Algae Help

[mtv8dmarine]

I've been noticing recently green algae forming in my tank. It forms on my driftwood and on the glass. It forms in small spots on the glass. It forms on the intake tubes. I've just been wiping it off with the scrubber and a toothbrush. Today I came home from work to find it forming on leaves, plant stems, etc.

The lights are on from 3 - 7 currently. My water stats are as follows...

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm

I do have moonlighting on and keep it on round the clock until the normal lights come on. I don't know if that is playing a foul part in it. I thought moonlighting was not an issue.

Can anyone give me some advice?

 

[mbsqw1d]

how often and how much are you dosing Flourish Excel? I would attempt to dose it using a syringe / turkey baster type applicator / directly on the affected areas of the plants (you may need to switch off any filter for a minute or two).

Do you have an air stone on at all? If so I'd turn that off / remove it.

What's your filtration like? What filter do you have?

Bit of reading here incase you havent already...

http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

http/www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/

 

[VaegaVic]

I was under the impression that algae can use any light, regardless of spectrum or "colour".
Moonlighting around the clock would be the culprit here in my opinion, although I could be wrong.

 

[mtv8dmarine]

I was under the impression that algae can use any light, regardless of spectrum or "colour".
Moonlighting around the clock would be the culprit here in my opinion, although I could be wrong.

I thought so too but figured after reading things multiple times and from multiple people that perhaps there was something I was missing in the equation.

I've unplugged the moonlight and will leave it off and see what happens.

how often and how much are you dosing Flourish Excel? I would attempt to dose it using a syringe / turkey baster type applicator / directly on the affected areas of the plants (you may need to switch off any filter for a minute or two).

Do you have an air stone on at all? If so I'd turn that off / remove it.

What's your filtration like? What filter do you have?

I dose Excel daily...about 1/2 a cap for my 55 gal. No airstones as they aren't compatible with live plants and I have enough surface rippling with my two filters. I use a Top Fin 50 HOB and a Marineland C220 canister.