001]

Can we see a picture of the tank?

[Jim Fox]

I would be happy to but did a water change and cleaned off the algae this afternoon.