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Recently there has been an influx of questions involving algae issues and how to get rid of it. I figured it would be good to have some resources in one central location to help share some valuable info on algae. I would like to make this into an article once I fine tune it a bit.
Algae identification -
There are many forms of algae and knowing what you are dealing with will drastically help. Many forms of algae look very similar and get confused, and this leads to fixes and solutions that don't work. Remember algae can have a variety of appearances and colors, so do some research to narrow down what you are dealing with. Google search the algae you think you have and you will find a ton of s and info that will help as well. Here are few links that will help identify algae along with photos, causes, and solutions....
Algae causes -
Algae can be caused by a variety of issues. Different forms of algae are triggered by different things as well. Some common causes of many algae issues include.....
> excessive light (both too bright and extended photo periods) - raise your light fixture, lower your photo period
> low CO2 - add CO2 injection, use CO2 substitute like Seachem Excel, increase surface agitation in non CO2 injected tanks
> CO2 fluctuation - do smaller percentage water changes, make sure your CO2 doesn't run out, increase surface agitation in non CO2 injected tanks
> unbalanced nutrients - having unbalanced nutrients can also trigger algae.
Algae prevention -
Preventing algae is far better than treating it after the fact. There are a variety of ways to try to prevent algae from forming, or at least inhibit it to some degree. Below are some ways that I have researched and used with some degree of success.
> Adjusting your lighting - Perhaps you have too much, or perhaps too little. You have to know what lighting you are working with. What color temperature is your light? Approx. PAR value? How long is your photo period? These are all questions that every aquarist should know. Around 6500k is best for color temp. PAR affects what type of tank you want to have whether it be non planted=low PAR, low light = low PAR, medium light = medium PAR, high light=high PAR. Here is a link to understanding PAR....
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts - The Planted Tank Forum
Quite often, people have a light that is too bright for their needs or is left on too long, or not on a fixed timer schedule. Timers are cheap, use one, and it will vastly help you out.
Raising your light fixture a few inches can help. It helps spread out the light, and lowers the PAR the deeper you go into the water. Here is a link to some easy risers I made to raise my Finnex LED fixtures a few inches (the same concept could be applied to many light fixtures)....
DIY light fixture risers for Finnex LED | DIY - Do It Yourself 187928
Adjusting the photo period can help a lot as well. Diana Walstad (pioneer of the Walstad tank method) is a big advocate of 2 separate photo periods with a "siesta" in the middle. This helps the tank build back up some CO2 for the 2nd growth period, rather then a continuous 8-10 hour drain on the CO2 levels. I also like it as I get to view my tank at night more often when I'm home and have time. A sample schedule would be something like....
9am-1pm lights on, 1pm-5pm lights off, 5pm-9pm lights on, 9pm to 9am following morning lights off.
Adjust it to your needs if you think your tank/plants need more light you could do 2 five hour photo periods.
> Adjusting your CO2 - I am a big advocate of low tech tanks that do not need CO2 injection. I feel I can get more stable levels of CO2 which help inhibit algae. You can also have a very lush tank with a great variety of colorful plants, all without the extra hassles of CO2 injection. It seems many algae are triggered by fluctuating CO2 rather than just overall lower CO2 levels. Using an air stone for surface agitation in non CO2 injected tanks helps the water maintain an equilibrium with the ambient air.
If you use CO2, be sure to keep it stable. If you use DIY CO2, consider using 2 or 3 separate bottles and staggering them by one week apart. This way when one is running low and fizzling out, the other is going strong. If you use a CO2 tank and regulator system, be sure to use a drop checker and monitor your CO2 levels for consistency. If you are using CO2 injection a air stone is only suggested perhaps at night to help prevent excessive CO2 buildup and gassing your fish. During the day this would off gas your extra CO2 that you are wanting to keep in the water.
> Adjusting your nutrients - Fish waste and fish food usually provide enough Nitrogen and Phosphorus for water column feeding plants, but they lack in Potassium and micro/trace elements. Using a product like Seachem Flourish Comprehensive is a good liquid fert, as it is low in Nitrogen and Phosphorus but higher in Potassium and the micro/trace elements, helping to balance things out. If you have root feeding plants then be sure to use some root tabs. If you have no plants then nutrients shouldn't be an issue, just do regular water changes. Here is a link to a thread where I explain the common Seachem Flourish line of fertilizers including Excel as they are a good starting point and easily obtainable for most....
Seachem Fertilizers And What They Do | Plant Fertilizers 180151
Algae treatment -
Once you have algae it can be a battle. But you can win this battle with a few different tricks.
> Manual removal - lightly scrub away any algae with a scraper, tooth brush, or even your finger. It's best to do this before a large water change, as any loose free floating algae spores will get removed in the outgoing water.
> Chemical treatment - I am very opposed to most algae chemical treatments, they are frequently the cause of other issues including death of plants, fish, and especially inverts. Use at your own risk and read the labeling as well as do some research to make sure they are safe with your inhabitants.
One chemical that I do use and recommend is Seachem Flourish Excel. It is a liquid CO2 substitute that also works as an algaecide, so it's doubly good for our algae eradication needs. Regular daily doses will help a lot, as well as spot treatment. I suggest sticking to the regular daily dosage of Seachem Excel and not using the larger initial dosage suggested on the bottle, as I think this is where problems can happen with certain plants and inverts. Also note that certain plants are sensitive to Excel (vals, anacharis, and others). This can be overcome by slowly acclimating them to using Excel by starting with a small dosage for a week, then 2nd week increasing slightly, then 3rd week increasing a bit, more then 4th week finally going to normal daily dosage.
> Spot treatment - First off, turn all of your filters and air stones off, getting the water very still. Load up a normal daily dosage of Excel into a syringe. Slowly squirt the Excel onto a problem area. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes then turn everything back on. You will only be able to get to a small area every day, so keep repeating every day, moving to a new area until you have zapped all the algae. The algae will turn pink, red, or grey letting you know that you zapped it. This can also be done with small amount of hydrogen peroxide, which breaks down into just plain water very quickly, so it is relatively safe.
Whole tank treatment - Here is a link that explains a whole tank treatment involving hydrogen peroxide then following with Excel. Be sure to read the entire thread as many people have successfully used it and have chimed in with their experiences and tips. I suggest only using the regular daily dosage of Excel afterwards, and not the larger initial Excel dosage recommended on the bottle. I have personally used this method a few times with fish, plants, and shrimp with good results.
> Blackout - many forms of algae can be eradicated by a blackout for a few days. Do some research to make sure that this will be ok with any plants or fish you have. Putting a large blanket over the tank works, but also I would suggest an air stone to help make sure their is enough oxygen in the water.
Overall tips and tricks that I have found very useful for dealing with algae -
> Daily dosing with Excel or other brand liquid CO2 substitute
> Split photo period with 4 hours "siesta" in between
> Keeping plants, as they will outcompete the algae for nutrients. Suggested plants that are very helpful are anything that grows quickly, especially floaters like frogbit, hornwort, anacharis. These plants are known as nutrient sponges. Anyone can keep plants, they are easy, don't be scared, here is a link to another article I wrote about easy low tech / low light tanks....
How To Set Up a Low Light , Low Tech Planted Tank
Also using floating plants helps shade the tank some, so limiting the light that penetrates deeper in tank for algae to grow.
> Get a cleanup crew like nerites snails, amano shrimp, bristlenose plecos, red cherry shrimp, are all great helpers in dealing with algae. Be sure they are compatible with your setup and do not overstock your tank. Adding more problems to deal with later is not a good method of dealing with algae. Any of these "helpers" will not fix your problem, but they can be of assistance.
> Try any algae covered leaves or remove any algae covered décor. If you see the algae, get it out of there, as it will multiply quickly. The quicker you react at the first sign of algae, the easier the treatment will be.
I hope this has helped out and spread some light on the algae issues that we all live with. Remember every tank has algae, it's just a matter of limiting it so it's not unsightly and out of control. Prevention is always better then treatment. And remember google is your best friend in this hobby, there is a ton of valuable info out on the web, you just have to find it. If your are still confused and need help by all means search the forum, odds are someone else has had a similar problem. If you still can't find any info post a new thread and be sure to include important info such as water parameters, tank size, inhabitants, light fixture info, and photos always help.
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