Unknown algae taking over my tank

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harvcon

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Hi all
I have had my tropical tank for a year now and things have been stable however over the past month or so i have noticed this red/brown hair like algae growing on my plants/wood and decorations.I try to remove it and the next week it has come back.When looking online and different algae types none of them quite match the description of the problem im encountering. Wondering if any of you could tell me what it is and any methods to remove it from my tank for good!
Thanks for any suggestions.
 

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I think this is a species of black brush algae, which is actually botannically a "red" algae, though I admit I have never seen it red like here, but that doesn't matter. The cause and cure are the same for all "problem" algae.

From the photos I assume this tank has live plants, a couple weak strands are visible. The aim is therefore to establish a balance between light and nutrients that will benefit the plants but not encourage algae.

Can you provide data on the tank light? Intensity/type, spectrum (the Kelvin number is fine), and how long it is on each day, and if it is on a timer to be consistent or not.

Do you use any fertilizers, and if yes, which ones and how often?

A photo of the entire tank would help, as this will tell us the plant species/numbers and the fish load which is a source of nutrients.
 
Hi , thanks for the response.
The light is the 14w verison of https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01809XE82/?tag=
I would say on average the light is on 7-8 hours on average a day. However its not on a timer.
I use a liquid fertilizer once a week however sometimes in every 2 weeks.
I am reluctant to add new fish or plants because of this problem so most plants in the tank are small and coverd in this algea. All water levels are fine and their has been no problems with the fish.
 

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The info on that light is on Aquadistri's website in the pdf of the on-line bochure downloadable from this page
 

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How often are water changes done, and how much water at each? Do you vacuum into the substrate? And keep the filter well cleaned/rinsed?

I don't see any plants ???

I couldn't find any useful data on the light, but @Essjay has posted with some, so I'm using that, for the first one the LED Bright. The Kelvin at 12,000+ is too much blue, so that is one major issue here, as blue encourages algae and doesn't benefit plants except when it is in combo with red and green and the blue is lower. The LED Colour would be a better light.
 
I had the earliest version of those LEDs, and it took some time to find the spectrum details. When i realised what the K rating was I replaced the tubes with different ones. The Colour tubes at the time turned all the fish in the tank orange - the shop where I bought the Superfish tubes had them on some of their tanks and I thought they made the fish look awful which is why I got the Bright version.
The Superfish tubes are now in the attic as emergency spares, and I have Aquael retrofit LED tubes.
 
I changed mine for AquaEl retrofit tubes. Like the Superfish tubes, they have plastic sleeves over the ends to fit them in T8 and T5 lamp holders.

My tank takes 2 tubes so I have one Plant and one Sunny.
 
This looks like a tank I had years ago. It might be BBA (black beard algae). You might have an unknown phosphorus source...?

Quick search found 'too much light, not enough CO2' but I'd bet it is more complicated than that. It is tough to get rid of. I know that.


My first post. Hi all.
 
On the upside, it's not dangerous to fish. It's just ugly to most people. I think you might do more damage to your fish by trying to kill the algae with drastically changing environmental conditions.
 

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