# Little bit of Algea PANIC MODE!



## EnderUK (3 Apr 2014)

Well not really, noticed yesterday a little bit of BBA and some green spot algae (might be green dust algae) on the root in my main tank. Nothing I'm really concerned with since the tank is going to be on a soft black out next week when I go on holiday anyways.

When I get back I'll knock the photoperiod back down to 6 hours, double check the co2 levels on lights on, keep up full EI dosage, dreadage out the old catappa leaves, do a nice clean. make sure the lass keeps to the 30 second feed rule, blah blah blah.

Now I'm just wondering if a bit of algea on the hardscape is that big a deal? Plants all seem pretty healthy, bit of GSA on the anubias but apart from that. I kind of think that the algae weathers the hardscape a bit, what would happen if I leave it on there, would it start spreading to everything else? killing the plants? ruining my tank?

Can algae be part of a balanced tank?


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## Rob P (3 Apr 2014)

They're the two I found after a relatively good period of time with none. I put it down to messing too much with injection rate and plant mass increasing susbtantially therefore reducing flow (and too much light lol).  

Couple of things that may help, up your KH2PO4 inclusion if dosing EI ferts as this can help GSA and give your filter regular proper cleans (to help keep maximum flow and cleanliness) and keep your co2 stable. Since i've upped my fert and clean filter every 2/3 weeks as well as settled on a good co2 rate i've not seen it return after removing affected leaves etc. Spot dose the BBA on the wood or get some SAE fish if tank size allows.

I also turned my lights down.

Cheers,
Rob


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## kirk (3 Apr 2014)

EnderUK, now I don't see it a major problem as long as you don't panic and do the realy stupid thing I did not that long ago and destroy the whole scape, good clean reduce light hoover up like you said is the way. Rob,   I think you have out lined my current problems, too much messing around with things.    Wouldn't mind the plant mass increase mind.  As this algae stuff is easy to grow who's going to be brave and set a tank up pure algae based scape? I'd love to see one it could be the new thing, one thing we are all good at growing. Algae can be attractive too.


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## EnderUK (3 Apr 2014)

Well that's the thing can it be part of the hardscape without taking over the tank. I think it adds a sense of age and Im not one to have a clean looking tank. The panic mode was a joke, im pretty sure the soft blackout I am going to do anyway will solve ut.

Sent from my Radar C110e using Tapatalk


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## Mr. Teapot (3 Apr 2014)

Quite agree with algae looking good when everything else is tip top. These rocks look lovely.

I'm right in thinking this is your tank?


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## Edvet (3 Apr 2014)

No no no, take some water from your tank, run to the nearest shop that sells fish, unboubtedly they will have a testkit (opened and sitting on a warm spot for 4 months already), The nice man will tell you you doing it all wrong. You have to many nitrates!, You need more light, and you need to test more. Luckily he can sell you all these things, resin to take aways those nasty toxins, new fixtures so you have enough light to grow oplants, and expensive bottles of magic concontions to clean your water. Now : gogogogogo


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## kirk (3 Apr 2014)

When my tank has looked it's best it's had algae, Im frightened to say too much incase ceg turns up and I feel like making for the door. Only joking where is Clive these days? I like reading his posts/ comments


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## Rob P (3 Apr 2014)

Mr. Teapot said:


>



You see i'd give my left arm for that lol. How can people grow plants so close together where the middles don't fall apart through lack of light/flow/co2 is beyond me lol.[DOUBLEPOST=1396538026][/DOUBLEPOST]





kirk said:


> Rob,   I think you have out lined my current problems, too much messing around with things.



I had to fiddle mate, whilst I was experiencing fantastic green, healthy growth with no algae my fishes not likely. So what I should have done is turned lights down first but instead I turned gas down first and soon algae follow lol. Now i have my lights approx 50% (from 90) and gas countable rather than constant stream and although plants took a hit initially they seem to have settled down and tank is generally happy and going in right direction again  I'm about to wreck it again (read move stuff around) this weekend though


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## kirk (3 Apr 2014)

I'm having a nightmare getting this new atomiser going I'm fiddling as we speak   suffering melt for the first time anyway back to enderuk's thread..


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## dw1305 (3 Apr 2014)

Hi all, 





EnderUK said:


> Now I'm just wondering if a bit of algea on the hardscape is that big a deal? Plants all seem pretty healthy, bit of GSA on the anubias but apart from that. I kind of think that the algae weathers the hardscape a bit, what would happen if I leave it on there, would it start spreading to everything else? killing the plants? ruining my tank?


 Relax, that isn't algae, that is the highly beneficial "periphyton", "aufwuchs" or "biofilm", every tank should have some. 





EnderUK said:


> Can algae be part of a balanced tank?


Inevitably it will be. The "Green algae" (formerly Chlorophyta) form a clade ("green plants" or Viridiplantae) with all the other green plants, that is all of the mosses, ferns, higher plants etc. <http://tolweb.org/Green_plants>.

All green plants share a common ancestor, the same photosynthetic pigments and basic physiology.
If conditions are suitable for the plants you want, they are also suitable for those you don't.

If you go back a bit further the evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes (and probably the original evolution of photosynthesis) only occurred once, so all photosynthetic organisms shared a common ancestor, some time before 2.5 billion years BP. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_photosynthesis>. 

If you want an (apparently) algae free tank you need to be fairly OCD about algae removal with a tooth-brush etc, or have a crew of organisms to do the work for you. This can be done, at least in the short term, but requires constant vigilance.

I'm fairly none OCD, so I use an alternative approach, you have lots of plants and ignore the periphyton. After a while the periphyton declines to an extremely small presence, and as long as you don't do too much in the way of intervention that is how it remains.

cheers Darrel


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## kirk (3 Apr 2014)

^^ nice one Darrel.


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## stu_ (3 Apr 2014)

Edvet said:


> No no no, take some water from your tank, run to the nearest shop that sells fish, unboubtedly they will have a testkit (opened and sitting on a warm spot for 4 months already), The nice man will tell you you doing it all wrong. You have to many nitrates!, You need more light, and you need to test more. Luckily he can sell you all these things, resin to take aways those nasty toxins, new fixtures so you have enough light to grow oplants, and expensive bottles of magic concontions to clean your water. Now : gogogogogo


Unless your LFS is AquaJardin


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## kirk (3 Apr 2014)

My local,shop fit's that post and it stinks , thats why I travel to see edd,stu,etc at aquajardin too..


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## EnderUK (3 Apr 2014)

dw1305 said:


> I'm fairly none OCD,
> cheers Darrel



I was trying not to use that description. I know a lot of people insist on having an almost sterile tank and panic at the first sight of algae. Everything in this section seems to be about curing and battling it, I think I'll just let it run, I think the GSA on the anubias will disappear once I have that area covered by frogbit


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## dw1305 (3 Apr 2014)

Hi all, 





> I think I'll just let it run, I think the GSA on the anubias will disappear once I have that area covered by frogbit


 I would think you are probably right. There is a bit more about "large plant mass" in these posts <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-photoperiod-do-our-plants-really-need.30634/>, <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/low-tech-questions.29722/>.

cheers Darrel


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