Why Am I Still Getting Algae?

[TallTree01]

I have at least 4 types of algae in my established low tech tank. It is planted and I havent fertilized in ages. I have two t8s on the tank and the tank levels are healthy. 0 ammonia and nitrite and small quantities nitrate. The ph is close to neutral and I do 20-30% Waterchanges every week.
Why am I getting algae problems?
I have 3 otocinclus and they can't keep up with the algae. I will post pics of the different algaes for identification shortly so I can get cracking on removing them.

 

[Ch4rlie]

How long ar you leaving these T8 lights on for every day?
 
Is there any direct or even indirect sunlight going into the tank?
 
Is there flow in tank water from your filter or powerhead?
 
Low nitrates can be a factor in algae issues.

 

[TallTree01]

They're on for about 11-12 hours everyday.
There is flow from my filter even in the most algae ridden of places.
I always close the blinds when I see sunlight on the tank, there usually isn't though.
Here's a mysterious algae which came in on aponogeton crispus, I thought I removed it all but it came back and is now on hygrophila as well.

Here's glass algae, am quite amazed the otos haven't eaten it.

The last one is wood algae, I'm actually not bothered by it so long as it stays on the wood, it looks quite nice. I'd like to be able to get rid of it anyway though.



Can someone please ID these algaes for me? Also if you know how to get rid of them let me know.

 

[Alasse]

How old are the light tubes?

 

 

[TallTree01]

The tubes are about 7-8 months old.

 

[Ch4rlie]

1st pic - looks lik Staghorn
 

Staghorn

  

 
 
Description


Grows in strands that branches out. Looks a bit like deer antler. Black to grey/green in colour and sometimes has a red tint.

 
Cause


Low CO2 and/or poor water circulation. A tank with overfed fish and accumulated mulm. Dirty filter. Also disturbing dirty substrates without doing water change afterwards.

 
Removal


Check CO2 levels and make sure you have good water circulation. Reduce feeding, vacuum the substrate and remove mulm. Overdosing Flourish Excel, EasyCarbo or TNC Carbon usually helps.
 
 
 
3rd pic looks a bit like  Rhizoclonium
 

Rhizoclonium

  

 
Description


Strands of fine green or brownish threads which are soft and slimy.

 
Cause


Low CO2 and poor water flow. Low nutrient levels. General lack of maintenance.

 
Removal


Increase CO2 levels and check nutrient dosing. Give the tank a good cleaning. Overdosing Excel, EasyCarbo or TNC Carbon should also clear it. Amano shrimp will eat it.
 
 
Not sure about the second pic with algae on glass pic.
 
 
The above info is from here - http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

 

[TallTree01]

Thanks charlie, the stag horn is in a lot of flow, in fact it's right next to the 550L an hour outlet. There's no milk or accumulated waste and I barely feed my fish at all.
I'm assuming all my algae is due to CO2 problems. I don't even dose CO2 and I have no clue how to measure or change it. I'll clean and scrub the tank down today and hopefully it won't return.

 

[TallTree01]

Still getting problems with this damn algae. The one with the least affected light is the tank where I use bottled water. I've looked around others tanks in my area and they all have akgae. Could it be my water supply is high in something that promotes algae? How would I combat this?

Scrubbing doesn't, help, it just grows back again. I've killed off teh stag horn though

 

[Ch4rlie]

You could get test for phosphate, calcium and iron and could help eliminate any possibilities that may aide algae growth.
 
have you tried adjusting flow in tank?
 
or lowering amount of time lights are on for?
 
see if these make any differences

 

[Lunar Jetman]

or lowering amount of time lights are on for?

 
This would be the first thing I would do. 11-12 hours a day is quite high. If it were me, I'd reduce that by half immediately. Then you can work from there.

 

[Byron]

I agree to lessen the light duration as a first step.
 
I accept that some do not agree with me, but I have long held the view that problem algae in a planted tank is always due to an imbalance between light and nutrients.  Algae is natural and will occur in any aquarium that is healthy; but with live plants, you want to keep it from increasing and this is a matter of finding the balance between light (intensity and duration both factor into this) and the nutrients of which CO2 is but one.  
 
Low water flow is not really a contributor; in fact the most brush algae I see is on the filter intake and return spraybar where flow is highest.  And low nitrates also are not an issue directly; my tanks all have close to zero or at highest 5 ppm nitrate.
 
You have two T8 tubes, but what is the tank size (dimensions and volume) and the tube lengths as we need to know how the light relates.  What is the GH of your water (this can be a source of minerals and they will contribute to algae)?  What is the substrate?
 
You said initially that you are not adding any plant fertilizers and this may actually be a problem as the plants may not be utilizing the light, depending upon the other factors.
 
We should be able to get to the bottom of this.  There is a reason and we simply have to find what is not right.
 
Byron.

 

[TallTree01]

I will lower the light times to approx 8 hours and see if there's a difference.
Byron, I have two tanks where algae is an issue one has the two T8 bulbs ( came with tank ) and the other has LEDs which I thought would limit algae growth, but it seems not ( I feel turning the lights down will help in the led tank )
Here is a link to the light from the T8s,
http/www.aquariumkingdom.com.au/lighting/aqua-one-light-bulb-pl-18w-mix-sunlight-tropical-aquastyle-ar620-620t

I haven't tested gH but I do have a kit. I will test later as I don't have the time.
Substrate is river sand and the tank dimensions are 24 x 14 x 15.

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Your tank is probably too bright or water conditions are just too perfect for them to thrive in

 

[ducatirider]

The best bit of info i got was if you pull the alge out by hand be sure you rinse your hands in fresh water before u go bak into ur tank 2 pull more out.then u dont put spores bak in

 

[TallTree01]

Been a week now, should I be seeing an effect at this point?
I'm going to fuly balck out it. For how long would this be safe for the plants I have?