Algae

[e999sam]

I have started to get a large build up hair algae. I purchesed a treatment to get rid of it but after reading the instructions I decided it would be better to find an alternative method any ideas?

 

[Alien Anna]

What sort of set-up have you got and what kind of fish? Do you have live plants? Can you give us details of your water conditions, particularly nitrate levels? Also, what kind of lighting have you got set up and when was the last time you changed your tubes?

Hair algae requires several things to thrive:
Light
Nitrates (produced by the breakdown of fish waste)
Phosphate (also produced from fish waste)
Micro-nutrients, such as iron.

If you want to kill the algae, you have to think of a way to either remove those elements, or get them used up by something more efficient, like live plants.

If you have live plants and you are still getting problems, we need to think of ways to make those plants grow like triffids (to out-compete the algae). If you don't have live plants, you are going to have to set up some way to remove nitrates from your tank, such as a nitrogen-absorbing resins. If your nitrates are fine, we need to think about something else.

 

[Macquatic]

 Hi sam, I'm afraid the most common cause of algae, particularly hair, is overfeeding! Don't worry we all do it. Try to remove as much as you can by hand and feed your fish with 1/4 the amount every 3 or 4 days. You won't harm the fish, in fact they will probably become more perky! You should see a difference in 2-3 weeks. A few years ago I had the same problem until I went on holiday, I could not get anyone to feed them so I left them for over a fortnight without food. When I came home I expected skinny or dead fish but all was fine. The fish were much more active and hardly a speck of algae to be seen! As Anna points out algae thrives on excess nutrients and a heavily planted tank will use up a lot of these. Check your tank water for nitrates and also how it comes out of the tap.  Mac.

 

[Alien Anna]

Try to remove as much as you can by hand and feed your fish with 1/4 the amount every 3 or 4 days. You won't harm the fish, in fact they will probably become more perky!
{snip}
As Anna points out algae thrives on excess nutrients and a heavily planted tank will use up a lot of these. Check your tank water for nitrates and also how it comes out of the tap.  Mac.

I'm not sure I'd feed that little - particularly if you have young and growing fish in your aquarium. However, it is true that most people over-feed their fish (it's hard not to when you see them coming over to the front of the tank looking at you with those cute, fishy eyes ).

A note of caution about using plants to use up nitrates is that plants must have sufficient light. Fluorescent tubes need replacing every 8-12 months because the spectrum of light they produces gradually becomes bluer (and algae can use blue light more efficiently than higher plants).

You make a good point about testing tap water - mine came out of the tap today with well over 50ppm nitrates! Needless to say, we're now drinking bottled water. :grumpy:

 

[e999sam]

My tank is a 120 ltr Jewel which has an internal filter.
It is quiet heaverly stocked with
2 Angle fish
4 neon tetra
5 exray
2 honey Goramey
3 Clown Loaches
2 Rams
1 Bristle nose cat fish
1 upside down catfish
8 guppies
4 dwarf cat fish
1 siamese fighter
The tank has about a dozen assorted plants.
It's ben set up for about six months,
At the moment I don't know what the nitrate level is as I get it tested at my local shop only when I think there is a problem.
I have already started to reduce feading and have put a timer on the light to limit it to only 8 hours but I think it is to soon to tell if this is working.
Since I have reduced feading the angle fish have become very aggresive towards their tank mates.

 

[Tatya]

Anna - could you direct me to where you found out about algae using blue light more efficiently than higher plants? I've just been told something that would seem to contradict that - so I'm kind of interested!

 

[Alien Anna]

Anna - could you direct me to where you found out about algae using blue light more efficiently than higher plants? I've just been told something that would seem to contradict that - so I'm kind of interested!

Hi,
initially it was observation: I had blue lights on my tank when I first got it and the plants did badly, whilst the algae was doing great.


Now with yellowish "Sun-glow" lights, the reverse is true.

Then I asked a botonist. Admittedly, we didn't talk wavelengths or anything, but he pointed out that chlorophyll is green because that is the spectrum of light it reflects (i.e. blue with a little yellow = green), which means it actually absorbs the other end of the spectrum (red with a lot of yellow = orangy-yellow).

However, chlorophyll is not one chemical and is actually different in different kinds of plants. The chlorophyll in higher plants is fairly light-insensitive compared to the chlorophyll in algae, which can utilise a far wider range of light sources (the reason that algae is one of the commonest groups of plants in the world, found everywhere there is light).

Now, this is in line with my vague, oh so vague memories from University (I seem to remember diagrams with red and blue arrows bouncing off various plant cells). However, I am talking about the visible spectrum (not UV) and I'm talking extremely generally. I have no doubt an algae that grows in the arctic is a lot more tolerant of blue light than an algae that lives at the bottom of a rain-forest pond!

Are you going to share the contradictory info? I'd be interested to compare.

 

[Tatya]

I know someone researching phyto-photonics. The effects of different wavelengths of light on plants. He uses LED's so that he can pick out a specific wavelength and then grows the plants under that. He's actually applied for a patent on a light that brings fuchsias into bloom early

He believes that blue light will enhance plant growth while reducing algal growth. He'll be doing more research into that - but admittedly not with aquatic plants. Although, I'm now interested in seeing if we can find a combination to do it in aquatic environments.

P.S. with your adding colours while it works with paint, primary colours; red, blue and yellow. It doesn't with light, primary colours; red, blue and green. Adding colours to paint makes it darker adding colours to light makes it brighter - its kind of like looking at the opposite side of a blanket So its the green component that is reflected by the chlorophyll not the blue and red components.

 

[Alien Anna]

Tatya,
that is fascinating. My guy is researching genetically altered wheat, so in that respect, your guy out-ranks him!

As for the spectrum thing, you are right (I think), but my brain is not that efficient at the moment.

If you phone Hagen and ask them about plant-growth, they seem to be under the impression that yellow light is best. It is quite possible that this has been the assumption forever, but perhaps your friend's research will show that that isn't the case.

In my own tank, my hair algae has been dying off since I installed the yellow Sun-Glo lamps, but maybe any decent lights would have had the same effect in a heavily planted tank. It gives a nice golden look to the tank anyway - I didn't like the blue light I had before.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

God, Great stuff. Got me thinking in a new light :laugh: I've got Hagen stuff lying about somewhere, I'll have a look at there lighting stuff and get bac and findings. But dont hold your breath. Tatya could write more in one paragraph what I remember about physics

 

[Great Lakes]

I had great success with blue spectrum lighting. And don't forget, more than one light can go over a tank. mix and match, find the colors and durations that work best for you.
Also, I have always made my way through algae blooms with a reduction or absence of light for a couple days.

 

[mrV]

E999sam.. I know, but i say it still: You have quite big fish in small aqurium, like Angels and Clowns. Angel needs double volume and especially high aquarium as you seen they have quite great fins! Clowns (b. macracanthus) is a big fish, 30cm and need school, 3 minimum and 300-350 liters for 3 clowns... You can't keep neontetras and angels in the same tank, because angels may eat them, angels have big mouth when they are big enough

Are you going to share the contradictory info? I'd be interested to compare.

Algaes seem to love yellow light,  especially spectrum area 500-600nm.

... mine came out of the tap today with well over 50ppm nitrates!

Water for kill algae You know, most algea dies when nitrate level rises over 30ppm (blue algae tolerates even 200ppm).

If you phone Hagen and ask them about plant-growth, they seem to be under the impression that yellow light is best

And if you call Tetra Verlag, they say that you should never use yellow lights Always use "white" lamps...

I haven't had any problem with algae when using Sylvania Aqua Star 10000K tubes and Philips 865. And i love the colours: http/kotisivu.mtv3.fi/water_world/aquarium450_2.jpg There is 2*Sylvania and 2*Philips (third is missing right now).