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Posted by Alan Silver on May 4, 2005, 10:43 am
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Hello,
I have a 220 litre (24" cube) Malawi cichlid tank (see
http://fish.alansilver.co.uk/Mark3/Gallery/0402FirstFish/Default.asp?img=
tank_040217_01.jpg for an out-of-date picture) that is suffering from a
green algae problem.
I'm fairly certain that the problem is caused by the amount and/or type
of lights. The tank has two 24" fluorescent lights, one white and one
blue, plus three 40 watt halogen spotlights. This is all because the
tank is in a corner away from any natural light and we want to be able
to see the fish!!
Anyway, the tank is fairly covered in very short hairy green algae. I
have to clean the glass at least once a week, or it gets too mucky to
see inside. The background is quite covered in algae as well. This isn't
too terrible as it looks more natural, but it does make the tank dark.
So, any suggestions? I know I could cut down on the amount of light, but
I want to keep it bright. Would different types of lights help? If so,
what?
I have an Ancistrus bristlenose catfish in there and it is pretty busy,
but it doesn't seem to be able to keep up with the algae growth. I
wondered about adding another, or even a Plec, but I don't know if that
would be the answer.
Any suggestions greatly welcome. TIA.
--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)
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Posted by Amateur Cichlids on May 4, 2005, 6:11 pm
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<snip> that is suffering from a
> green algae problem.
<snip>
> Any suggestions greatly welcome. TIA.
>
First thing to do is cut down on the amount of time the light is on. Have
the lights turn on later in the day, and off earlier. More frequent water
changes will reduce the amount of nitrates in the tank which will help with
algae growth. Being that's it's a Mbuna tank, (which is too small IMO, but I
covered that a few months ago) adding fish or shrimp that eat hair algae
probably isn't an option. Plus, adding more to the tank can add to the
problem with a higher bio-load.
Test the phosphate levels in the tank. You can buy filter material that
removes phosphates if you have phosphates in the tank. Phosphates are a big
contributor to hair algae. Hair algae is difficult to get rid of and off
requires removing it by hand. Don't wipe it down and let it float off into
the tank, else it will eventuall reattach or send off pieces to grow
elsewhere. It needs to be removed. ;-)
Not real enlightening, but it's all I've got.
Tim
www.fishaholics.org
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Posted by Alan Silver on May 5, 2005, 9:42 am
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Tim,
Thanks for the reply. I have already cut down the lighting hours, so
that's not really an option. I do pretty regular water changes too and
the water quality is good. I haven't tested for phosphates though, so
that could be an option.
I don't know if this is hair algae as it's very short. I thought hair
algae tended to be longer, like hair (!!).
Would the type of lighting be a factor? I am thinking of changing the
halogen lights for fluorescents anyway as the halogens produce too much
heat. Would this help the algae problem?
Thanks again.
alan
>First thing to do is cut down on the amount of time the light is on. Have
>the lights turn on later in the day, and off earlier. More frequent water
>changes will reduce the amount of nitrates in the tank which will help with
>algae growth. Being that's it's a Mbuna tank, (which is too small IMO, but I
>covered that a few months ago) adding fish or shrimp that eat hair algae
>probably isn't an option. Plus, adding more to the tank can add to the
>problem with a higher bio-load.
>Test the phosphate levels in the tank. You can buy filter material that
>removes phosphates if you have phosphates in the tank. Phosphates are a big
>contributor to hair algae. Hair algae is difficult to get rid of and off
>requires removing it by hand. Don't wipe it down and let it float off into
>the tank, else it will eventuall reattach or send off pieces to grow
>elsewhere. It needs to be removed. ;-)
>Not real enlightening, but it's all I've got.
>Tim
>www.fishaholics.org
>
>
--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)
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Posted by on May 5, 2005, 11:31 am
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On Thu, 5 May 2005 14:42:29 +0100, Alan Silver
>Would the type of lighting be a factor? I am thinking of changing the
>halogen lights for fluorescents anyway as the halogens produce too much
>heat. Would this help the algae problem?
My halogen spots don't cause a problem. They are on for about 16 hours
a day. I don't use fluorescent lights. Maybe they are your problem.
Steve
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Posted by Alan Silver on May 5, 2005, 11:41 am
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>>Would the type of lighting be a factor? I am thinking of changing the
>>halogen lights for fluorescents anyway as the halogens produce too much
>>heat. Would this help the algae problem?
>
>My halogen spots don't cause a problem. They are on for about 16 hours
>a day. I don't use fluorescent lights. Maybe they are your problem.
Dunno, fluorescents are the standard for fish tanks, they aren't
generally known for causing algae problems.
Maybe I'll have to add a Plec and see if that helps. They are supposed
to be good algae eaters.
--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)
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