Help with algae

[nijat11]

1. Size of tank in litres - 1300l + 250l sump (250x70x80)
2. Age of the set - up - 3 months
3. Filtration + Media/Sponges. - Sump with sponges and matrix/biohome. 7000l/h pump and 2x Maxsepcty Gyre xf330
4. Lighting and duration. - 3x Aquatlants Easy Led 2 1455mm 3x Aquatlantis Easy Led 2 1000mm. 12:00-14:00 10%, 14:00-22:00 100%, 22:00-23:00 10%
5. Substrate. - Dennerle Denponit mix as base, capped with aquasoil and capped with fine gravel (sand)
6. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing. - Yes - 1.1 pH drop via pH Controller.
7. Fertilizers used & Ratios. - Macro 31.8 gram KNO3, MgSo4 - 145g, 18.58 gram Urea, 7.45 grams KH2PO4
Total:
N 2
P 0.27
K 2.2
Fe 0.16
B 0.021
Mn 0.1
Mo 0.0054
Zn 0.022
Cu 0.022
Ca 0.1

Micro : 45.14 gram Tenso Cocktail
FE DTPA 11% - 45 gram
Salty separately(Macro, Micro, FE) disolved in 1000ml container.
Macro daily: 30 ml. Micro daily: 17ml. FE daily 30ml

8. Water change regime and type. Once in two week 50%
9. Plant list + When planted. A lot of plants, planted 2-3 months ago.
10. Drop Checker. Yellowis
11. Inhabitants. Mostly small tetras and 14 angel fishes

Hi dear forum members!
As usual, I have algae problem, could you please help me to identify what kind of algae it this (I think green fuzz algae) and how to kill it?
Please see the attached photos

 

[Bradders]

I'll let others reply as I am not an expert, but I have just gone through my first high-tech setup. So I'll offer you some moral support! 😀

Around the 3- 4 month mark, my aquarium went through the same sudden turn-up of algae BBA, BGA, filamentous algae, even even some GDA. It went pretty bad, pretty quickly. I had leaves totally infested with BBA, so much so that they were black. I was told my tank was immature, manually remove the filamentous algae, cut off infested leaves, introduce a clean-up crew, keep up with water changes and check CO2/light is good until it all balances out. And it did around 5-6 months. I have other issues now (plant shading, general inexperience!), but algae is no longer a problem. (Well, for now at least!)

As I said, others with tonnes more experience than I will be able to help you more. I only offer this as I feel I did little more than 'check, maintain and wait', and suddenly the algae just lost the battle.

 

[Yugang]

I'll let others reply as I am not an expert,

+1, me neither.

It would help if you post a full tank shot, because from the close ups you seem to have a little hair algae but it really does not look that bad and unsure if you have any problem at all to worry about. Very few tanks have no algae at all.

This is the real expert talking:

How to control fuzz/hair/thread algae (filamentous algae)

Green hair algae, fur, fuzz, thread algae all fall under the general category of filamentous green algae. Healthy well maintained planted tanks can and should be completely free of these algae types. This page explores the causes of filamentous algae and how to get rid of it in a planted tank.

www.2hraquarist.com

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

what kind of algae it this (I think green fuzz algae) and how to kill it?

It is really, really difficult to create conditions that are suitable for plants, but not suitable for the Green Algae (Chlorophyta), because both are just "plants" - <"My Aquarium Journey - Sharing Experiences and Seeking Advice">.

Difficult, <"manual removal"> or shrimps? ("shrimps" looks to include a number of <"non-decapod crustaceans">)

Because it is a "Green Algae" (Chlorophyta) and shares the same <"basic physiology and photosystems"> with all the higher plants (they form a clade ("share a common ancestor") <"Viridiplantae"> or <"Chlorobionta">). I think of green algae as a just another "plant".

<"Viridiplantae">

cheers Darrel

 

[nijat11]

Hi all,

It is really, really difficult to create conditions that are suitable for plants, but not suitable for the Green Algae (Chlorophyta), because both are just "plants" - <"My Aquarium Journey - Sharing Experiences and Seeking Advice">.

<"Viridiplantae">

cheers Darrel

So no way to get rid of it? 😀

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

So no way to get rid of it?

Shrimps will eat it and there is manual removal.

It would help if you post a full tank shot, because from the close ups you seem to have a little hair algae but it really does not look that bad and unsure if you have any problem at all to worry about. Very few tanks have no algae at all.

I'd agree with @Yugang I'd say the aim is control, rather than elimination, <"Advice on cover plants for my 125l tank">. In the short term you can remove it via an algaecide, or by removing one of the essential factors for plant growth, but neither is really a long term solution.

..... It is also highly mobile within the plant, so that the plant can continually shuffle the PO4--- ions to new leaves, via its vascular tissue, and it takes a long time for deficiency symptoms to appear.

Algae don't have any vascular tissue, ions diffuse into each individual cell, so as soon as the phosphate ions go out of solution any algae stops growing. This means you have a window where the PhosGuard has "worked", before the plants begins to suffer with <"deficiency symptoms">.

The advice in: <How to control fuzz/hair/thread algae (filamentous algae)"> looks quite good as well.

cheers Darrel

 

[nijat11]

Hi all,

Shrimps will eat it and there is manual removal.

I'd agree with @Yugang I'd say the aim is control, rather than elimination, <"Advice on cover plants for my 125l tank">

The advice in: <How to control fuzz/hair/thread algae (filamentous algae)"> looks quite good as well.

cheers Darrel

There are around 40 amano shrimps, but I dont see them during the day, mostly couple of them during the night, I could try to add more, can add small shrimps because they will become food for angels.
All advises from the link already met, I will try spot dose with easy carbo, to see if it helps. Sometimes I do replanting and disturb substrate maybe that causes ammonia spikes. Or could it be that 12 weeks still a new seteup?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Or could it be that 12 weeks still a new seteup?

That would be my guess. I've found that time is a great <"healer">.

There are around 40 amano shrimps, but I dont see them during the day, mostly couple of them during the night,

I'd guess that is to do with the Angelfish as well.

cheers Darrel

 

[Connswater]

spot dose with easy carbo

Personally, I wouldn't bother, and your plants look good, further, as Darrel points out, green algae - green plants - photosynthesis - much the same conditions are required.
The link to the 2Hour Aquarist - good advice there, just trying to tilt the balance in favour of the plants. But you are on that.

My observations, since you are the Netherlands, often architecturally in my experience like the British isles, in terms of relatively big windows in houses, is the tank now getting some late spring sunshine?

If so, incorporate the natural sunlight into your photo period and make sure CO2 is available when sunlight is hitting the tank.

I find, also, running for a few weeks with a short intense full photo period of only 3 hours inside a total lighting of not much more than 6 with ramp up and down etc., all literally within just 6 hours, helps with green algae, and I let the floating plants cover the surface in the spring, reduce the plants to a third of the surface and repeat, just to soften the light and soak up all excess nutrients in the water column, and I cut out water column macros and concentrate on the substrate at this time of the year, but your substrate is fresh, so probably rich, so not an issue to enrich, but don't disturb it.

Honest confession. I get filament algae April/May every year, my tank is now 7 years old - poor positioning of the tank (in my defence I had limited options) combined with a long thin house with windows on three sides, cheerful but problematic. Live and learn.
Good luck and keep us informed.