# Algae problems in 10 gal



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I have to scrub off the brown algae every day, and it's really annoying. I know I need to have a balance of lighting, fertilizer, and CO2 to prevent algae, and I'm trying my best to try to. So for now, any suggestions?


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> I need to have a balance of lighting, fertilizer, and CO2 to prevent algae, and I'm trying my best to try to.


Not only will these things prevent algae formation, but they will also reverse the algae problem as well. If you go for a quick fix, you aren't going to achieve balance. I wouldn't use any algae reomver in a planted tank.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

And if I do balance these out, how quickly will the algae go away?

And I thought brown algae was caused by too little light and excess nutrients?


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> And if I do balance these out, how quickly will the algae go away?
> 
> And I thought brown algae was caused by too little light and excess nutrients?


I would say roughly a month, but I am sure you would see results fairly quickly.

I am one of the people that doesn't subscribe to excess nutrients leading to algae issues.

My tank is a high light tank, and I have dosed "excess" nutrients into the water column before for extended periods of time. I never saw any algae formation as a result of doing this. I have seen algae problems when I neglect the tank and don't perform regular maintenance though.

Between dosing a little more phosphate and buming your CO2 a little, I would imagine that you would start to see algae recede relatively quickly.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wait I thought phosphate causes algae?

And, on a whole new topic, approximately how many watts will 2-14 watt T5 bulbs with a "polished reflector" and "acrylic splash cover lenses" (which I'm pretty sure will distort the lighting) give out?


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## Stasiu (Sep 9, 2007)

Excess phosphate doesn't necessarily cause algea, but an imbalance in NPK will. Some people have said that a crash in phosphate can cause GSA to grow.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That's killer lighting for a 10gal tank, you could estimate it at well over 4wpg especially since the plants are so close to the light.

If it were me I'd take out one of the bulbs all together; that should still let you grow just about anything in this tank as long as your dosing is good.

Are you dosing CO2 and/or Excel in this tank? With just one bulb you might be able to get away with just Excel, but with 2 you definitely need CO2.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> Are you dosing CO2 and/or Excel in this tank? With just one bulb you might be able to get away with just Excel, but with 2 you definitely need CO2.


I have the Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio-System, which is basically DIY CO2 with a "special formula". Although in the future, I plan on hooking up the powerhead to an additional 2 liter DIY CO2 bottle, so it would have ~3.5 liters of DIY CO2. And yes I am dosing Excel, except I'm getting lazy with it because I'm at school and/or I forget about it...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

To me it would make sense then to take out one bulb for now- that should give you a little more leeway to forget. Lower your lighting for now then play with it over the summer when you're not in school and (theoretically) will have more time to play with your dosing/CO2/etc and figure out how to balance things out with the higher light? Just my 2 cents...


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Wait I thought phosphate causes algae?



I don't know who keeps spreading this. Phosphates do NOT cause algae. I have dosed too much over a long period of time and it did not cause algae. It did, in fact, eliminate all traces of GSA from my tank though. I wouldn't recommend over doing it. From my experience, it has a negative impact on some plants if you dose too much phosphate. My glosso turned yellow and looked somewhat burned when I dosed too much phosphate. Once I backed off a bit, it greened up again.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok well the brown algae seems to be going away...but there's some more GSA and what looks like Fuzz Algae and Staghorn Algae Although I think one problem is that my parents haven't ordered the dry ferts yet and I think that they'll help get rid of it...


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Ok well the brown algae seems to be going away...but there's some more GSA and what looks like Fuzz Algae and Staghorn Algae Although I think one problem is that my parents haven't ordered the dry ferts yet and I think that they'll help get rid of it...


I had and battled similar problems as you when I set up a 10 gallon and thought everything was as balanced as it could be to prevent algae issues. The only difference was that with the exception of Blue Green Algae, much of the algae reared its ugly head after about 5 months of the tank being setup. Cause and effect relationships are really difficult to prove but I suspect the following combination of issues may have had something to do with what happened. Keep in mind that the tank was never neglected. 50% weekly water changes were performed and monthly water parameters were all consistently within the range considered ideal for plant growth.

(1) The algae appeared almost a week after I did a heavy trim of the plants. I may have gone overboard and created an imbalance by reducing plant density too much by overtrimming.

(2) My c02 levels were questionable at best and I suspect lower than what the drop checker indicated. I think you are right to consider adding another 2 litre c02 to your setup. I have a 15 gallon high ADA Aquasoil experimental tank and I believe that the 2 bottles of c02 in addition to the Aquiasoil substrate are the main reason that the plants are doing so well and the tank remains 100% algae free. In hindsight had I done this, perhaps I would not have experienced what I did.
The drop checker was a lime green indicating 30 ppm, but the following c02 calculation chart 
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm
consistently showed 11.7 ppm which I may more inclined to believe was a more accurate reading. 

(3) Given that I likely had submarginal levels of c02, I should have either added another DIY c02 bottle to increase c02 output or I should have reduced lighting from 2 15 watt compact fluorescent bulbs to 2 10 watt compact fluorescent bulbs to compensate. 
***Also if it ain't broke don't fix it. I made way too many changes on the way for no reason other than curiosity of what would happen, even when things were going well. I am sure that probably added to imbalance where there wasn't any. Sometimes when you hit that right balance, it is just best to keep doing what you were doing and stick with what works.

This is all now academic but things I will consider for my next setup.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok guys so let me get this straight - GSA is caused by low phosphates, and dosing phosphates (but not too much) will get rid of it?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Ok guys so let me get this straight - GSA is caused by low phosphates, and dosing phosphates (but not too much) will get rid of it?


Yep :thumbsup:


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Ok guys so let me get this straight - GSA is caused by low phosphates, and dosing phosphates (but not too much) will get rid of it?


It should help prevent it from coming back. However, GSA also loves high light/long exposure areas IME, so just keep this in mind as well. Good luck!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

And I notice that there's either Fuzz Algae or Hair algae on my Java Fern and Rotala (not the one from Wingsdlc, another one on the right side of the tank)...will dosing phosphates get rid of this as well?


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok seriously, I need answers to this problem -_-


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

I would guess it's a co2 problem causing this type of algae. It can be tough to keep consistent co2 levels with DIY. Fluctuating or low co2 with high light is a recipe for growing algae. Try to remove as much as you can, treat with excel, and do your best to keep your co2 levels in the desired range.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

mpodolan said:


> I would guess it's a co2 problem causing this type of algae. It can be tough to keep consistent co2 levels with DIY. Fluctuating or low co2 with high light is a recipe for growing algae. Try to remove as much as you can, treat with excel, and do your best to keep your co2 levels in the desired range.


Bingo. And if you can't supply the CO2 needed to combat this algae, then reduce lighting intensity and duration.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Yay it seems like Excel is getting rid of it  Although I'm running out of it 

Ok now onto brown algae...is it possible to get it to go away??!?!


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

if you mean brown diatoms, they will go away on their own.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Will spot treatment with Excel make BBA go away?


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Have you tried searching here on this website, or with Google?

There are numerous threads on every type of algae, with pictures and remedies.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I searched this forum and nothing came up...but will Excel make Brush Algae go away? I got rid of the BBA...

Also, what are the types of algae the Otocinclus AND Amano Shrimp will eat?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I believe both of them will eat GSA and brown algae. I haven't heard much about Amanos eating brown algae, but I watched them clean it off of the intake tube on my XP2 myself.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm thinking about buying 3 Otos tomorrow to help get rid of the brown algae...and hopefully they'll take care of the GSA as well.


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