# Algae issues- lighting? Advice needed



## Louis287 (9 Aug 2022)

Had my 65L planted tank set up for about 10 months (filter 20 months) recently I’ve had outbreaks of brown algae on my glass and rocks and after researching i upped the lighting time from 6 hours at 80% intensity to 8 hours at 90% intensity which has now caused a really bad breakout of green spot (I think) algae! Recently I went away for 2 weeks and for some reason my light had been completely turned off for 2 weeks (accidental blackout) while I was away and when I got back I switched the light on to find an absolute crystal clear tank with 0 algae which was an amazing suprise and the best it’s ever looked since I first set the scape up! But since then it’s gone back to looking a mess! 

Water parameters seem fine.
Can anyone advise on how to keep on top of this or to combat it completely. I can give you whatever information you may need to help I’ll also attach photos to show the outbreak







Tank- 
Superfish scaper 60
Weekly 80% water changes 
Fluval u2 filter 
GH17
PH 7.4
No CO2
No fertiliser
Heat set to 24c
Tropica soil substrate
Feed a small pinch of flake once per day

Any other questions I’m happy to answer. 

Thank you!


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## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2022)

Have you tried reading anything in our tutorial section? There is some good content there that might help.


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## sparkyweasel (9 Aug 2022)

I would reduce the lighting  to start with. Brown algae (diatoms) usually go away after a week or two; people can give any advice they like and it will always seem to work. 
I would also add more plants, especially fast-growing stem plants. Algae seem to have a hard time when there are lots of healthy plants. There is some debate over whether plants actually 'outcompete' the algae, but they seem to make life difficult for them in some way.
You could consider dosing a complete fertiliser, this would benefit your plants, whereas algae can manage very well on the little bit of nutrients from tap water and fish waste.
Unfortunately you need to check that a fertiliser that the makers _call _complete actually contains all the essential nutrients, including Nitrogen , Phosphorus and Potassium. 
Have you got any snails? Some people don't like them, but if you do (or aren't bothered) they will help with the algae.


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## Louis287 (23 Aug 2022)

Hi, 

Just a quick update.. 
I’ve continued with my weekly water changes etc and my tank still seems to be giving me algae issues. I haven’t managed to get round to getting some extra plants like I have been advised but have changed my lighting to 70% for 6 hours a day. I’m just about to do a weekly water changed and maintainance could anyone advise me on what to do from here regarding the algae as I’m fed up of my tank looking such a mess. Also would anyone be kind enough to confirm the algaes I have present here


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## Hufsa (23 Aug 2022)

Louis287 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just a quick update..
> I’ve continued with my weekly water changes etc and my tank still seems to be giving me algae issues. I haven’t managed to get round to getting some extra plants like I have been advised but have changed my lighting to 70% for 6 hours a day. I’m just about to do a weekly water changed and maintainance could anyone advise me on what to do from here regarding the algae as I’m fed up of my tank looking such a mess. Also would anyone be kind enough to confirm the algaes I have present here


These latest pictures show (in my opinion) red algae, looks like black brush algae, which may come in a variety of colors.
Im not an expert on BBA, we have many threads on it on this forum and we havent come to a solid conclusion yet. But with the extent of the BBA that you have, I think there will be a larger underlying cause that you can adjust to at least alleviate the sheer amount of it.
Im only seeing slow growing crypts and some bucephalandra in your photos, this is a very hard place to start from. Youre going to want a lot of cheap fast growing plants to aid you in getting the upper hand.
I will leave the rest of the advice up to the experts as Im not 100% sure on completely getting rid of BBA (I still have some myself)


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## Ossie (23 Aug 2022)

I Would consider a couple of Siamese Algae eaters, more easy plants, and researching the light situation.  The light quality and intensity depends on the brand and model of the light. 
it all looks a bit sad …
I would also strip it down, set everything aside, cleanse everything to a pristine standard except for the soil and the filter material. 
Do one bucket of water change every day. 
At every chance do a little clean regularly. 
Is co2 out of the question.


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## Louis287 (23 Aug 2022)

Hufsa said:


> These latest pictures show (in my opinion) red algae, looks like black brush algae, which may come in a variety of colors.
> Im not an expert on BBA, we have many threads on it on this forum and we havent come to a solid conclusion yet. But with the extent of the BBA that you have, I think there will be a larger underlying cause that you can adjust to at least alleviate the sheer amount of it.
> Im only seeing slow growing crypts and some bucephalandra in your photos, this is a very hard place to start from. Youre going to want a lot of cheap fast growing plants to aid you in getting the upper hand.
> I will leave the rest of the advice up to the experts as Im not 100% sure on completely getting rid of BBA (I still have some myself)


Thanks, not sure 60L tank is suitable for a SAE. Could you recommend some fast growing stem plants for a 60L aquarium


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## Hufsa (23 Aug 2022)

Louis287 said:


> Thanks, not sure 60L tank is suitable for a SAE. Could you recommend some fast growing stem plants for a 60L aquarium


Definitely not suitable for SAE.
Heteranthera zosterifolia, Hygrophila difformis, Hygrophila polysperma (basically any green hygro), Limnophila, Bacopa, Cabomba
There are a lot of species to pick from. If your local store is a Tropica retailer then you can basically pick any of the stem plants from the easy category.
Floating plants are also a good choice, like Frogbit and Salvinia etc


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## John q (23 Aug 2022)

Hiya @Louis287  for me the underlying issues here would be far to much light and ill echo the insufficient plant mass. Also I'm not entirely sure if you took the advice offered earlier regards feeding the plants, if you didn't then that would need addressing. 

So first up that light intensity needs dialing down, the light that comes with the superfish scaper 60 is a fairly powerful unit, 28w ~ 269 par, although I'm not entirely sure at what height that measurement was taken. Either way that's a lot for a low tech tank. 
I'd drop that intensity down to 40 ~ 50% for the time being. 

Next you need to give that tank a good old clean. If any of the rocks & wood can be removed without to much disturbance then I'd suggest you do this and get all that bba scrubed off. For anything that can't be removed then I think spot dosing a small amount of liquid carbon on the affected areas would be necessary. Would also suggest you give the outside of the filter a good clean. 
I can't quite work out if the green algae on the side of the tank is green dust algae or a bad case of green spot algae, or possibly both, either way it needs removing. You can do this by gently scraping it off with an old credit card or razor blade, be sure to do a big 60 ~ 70% water change after doing this. 

The last piece of the puzzle would be to add more plants and be sure to feed them. 

Cheerio for now.


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## PARAGUAY (23 Aug 2022)

Just a word about SAEs and tank size . Yes it is really not suitable for adult SAE but a juvenile one will be fine and do a great job on algae but will be better rehosed/homed later.


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## Ossie (23 Aug 2022)

Fair enough on the Siamese, one junior temporarily.


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## Louis287 (24 Aug 2022)

Hufsa said:


> Definitely not suitable for SAE.
> Heteranthera zosterifolia, Hygrophila difformis, Hygrophila polysperma (basically any green hygro), Limnophila, Bacopa, Cabomba
> There are a lot of species to pick from. If your local store is a Tropica retailer then you can basically pick any of the stem plants from the easy category.
> Floating plants are also a good choice, like Frogbit and Salvinia etc


Thank you for the advice would Java ferns be another option for background plants? I’ll order some plants from aquarium gardens this week 👍🏼


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## Hufsa (24 Aug 2022)

Louis287 said:


> Thank you for the advice would Java ferns be another option for background plants? I’ll order some plants from aquarium gardens this week 👍🏼


Yes they are easy plants but not fast growing. Having a large portion of fast growing plants in a tank makes it easier to get things stable and algae free. You dont have to keep all of the fast plants in the long run


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## Louis287 (27 Sep 2022)

Quick update, 

I’ve just received my plants from aquarium gardens.

Java ferns, salvinia, staurogyne repens, hydrophila polysperma and bacopa! Now that I’ve planted ample plants in the tank my question is how would you keep on top of making sure they stay healthy and also keep algae away. I’m not injecting co2 and my lighting is now on 50% for 6 hours a day! Wha routine do you advise me to take to mainitain a healthy planted tank? 










Thanks


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## xZaiox (27 Sep 2022)

@Louis287 - correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you've planted your java ferns in the substrate? This is a big no no - it's very important that the rhizomes are not buried, otherwise they can rot. Java ferns are best attached to hardscape (i.e driftwood / rocks) via something like cyanoacrylate (with no chemical additives), or tied via string/fishing wire (once the plant has attached to the object, then the string/wire can be removed).

Other rhizome based plants such as bucephalandra also follow this rule.


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## Louis287 (27 Sep 2022)

xZaiox said:


> @Louis287 - correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you've planted your java ferns in the substrate? This is a big no no - it's very important that the rhizomes are not buried, otherwise they can rot. Java ferns are best attached to hardscape (i.e driftwood / rocks) via something like cyanoacrylate (with no chemical additives), or tied via string/fishing wire (once the plant has attached to the object, then the string/wire can be removed).
> 
> Other rhizome based plants such as bucephalandra also follow this rule.


Yes immediately after planting I had googled how to care for Java and I saw that it cannot be planted so in the process of sorting that now. 

Thank you!


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## GHNelson (1 Oct 2022)

Hi 
Java fern have a tendency to develop issues if not cared for properly!

This plant likes some flow around the rhizome and leaves, if it develops blacking of the leaves this usually is a potassium deficiency with this plant!
Below is some information on Java Fern.








						Microsorum pteropus
					

Microsorum pteropus, or Java fern, grows in innumerable locations in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. It is often found on rocks or wood in rivulets and waterfalls. Some populations grow submersed permanently, others occur as terre...




					www.flowgrow.de
				




Use your Hygrophila polysperma when it needs trimming to implement the below tutorial.








						Using stem plants as a filtering aid at Start Up!
					

The subject of using fast-growing stem plants as part of a filtering aid has cropped up a few times recently. This idea has been around for a long time so not new,....it has benefits especially for a new set - up. I try and cover at least 50% of the water surface minimum.  1. Improves water...



					www.ukaps.org
				



Purchase an All in One Fertilizer preferably with Nitrate/Phosphate/Potassium in the mixture!
hoggie


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## MichaelJ (1 Oct 2022)

GHNelson said:


> if it develops blacking of the leaves this usually is a potassium deficiency with this plant!


Nailed it!

This Java Fern is humongous!  taking up 1/3rd of one of my tanks. Signs of  potassium deficiency will literally show up in a couple of weeks... and interfere with my dreams!




And flow is key....
Cheers,
Michael


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