Algae problem - Page 2

oOOOo · 04-23-2008, 04:42 PM

My (limited) understanding is that algae will occur at the intersection of adequate lighting and nutrient. Limiting exposure of the tank to sunlight, as well as limiting the time the lights are on over the tank trims that dimension. Live plants can help trim another dimension by vacuuming out nitrate and phosphates ... but then those plants need light - and good lighting at that. Water changes can help reduce nitrates w/o requiring lighting.

Possibly the nature of tank lighting is a source of confusion? I know I still haven't gotten it all sorted but I do know that all tank lighting is not created equal. The flourescent or incandescent you got from the petco or petsmart starter kit was low-end. Lighting can be improved to the point that it rivals daylight - as well as the defense budget. No doubt algae would do better (as in grow more) with daylight than with the lowest levels of tank illumination - which is barely enough for the tank owner to see his/her fish.

But algae can and will grow with artificial lighting. Leaving the lights on for 16 hours a day will encourage algal growth - even if they are lousy lights. Limiting lights to 11 hours or less will disfavor the algae. (I've read this somewhere, most likely several somewheres.)

Oh, and getting your plants to truly thrive can be important. Somebody here, one of the supermods maybe, has no algae ... but he also supplements his plants viability with an interesting CO2 injection/misting system. Which makes his plants far more effective and aggressive in sucking the nitrate out of the water before the algae has a chance at it. No leftover nutrient, no algae.