# What's so bad about algae?



## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

believe it can out compete plants which has happened to my DHG before. I personally like green dust algae (looks), diatoms (otos) and a bit of hair algae (amano's).


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## Platy_lover21 (Feb 11, 2012)

I think hair algae is nice looking that's about it


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## Dan's85 (Mar 18, 2013)

The biggest issue with algae, as said above, is it out competes plants for nutrients.


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## Platy_lover21 (Feb 11, 2012)

True.


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## Aquaticz (Dec 26, 2009)

many say C02 fluctuation is the cause of BBA


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

ok - so you are looking to use algae as a bio-filter??... all algae is going to do is pull nutrients and turn nitrate into o2. so if your talking about having algae in like a filter, first thing you need is light to produce algae. You would want to leave these lights on 24/7 to promote as much growth.

I've seen this done in saltwater tanks that use a refugium with algae and diatoms to help balance a tank. This is to keep the display itself looking clean of plants though. I don't know if it helped keeping diatoms and algae from blooming inside his display tank.


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## Dan's85 (Mar 18, 2013)

Vermino said:


> ok - so you are looking to use algae as a bio-filter??... all algae is going to do is pull nutrients and turn nitrate into o2. so if your talking about having algae in like a filter, first thing you need is light to produce algae. You would want to leave these lights on 24/7 to promote as much growth.
> 
> I've seen this done in saltwater tanks that use a refugium with algae and diatoms to help balance a tank. This is to keep the display itself looking clean of plants though. I don't know if it helped keeping diatoms and algae from blooming inside his display tank.



What your talking about here is what's known as an "algae scrubber" To my understanding, it's used for big tanks that's housing quite a bit of livestock. Basically all it is, is mesh of some sort that has water dripping over it and lighting on it 24/7. This is a very effective method for removing nitrates from the tank, and it keep most if not all of the algae growing in the scrubber and not in the display tank.


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

Vermino said:


> so if your talking about having algae in like a filter, first thing you need is light to produce algae.


Not exactly what I mean. I want to use algae to soak up nutrients in my tank *instead* of using plants. I want to cover every surface in algae (aside from the viewing panes). I will still be running a hidden filter system similar to this: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=301426
and I will be using the same ornament only now it is fully covered in algae.
Actually the tank I am thinking about putting together is virtually same as the one in the link only instead of a 20 gallon long, I am going to use a 50 long.

I just want to be sure that excessive algae doesn't cause some sort of problem to the fish and shrimp. (oto's and rcs)


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## thinBear (Dec 16, 2011)

in addition,


some type of algae produce toxin
more hard to control. bloom -> o2 depletion= dead fish
can be stinky
clog the filter


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## Dan's85 (Mar 18, 2013)

I don't see why having that much algae would hurt anything. You would probably never have to feed them either


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

Dan's85 said:


> The biggest issue with algae, as said above, is it out competes plants for nutrients.


So then really, the biggest problem with algae is actually its greatest benefit to me.


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

thinBear said:


> in addition
> 
> 
> more hard to control. bloom -> o2 depletion= dead fish


My understanding there is that algae will explode in growth, absorb all the nutrients, then starve to death. Then you have a lot of dead plant material rotting in the tank using up o2 as it decomposes.

Not a problem for me since I regularily tear out large pieces of living algae. Since it never gets a chance to 'die' in the tank I should be alright. Shouldn't I? 
And I am not even going to consider 'controlling' it. It grows like wildfire, all I can do is pull it out by the handful and feed it to my red claw crabs or the garden.


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## Dan's85 (Mar 18, 2013)

When you look at it that way, I guess so. Sense you already have a tank set up with insane amounts of algae, just ride it out and see how it goes. Just keep an eye on your parameters and make sure they stay in check. I have to say, I have never heard of anyone intentionally growing algae in a FW tank.


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

evilhorde said:


> Not a problem for me since I regularily tear out large pieces of living algae. Since it never gets a chance to 'die' in the tank I should be alright. Shouldn't I?


Or you can grow low tech plants and not have to pull out algae at all and only trim plants occasionally. Seems much less work this route to me.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

Well you dont want a tank just covered in all different types of algae. I believe the inhabitants might die before the algae starves itself. 

I mean I understand what your trying to do - you want the ruins to look like they have been there for centuries with algae growth. examples here and here. 

I guess I just go back to what I was saying with diatoms,hair algae, and green dust algae. Probably the three best visual appealing algae out of them all and could give you the appearance that it seems you want with still sucking out the nutrients for a mini-ecosystem.

I could be far off base with what you are talking about but it's an unusual thread but love your tank journal.


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

This is what I am talking about.



It's a little shaggy at the moment, but it only takes me a moment to grab a handful and tear it out.

If I get a chance to tonight, I will clean the glass on the shrimp only tank and take a picture of the short 'trimmed' algae in it. My mound of black gravel now looks like a grass hill. The RCS seem to keep it mowed.

Edit: that first picture is some kind of terrible. I really should have cleaned things before I took the pic. I performed some pretty major surgery on the substrate earlier and everything is covered on a thin layer if silt. try to ignore the filthy tank and just look at the mossy algae. In person the tank looks more like the second pic than the first.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

wow that is actually really impressive. Would be cool to see if you can control it, so it doesn't thrive - just survives.


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

Dan's85 said:


> When you look at it that way, I guess so. Sense you already have a tank set up with insane amounts of algae, just ride it out and see how it goes. Just keep an eye on your parameters and make sure they stay in check. I have to say, I have never heard of anyone intentionally growing algae in a FW tank.



acutally there is a guy here on the forum (i will look for it and post a link if i can find his tank) that is growing algae and only algae is his tank. it looks like a front yard of neatly trimmed algae. and it works very well from him.


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## Dan's85 (Mar 18, 2013)

I do have to say, the algae growth in your tank is pretty impressive. I've never seen anything quite like that.


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

Dan's85 said:


> I do have to say, the algae growth in your tank is pretty impressive. I've never seen anything quite like that.



For good or for bad, it *is* impressive.


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## clownnut (Mar 16, 2013)

evilhorde said:


> This is what I am talking about.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


is this a fresh water thing, what i see someone been avoid their tank.
dirty and ugly.......
hair algae in saltwater tank
http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/uploads/d946cae352752040ae80f50c78a90876.jpg
no hair algae in my saltwater tank


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Do you do water changes at all? That looks like a very ill maintained tank but maybe it's just the flash on the camera making it look like that.

You should be doing at least 10-20% changes each week.


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## evilhorde (Feb 3, 2012)

hedge_fund said:


> Do you do water changes at all? That looks like a very ill maintained tank but maybe it's just the flash on the camera making it look like that.
> 
> You should be doing at least 10-20% changes each week.


Bit of 'A' bit of 'B'.
ammonia and nitrite are zero, nitrate is under 5 ppm. The brown filth on the left side of the first pic is mulm building up in the gravel against the glass. it gets skylight sunshine there all day and neither me nor the tank inhabitants can get to it. That is something I am going to try to remedy later by making the sides more accessible to the shrimp.


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