# algae growing on co2 diffuser



## swim423 (Oct 10, 2010)

I have algae growing on CO2 diffuser. ALso, my bubbles are not being absorbed into the water??? did they fill my bottle with a bad batch of co2 or maybe even o2?? i have green algae on glass in a 55gal with 1 6700 t5 HO and 1 color max bulb. just wondering whats going on...ive got it running at 2-3 bubbles per second. water temp is 78-79. color max on about 9 hrs and 6700 about 7-8 hrs. thanks


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

Algae will grow on the diffuser, just like anywhere else. You'll have to balance the CO2 with your fertilizing and lighting before you can really get a good handle on it, usually. Or at least that's the case in higher light tanks. And all the little CO2 bubbles won't completely dissolve in your tank water, that's normal.

Do you have a drop checker on the tank, by any chance? If so, what color is it? And you can soak the diffuser in a bleach solution every now and again to get rid of the algae build up.


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

Diffusers need to be cleaned frequently, that is one of the drawbacks to using them, it is normal to get algae on the disk. Soak with bleach, rinse well and treat the disc with dechlorinator before putting it back in the tank. You can go longer times between cleaning if you put the diffuser somewhere where it is shaded. 

Since the mist doesn't dissolve that quickly it helps to have the diffuser below a powerhead that will blow the mist down and around the tank instead of letting it rise immediately to the surface. The mist ends up trapped on or under the plant leaves and will be absorbed directly by the leaves, that is what makes mist work so well.

One last thing.... never scrub the disc with anything, easy to damage it!


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## Edman30 (Nov 15, 2010)

I had the same problem with algae in my tanks I started dosing excel (1/3 excel,2/3 water) (just to be safe cause I have shrimp) for the dreaded BBA . I also got my hands on some horned nerites there amazing of how much work they've done on my surface algae. I also have timers on my light 4hrs on, 1hr off, then another 4hrs on.


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

Here's what I do to keep my diffusers clean. 

Once a week when you are doing your water change raise the diffuser to above the water level and spill out any water that is on top of it. 

Fill the top of the diffuser with a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide. 

Do your water change. 

Lower the diffuser back into it's usual spot in the tank. 

The hydrogen peroxide breaks down and is harmless in that small dose and the diffuser will be clean by the next day or two. If you do it every week consistently it should stay fairly clean.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Two T5HO bulbs lighting a 55 gallon tank is very high light, exactly what helps algae grow very vigorously. The diffuser isn't a growing plant leaf, so algae can colonize that very effectively. Use just one T5HO bulb to light the tank, and much of your algae problem is fixed.


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

Hoppy said:


> Two T5HO bulbs lighting a 55 gallon tank is very high light, exactly what helps algae grow very vigorously. The diffuser isn't a growing plant leaf, so algae can colonize that very effectively. Use just one T5HO bulb to light the tank, and much of your algae problem is fixed.


x2... or raise the fixture if you want to use both bulbs.


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## swim423 (Oct 10, 2010)

thanks alot for the advice..im going to dial down my colormax. Also will try bleaching or using hydrogen peroxide.


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