So when will a new tank start to see algae?

[Glasstapper]

I've had mine set up since September, but still no algae. Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I was just wondering at what point will I start to see it?

[jeffs99dime]

there's really no definite way to say. it's different for everyone depending on many factors.

[kimmers318]

Do you have any live plants in the tank? If not the pic sure has some nice fakes :). My understanding is that the plants will out compete the algae for nutrients, so you may not see a whole lot. I had the misfortune of being sold a bag of substrate that was supposed to help with planted tanks....can't think of the name of it to save my life right now, because I wanted a planted tank. Wasn't given any information on lighting etc. so my large tank had a massive algae bloom because I plunked in all of these live plants and they started dying and decaying....adding to the crap in the tank. My other tanks, after learning that lesson, had only small algae blooms that didn't cause quite as much hassle, and still the ones without an algae eater occassionally need wiped down, but we are notorious for leaving our lights on way too long. Love to look at our fish! Now that my rescued plec is getting large (from 3 1/2 to around 6" tip to tip since July 4th) I wish for algae! That piggy eats quite a bit of prepared food.....but the upside is that decor in other tanks that gets algae coated can get plunked in and cleaned usually within a day. Like having an aquarium dishwasher!

[Glasstapper]

actually the only real plants I have in there are those two little bush java ferns on that piece of fake driftwood. Everything else is all artifical, plastic, and silk that all came from PetSmart. I do replace the silk ones once in a while, though, because they start to look faded. The ones in the pic in my signature are all new.

The only algae bloom that I saw was about 3 weeks ago. I noticed my water was a little cloudy, but I knew it was because I was overfeeding. I've cut down to about half the food, and it seems to be the perfect amount. No more clouds of white, and hardly ever removing extra food because there's just not much left.

Maybe it's my water changes. I do about 20% twice a week with gravel siphoning. I also wipe down the inside of the glass once a month. Other than that, though, not much other cleaning. Do you guys clean the same way?

[kimmers318]

Yep...weekly gravel vac with water change. I usually wipe the front glass each change, but the sides and back whenever I get around to it. The kids love to use my floating magnum glass cleaner so I usually don't have much to worry about anymore. The puff tank is the worst since the 1 oto can't do much for the green algae.

[Glasstapper]

You know what? Now that I've said something about it, I'll have tons of algae now. Me and my big mouth! LOL

[Glasstapper]

Yep. I had to open my big mouth. I came home today and found a few scattered patches of this stuff on various fake plants. What do you suppose it is?

[Lady Hobbs]

For me it was at the end of cycling when nitrates were higher. And when I added too much Stress Zyme. I get very little aglae myself. I wipe the inside of the glass down every 3 weeks is about all.

[jeffs99dime]

Yep. I had to open my big mouth. I came home today and found a few scattered patches of this stuff on various fake plants. What do you suppose it is?

glasstapper-- here's a good site with pics of different varieties of algae-
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Lady Hobbs]

So many talk of green algae, brown algae, white algae and hair algae that I don't know what they're talking about. I've not had any algae but the tiny bit that comes on the glass naturally. I also have no algae eaters of any kind.

[kimmers318]

To me that looks like a piece of rotting food that got caught in the plant leaves. When hubby was overfeeding his mbuna using these little spirulina pellets they would frequently be found looking like little white fuzz balls. He learned a quick lesson there!

[TehTANK]

I have a huge problem right now with brown alge and cloudy water. I am trying to figure out what I can do to eliminate both. I am not sure what the cloudy water is from. I haven't been over feeding and I haven't changed anything I have been normaly doing. I did add a second filter that does add a lot more current to the water then my other one. Do you think that has something to do with it?

[Lady Hobbs]

Absolutely. I bought a 55 gallon kit and my water also looked the same. Added another filter and it cleared right up. Especially with Oscars you need good filtration.

[TehTANK]

I have 2 filters on there now that should be more then enough....Why is it still cloudy and I have brown alge that I just can't get rid of. I am getting mad because my tank is looking all brown inside and I don't like that....:(

[Glasstapper]

To me that looks like a piece of rotting food that got caught in the plant leaves. When hubby was overfeeding his mbuna using these little spirulina pellets they would frequently be found looking like little white fuzz balls. He learned a quick lesson there!

But what if there wasn't any rotting food in that spot? I have this stuff growing from the tips of swords that sway in the current, also. Nowhere for food to really get caught. If it's rotting food, will the white fuzz spread to different areas and grow there?