Too Much Light?

[cs091]

I'm new to this forum, but I've read quite a few posts and I think I may have made a mistake in the past with a replacement light tube.

I've got a 60x30x30cm tank - 10 gallons I think.

5 zebra danios
5 gold white clould mountain minnows
2x1.5 inch goldfish (waiting for the filter in their pond to be fixed - hopefully this week!)

2 plants in the gravel (don't know what they are) and a bunch of assorted 'aerator' plants and some silk ones.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate ~50 before water change but the tap water's about 30 anyway

Chage 25% every two weeks or so.

Temp - room temp at moment! 82!
I've added extra aeration lately in the form of a bubble curtain that I had lurking in the back of the fish cupboard.

The light is a 15W Flora Glo.

This wasn't the original light which blew some years ago. I thought the more light the better!! The tank was drained some years ago and then refilled about a year ago and the goldfish added first (sorry I didn't know anything about fishless cycling then) then the minnows and the danios about 2 months ago.

My biggest problem is galloping algae! I've reduced the time the light is on from 12 hours (9-9) to about 8 hours (8-10 plus 3-9. Timed to give the fish their breakfast and then when I get home).

In addition I've noticed that the little fish swim all over the tank when the light is on, but as soon as it goes off the are in the top inch. The goldfish swim all over all the time. They all seem happy and healthy apart from this.

Is this behaviour showing a problem?

Should I get a lower power tube?

Should I dump the plants - which are covered with algae - brown and green. Or can they be saved?

CS

 

[fishcrazy55]

i guess the goldfish isw used to the pond and not alot of light and i believe they are part nocturnal...the light is mostly to help the plants grow but u can dump the plants and get new ones if u want i guess

 

[cs091]

The goldfish have never been in the pond. I bought them for the tank when it was empty, decided to put them in the pond also has no fish in at the moment. Turned pond filter on only to find it empties the pond of water!

I'm not worried about them as they will move soon. More worried about little fish.

CS

 

[seanc]

adding co2 would probably reduce the algae levels pretty drastically.. a simple diy yeast system would do it.

 

[discus dreamer]

Hi
I am pretty new to this but am keen on plants so read a bit about optimum light levels etc. The algae problem could be helped by having your lights go off for 2 hours in the middle of the day. I have mine set for 8am-2pm then 4-10.30pm. The break is supposed to prevent algae growing as it needs a long light period. Haven't got a problem with it yet but it's a newish tank.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Read all the pinned topics at the top of the planted tanks section would be my first piece of advice. Then to eliminate algae ideally plant real plants on 50 - 70% of your substrate. You have 1.5watts per gallon which is still quite low light levels. Feel fry to try CO2 but adding more plants I think is the way to go. Theres a link in my sig. to easy to grow plants + this website has loads of plants with advice on how easy they are to get on with:

http/www.tropica.com/default.asp

With regard to lighting try a 5 - 2 - 5. Five on, 2 off then 5 on again.