Algae Help

[peter212693]

Hello all,

My tank has been cycled for a couple of months nearly and my brown dusty type algae is starting to go away which is good. Over the last couple of days I have spotted this type of algae growing on a couple of the ornaments. Its like a black / very dark green colour and kind of looks like a little tree.

My water conditions are all fine:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10-20

My tanks is a 200l and I do weekly 30% water changes.

Any help with identification and tips to remove would be great!

Lights are on for 6 hours a day.

Many Thanks

Pics are not the best but its quite small so was hard to get a picture of!

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Staghorn algae, causes are as follows, low CO2 and/or poor water circulation, a tank with overfed fish and accumulated mulm. Dirty filter, and disturbing dirty substrates without doing water change afterwards. What filter are you running and do you have an air pump in there?

 

[peter212693]

I have an Aquamanta EFX 400 filter which was cleaned 2 weeks ago ( well sponges rinsed in tank water ) I do have an air pump but its not running all the time. Is this likly to be adding too much oxygen thus less co2? I think I may be over feeding being new to this so I have started to reduce this a little bit too/

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Air pumps reduce CO2 by adding extra surface movement which allows CO2 in the water to gas off, take out the air pump and make sure your surface movement from the filter is only a gentle ripple too.

 

[peter212693]

Air pumps reduce CO2 by adding extra surface movement which allows CO2 in the water to gas off, take out the air pump and make sure your surface movement from the filter is only a gentle ripple too.

Thanks I will leave the pump off and try to aim the spray bar a little lower and see how it goes

 

[Ps3Steveo]

:good; may get a little worse before it gets better but you could drop the water level and spray some flourish excel or aqua carbon mixed with water 1:10 ratio on it and then refil then it will kill it.

 

[peter212693]

Hello again,

It dose seem to be getting a little worse. I haven't been able to get some excel but looking to try and source some locally. I might be overfeeding slightly too as im new to this and feel most of the fish dont get any food so drop a little more in.

I have not had the air pump on since but may still have a bit too much surface agitation so will try and reduce this some more and see how it goes. Although it does seem to be getting "lighter" the algee and a bit more "fluffy" so to speak.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Keep the water changes till after lights out, sort the surface movement and keep the air pump off, chuck a little liquid carbon (excel,neutro co2) on them when you get it and it shouldn't come back.

 

[DrunkenMunky]

Keep the water changes till after lights out, sort the surface movement and keep the air pump off, chuck a little carbon on them when you get it and it shouldn't come back.

steveo knows his stuff but just to add have you changed your carbon in your filter?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Carbon is pretty much useless when it comes to algae mate.

 

[DrunkenMunky]

well phosphates can leach from carbon dependant on the processing of the carbon which can cause algea not that i'm an expert but i do read a lot and algea is a big interest atm, but there does seem to be a lot of missleading advise depends on what you read

 

[SO19Firearms]

but there does seem to be a lot of missleading advise depends on what you read

Phosphates causing algae being up there amongst them...

 

[stu40]

 

[Ps3Steveo]

 

[peter212693]

Thanks guys. I dont run carbon in my filter just sponges and ceramic media.

I change the water every saturday morning so lights are off at this time too.

As for the surface agitation is this too much?:

http/youtu.be/AqgelxkDv3M


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