want algea

[zcfish]

the green kind!

my 46g tank is growing brown algea on the rocks and glass. I have to clean the algea off the glass every week. It's got no direct sunlight. I seldom turn on the tank light.

my 125g tank is growing brown algea on the rocks but not on the glass. it's in the basement and got 12 hours of 40w flourescent.

i like to have some lush green algea growing on the rocks, but how?

[emartin]

Get BN or ABN plecos to get rid of the brown algae (ANY brown algae will outcompete any other kind of algae for nutrients in the water) and increase tank light (NOT 24/7 though) for the green stuff.

Also what kind of fluorescent bulbs are in the fixture? 10,000K bulbs do really nice for algae.

And if your algae (both green and green hair algae) get too out of control and you don't have large piscivorous fish then Siamese Flying Fox/Siamese Algae Eaters will trim it down nicely but NOT completely. In my tanks the green algae is just flat on the rocks and glass since the siamese algae eaters I have trim off any hairs that grow.

If you want to REALLY REALLY REALLY get algae going... Remove your fish, do what is mentioned above as far as increasing light and getting a better bulb for more light, and buy and dump phosphates into the tank. Algae Growth should occur within 24 hours XD







^Note...I really DON'T recommend that last one LOL. I just remember that before I bought siamese algae eaters I had a bad hair algae problem (not overgrown like it is at atlantis's tanks (good for fry though), but growing and killing the plants my tank had phosphates in it and after eliminating that it wasn't that I was overfeeding or not doing enough water changes but for some reason there is approximately 2ppm of phosphates in my tap water... That's what was speeding the growth up insanely...that and all the extra lighting I had on the tank.

Siamese Algae Eaters and their close cousin/copycat Siamese Flying Foxes are fantastic at eating algae...they eat EVERY single kind (even the toxic kinds) of algae though they do not eat brown algae that well compared to ancistrus sp...

~Ed

[Crowned]

Brown algae is a diatom that will out-compete green algae. So to get the green, you have to "starve" the brown. Brown thrives when silicate levels are high, and is commonly seen in new tanks because silicates will leach out of the glass and some substrates.

Best bet would be to test your tap water for silicates. If low, then just up the frequency of water changes. If high, get a product that will remove them from the tap and/or tank.

[Pete]

Really the only way you're gonna get green algae is get some light going. It's green for a reason and that reason is light.

[triscuit]

It's my impression that "brown algae" out-competes true algae at low nutrient levels, thus the association with New Tank Syndrome. Once there are sufficient nitrate and phosphates from food and fish poo, green algae will grow. Are these relatively new setups? Then I suggest waiting out the brown goo rather than adding nutrients that can cause a problem later.

If you want to get a variety of algae, start a bucket outside with a couple of your tank rocks barely submerged in tank water. Leave it in a sunny unprotected place and wait for the wild stuff to start growing. Add more water as needed, and get a good colony growing before placing in your tank. A light rinsing with fresh tank water will get rid of some of the bugs/detritus that you may not want in your tank, but will leave the attached algae on the rocks. If you have heavy grazers in your tanks, keep a bucket o' goo going all the time. (sunny window in winter works okay).

[zcfish]

It an old tank but new sand. So silicate level can be high. The stocking in the 46g is low. Only 11 2 inch cyps until I got a group of N. brevis in the auction. With weekly 50% water changes there basically no nitrate. Great idea triscuit, I'll try to grow some green algea in a 10g tank. If successful I can then swap out the rocks.

[zcfish]

Just two follow up questions:

1. do all plecos eat brown algea

and.

2. can i add a small amount of phosphate and fertilizer into a cyps tank without hurting the fish? i won a bolbitis and thinking i need to help it get going.

thanks.
joe.