Question

[Holm_Tanks.]

I've had my tank up for about two months now. (This is my first planted tank) When I first set it up it was on 10 hours a day with 3-hour midday break. I have been getting brown algae, that covers the sand and is on plants and driftwood. It's in like little bushes (the algae is). I reduced the light cycle to 7 hours a day with the break midday still (i also reduced the intensity). Does the midday shut -off actually help anything (I've heard it's controversial.) Should I have a longer lighting time again? I also dose flourish 1nce a week. Should I keep the lights on the same schedule or change it to help with my algae problem?

 

[Ellie Potts]

I'm not a plant expert and a lot of it is just experimenting with your set up, but I did have a brown algae problem when my light was on for 10 hours. It's now on for 8 and I haven't had a problem. I've never tried a mid-day break, I definitely don't think it's necessary. Brown algae can be a light problem, but it can also mean your nitrates are too high. So more frequent water changes or feeding the fish less may help.

 

[SilverB]

Has your tank finished cycling? Sometimes the brown algae develops during the cycling process but dies back once the tank stabilises. Some folks on here have recommended floating plants to me in other threads, which would be able to utilise more of the nutrients (nitrates especially) in the tank and reduce the amount the algae can use, knocking it back.

I was told by my local aquatic shop to try a break in the time the light is on (more so for cyanobacteria) as apparently it interrupts the plant's use of the light for its own growth. I've tried it but I didn't find it particularly effective - I suspect it doesn't make much of a difference unless you can get your Nitrates down.

 

[itiwhetu]

How much plant have you in your tank. As a rule of thumb the more plant the less algae you will have, also how warm is your tank. You need to do things that will raise the oxygen content of the water.

 

[Holm_Tanks.]

My tank is at 70 degrees. My tank is planted kinda heavy. At first, the algae just started on one plant but soon spread to the substrate and on all the plants. It is on almost every surface in the tank now except the substrate and glass. I would really like to identify it, which would help me battle it. I thought (and hoped it was a type of diatoms) but I'm not sure because I thought diatoms were just dusting not hairy and bushy. I'm not sure what else I can do to identify it, It's light brown it's hairlike and bushy and it's everywhere. I made a mistake in my first comment it has only been about a month and a week, not two months*