Minor algae issue, advise needed

[Kassh4815]

Hey everybody,

Running a 55 gallon overstocked African cichlid tank and finally got all the water parameters to be correct, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10ppm nitrates. I change water 1-2x a week once nitrates get to around 30 ppm.

Issue I’m having is green algae growth on my rocks and wood. I have a fluvial plant LED 3.0 and I’ll attach the programming for it. Since cichlids are big eaters and big waste makers, what’s the best way to keep algae at bay? Having to scrub rocks and wood every other week is cumbersome. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Colin_T]

Add some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).

Algae on rocks is normal and a lot of African Rift Lake cichlids will graze on algae covered rocks.

If you don't have many live plants, then reduce the lighting times.

I suggested an alternate lighting colour pattern on another thread.

 

[Kassh4815]

The only thing I don’t like about the alternate color pattern was the warm light it puts an almost yellow tint in the water. I have 7 anubias and 2 broadswords. In short no addition filtration or anything would help if trying to stay away from the chemical option correct?

 

[Colin_T]

Extra filters or different filter media/ materials will not make any difference to the algae. It grows from light and nutrients, and lack of live plants.

Having Anubius (slow growing low light plants) with Amazon sword plants (medium growth rate but like light) isn't ideal either. If you have lots of light for the sword plants, algae will grow on the Anubius. if you reduce the light to slow the algae growth, the sword plants will struggle.

Having more fast growing true aquatic plants like Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma and narrow Vallis can help by using the extra light and nutrients, and by shading the Anubius. Floating plants like Water Sprite also do this.

You could move the Anubius to one side of the tank and put some semi transparent film over part of the coverglass above the Anubius. That would reduce the light getting to them but allow more light for the sword plants.

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Don't use algicides in aquariums or ponds. They kill algae and stress or kill higher plants too. They are also poisonous to fish and other aquatic organisms like shrimp and snails.

You could add some snails to the tank and they will help remove algae. A couple of mystery snails would help and be less inclined to breeding out of control compared to Malaysian livebearing snails, ramshorn snails or pond snails.

 

[Kassh4815]

I was told mystery snails will get “punted around like a football and killed “by cichlids. I had two and they stopped coming out until I put them in quarantine

I’ll think about faster growing potted plants.

I wanted to put Java moss on the log and make a “hanging garden” type of effect.