Strange algae??

[fraley]

Hi all, my tank has been running for about a month and a half now, its a 35g with only five danios in at the moment. I have 30 w tube and this is on for about 10 hours a day.
Just over a week ago i bought a light reflector because i was losing a lot of light out of the back of the tank at the top. Not sure if it started before i bought it but now i have what must be patches of brown algae appearing on rocks, and even on the leaves of my anubias.
There is also a bright green algae appearing along the front on the sand substrate which is really unsightly..
Do you think there is too much light directed into the tank now, i.e was the reflector a bad idea or could this be another problem??
please help before it gets too out of hand..
:help:

[Drumachine09]

What are your nitrates?

[fraley]

All tests ammonia nitrite and nitrate are zero..
ph is about 7.5

[Drumachine09]

All tests ammonia nitrite and nitrate are zero..
ph is about 7.5


0 nitrate and lots of algea? hmmm this is a chrona question.`

[fraley]

Chrona help!! lol
Well i wouldnt say there was lots but its getting worse all the time so id like to put an end to it before it gets out of hand.
Ive just never seen algae as bright green before on the substrate, and the brown stuff on the rocks looks more like rust..

[Chrona]

Brown algae is diatoms, which thrive in low light. Have you added any rocks/sand recently to the tank? If not, then just don't worry about it. Remove as much as you can manually and just wait and it will go away in about 2-3 weeks (or buy a silicate/phosphate removing sponge....or oto cats)

Can you describe the green algae on the substrate? Does it come off easily? Or is it very hard. Do you have any on the glass? It's not bluish green is it? A picture would help immensely.

30 watts is minimal lighting for a 35g. Most likely there wasn't enough light to sustain any kind of algae beforehand (and barely sustain the anubias). Now that you have some light going into the tank, the low light algae is starting to show. My guess is the sand has been leeching silicates into the water for some time now, and you just now have enough light for the brown algae to grow.

Algae is caused by ammonium, not nitrates, contrary to popular belief. Hence if you have a ton of fish in the tank, you will get tons of algae, as the algae uptakes some of the ammonium before the bacteria/plants can get to it, but if you dump in nitrates via KNO3, you will not. Of course, having high nitrates usually means you have a large bioload and hence ammonium, but there's a difference :)

[xoolooxunny]

Chrona, didn't you mention somewhere in another thread that there is a certain algae that grows in ultra low nitrate conditions? If so, that could be it, with ZERO nitrates.

[Chrona]

Yep, blue-green algae. Hence me asking if the algae was actually more blueish/green, though I don't think it can grow under such low lighting.

[xoolooxunny]

Yep, blue-green algae. Hence me asking if the algae was actually more blueish/green, though I don't think it can grow under such low lighting.

I got a little bit on my powerhead within the last 2 weeks since my average reading dropped to 5ppm, and we all know I have low light! FIY the powerhead is located pretty close to the top of the tank.

[Chrona]

I got a little bit on my powerhead within the last 2 weeks since my average reading dropped to 5ppm, and we all know I have low light! FIY the powerhead is located pretty close to the top of the tank.

You have 80 watts though right? 2x 40 watts is much more intense than 2x 15 watts, and like you said, the powerhead is higher up than say, the gravel. It's definitely a possibility though, but since Fraley said it is bright green, a small one. It's gotta be either green film or green spot algae.

[xoolooxunny]

You have 80 watts though right? 2x 40 watts is much more intense than 2x 15 watts, and like you said, the powerhead is higher up than say, the gravel. It's definitely a possibility though, but since Fraley said it is bright green, a small one. It's gotta be either green film or green spot algae.

Yes, this is true. They're pretty good lights too. Anywho, I think I'm going to have to start dosing some nitrate in my tank, or get some bigger fish!

[Chrona]

Yes, this is true. They're pretty good lights too. Anywho, I think I'm going to have to start dosing some nitrate in my tank, or get some bigger fish!

Nitrates is the better choice. More fish = more "high nutrient level - (ammonium)" related algae ;)

[fraley]

hope these help

[fraley]

well the brown algae on the rocks comes off very easy just by rubbing my thumb on them,
there was a lot more of the green stuff on the sand but i disturbed it, i think it comes off pretty easy its a bit hard to tell.
there is green algae on the front glass at the bottom of the tank and there is small patches of the brown stuff in various places, again at the bottom of the tank though.
I have very recently added new rocks, about the same time as i added the reflector,
oh and i dont think it is bluey green, its turning darker now...
so would it benefit me getting a 40w bulb?
hope you can help
cheers

[Chrona]

That is starting to look like blue-green algae actually, as it's more of a dark green. If it gets out of hand, a 48 hour blackout (cover the whole tank - no light) will kill it.

Where did you get the rocks from? What are they made of?

Do you mean another 40w bulb? Or replacing the 30w with a 40w. How planted is the tank and what kind of plants do you have in it atm?

[fraley]

Well most of the rocks came from an aquarist shop, its not heavily planted i have one anubias barteri and two onion bulbs, which seem to be growing fine.

I meant replacing the 30 w with one 40 w, would this help..
Ill have to keep you informed as to how bad its getting, it does seem to be gradually creeping over all the sand..

[Chrona]

Well most of the rocks came from an aquarist shop, its not heavily planted i have one anubias barteri and two onion bulbs, which seem to be growing fine.

I meant replacing the 30 w with one 40 w, would this help..
Ill have to keep you informed as to how bad its getting, it does seem to be gradually creeping over all the sand..

The 40 watt bulb will not make much of a difference. You are better off getting more plants, like java fern, mosses, or more anubias. For now, cover the tank for 24 hours and vacuum the gravel afterwards. If it's still there, do it for another 24 hours. Failing that, you can also purchase some KNO3 (dry powder potassium nitrate) to add, which should help a bit with the algae situation. It's an agricultural product, but you may be able to find some local sources that will sell you half a pound or so (ie farm, local school chemistry lab, etc)

[fraley]

ok ill cover it for a day and see what happens,
Ill keep you informed..
many thanks for your help..
: - )

[artoledo]

ok ill cover it for a day and see what happens,
Ill keep you informed..
many thanks for your help..
: - )

I have the same thing in my tank right now. i have had it for about a week and a half. I bought 3 sally light foot crabs and 3 mexican turbo snails and they went through the tank in 2 days! they cleared up all the rock and keep it in control now. do weekly water changes and it should be gone in a few weeks. there is nothing you can do to speed this process up. it is new tank syndrome.

[Chrona]

I have the same thing in my tank right now. i have had it for about a week and a half. I bought 3 sally light foot crabs and 3 mexican turbo snails and they went through the tank in 2 days! they cleared up all the rock and keep it in control now. do weekly water changes and it should be gone in a few weeks. there is nothing you can do to speed this process up. it is new tank syndrome.

I don't believe freshwater algae are the same as saltwater algae. Blue green algae is actually cyanobacteria, which produce a toxin, so very few things will eat it and only if they are absolutely starving, and it's caused by 0-low nitrates because cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen, as a result of live plants sucking up all of it. The solution, then, if quite simple - just add nitrates and your plants will easily outcompete the stuff. Or a blackout, which works for almost all types of algae but is not really a long term solution

[artoledo]

I don't believe freshwater algae are the same as saltwater algae. Blue green algae is actually cyanobacteria, which produce a toxin, so very few things will eat it and only if they are absolutely starving, and it's caused by 0-low nitrates because cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen, as a result of live plants sucking up all of it. The solution, then, if quite simple - just add nitrates and your plants will easily outcompete the stuff. Or a blackout, which works for almost all types of algae but is not really a long term solution

Sorry guys i thought it was a Saltwater tank. Forgive my wrong advice.