# Green algae on glass



## James From Cali (Dec 15, 2006)

The only algae that truly fades away after time are Bacillariophyta, which is brown algae or Diatoms. Those grouped under Chlorophyta however do not and need to be taking care of. These are like your green dust or green spot algaes. To control it make sure you scrape it off with a razor blade and remove it from the tank. Do a water change and test. 

You said that you have been cycling your tank for 2 months. It usually only takes one month to complete the cycle. Are you using test drops or the strips? Cut your lighting back to about 6-8 hours a day, get some fast growing stem plants that wont mind the cycle in that tank to allow it to use up excess nutrients. Floaters will do the same thing. Any chance we cna get a picture of the algae? This could help in determining how to solve your situation. If it is green spot or green dust then reduce your light and clean it off. This is what I had done to solve mine. 

THE FILM:That is Cynobacteria, not an algae. They classify it as an algae though. To the point, BGA usually starts to form when there is low nitrates. I would suggest that you pull as much of it out as you can(it usually comes up quickly).

Check here for ID's of algae for more help.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

With no CO2 you have to limit the light intensity so you aren't causing algae to start growing. With just a sand substrate you are relying on the fish poop and leftover food to feed the plants the nutrients they need. That might not work well, and the appearance of bluegreen algae suggests that it won't. And, your ammonia level suggests that you might be feeding the fish too much, allowing too much rotting food to contaminate the water. But, the ammonia level may just be a bad indication from a faulty test kit.

Have you tested the KH of the water. Vals can use carbonates for a carbon source, so having a KH above 2 or 3 should help them to grow better. You could also get some root tabs for aquatic plants and put a couple of those deep in the substrate to provide more food for the plants. It is healthy growing plants that do the most to prevent algae from starting.

I have had green dust algae several times, and a few of those times I had some of that algae, or a hitchhiker algae, with hairy tufts growing on it. A method for stopping green dust algae is to just let it grow without bothering it for 2 to 3 weeks, until you see it start to change color, drop off in spots, and get thinner. Then you can scrape it off, do a big water change, and you might find it doesn't come back. But, if you have green spot algae - little green circular spots, that are very hard to scrape off, then reducing the light and adding a little phosphate fertilizer helps prevent that from coming back.


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