Algae Questions

[Bruno]

I am having issues with algae and lookign for some help. The tank is a 90G recently changed from a Cichlid to planted. Substrate is eco-complete, lighting is a fluval aqualife and plant LED 46w, filtered by a fx6. I dose Excel but that is it. Lights are on from 8 Am till about 7 or 8 pm. I plan on investing in CO2 later, but don't have it right now.

From what I have read so far, it might be that CO2 would help me, but also that I have plants that grow too slow. Most of the plants are from the Cichlid setup so are Anubias and Java fern. Can I fix this or move in the right direction with faster growing plants to reduce nutrients? Any thing else I shoudl be checking or adding to help?

Here are pics of some of the new micro swords that are already shwoing algae, as well as one of the java ferns. Another picture of a full tank as well

[geleen]

Nice tank! Here are some common things that might apply in this case.

algea = some kind of inbalance..

1./ too much or too long lighting period

2./ tanks that are too immature will go through different types of algae till they mature.

3./ Co2 helpful but you can use a substitute like seachem excel Your valisnaria (looks like you may have that) will not like the excel and will die down.

4./ too much food added will add algae very fast.

I would shorten the photo period to 8 hours a day to start as most of your plants are low light to medium light you might turn of one of the lights until things settle down.

chek that your not feeding too much.

HTH

John

[fishclubgirl]

Bruno,

You're on the right track with adding some fast growing stem plants. Hygrophilia polysperma/ludwigia repens are good ones and don't need CO2. From your pic, it looks like your tank gets some natural light, if I'm correct? You could definitely shorten your light period then. Also you can add some BN plecos to clean up the algae too. Every planted tank takes some time to settle down..

[Eugene]

I don't think the LEDs are workin right shortterm yes long term noway.Wrong spectrum of light.

[Bruno]

Not too much natural light. There is a reflection in the tank of a window in the background, but it is a west facing window that faces the neighbors house, we get light from it but not direct sunlight, and certainly not on the tank. There is also a windows 2 feet to the left of the tank, but it is south facing and just the corner of my tanks gets a direct hit from sun for a hour or less first thing in the AM.

It is a new tank since it is all new substrate, though the filters and plants came over from the previous setup.

As for the light, it is all or nothing, as it is a single fixture with a off and on setting, no way to turn anything down or off.

I know everyone has their own way or opinion, but feel free to chime in here or send me a PM. I don't expect anyone to have the magic bullet for my tank, but I hope that any suggestions will help me thru my learning curve and get me off to a good start as I figure out what works well for me.

Someone asked about bioload in a PM - currently they are juvies but I have 6 turquoise rainbowfish, 6 german blue ram, 8 rummynose, 6 green laser corys (or maybe it is 8, I cant recall and they move around and hide too much to get an accurate count) and 2 clown loach.