# Algae Pearling = lightning is OK?



## Ashraf (Oct 7, 2014)

Are the plants growing?

Bump: Are the plants growing?


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## keymastr (May 25, 2015)

Your lighting is extremely high and you have very little plant mass so the algae has almost perfect conditions to take over your tank. I would just use one light and raise it a couple feet above the tank for now and after you get rid of any existing algae and have the tank stuffed full of fast growing plants you can increase the light.

How long do you keep the lights on?


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## Akaliman (Jul 28, 2014)

ashraf : the stem plants in the bacground seems to be doing well. The monte carlo for carpeting, im not so sure... Im leaning toward NO. They have small leaves. 
(See attachment)


Keymasters: are you sure i have too much light? Right now its not even 1watt/ liter.
The lights on for 11 hours per day. 
And keep in mind this is 80cm high water coloumn 


Thanks guys


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## littlefish_ (Aug 4, 2014)

It's more beneficial to think of lighting in terms of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). Go to the lighting forum and click on the thread about lighting tanks with PAR as opposed to watts per gallon/liter. Read through that.

I would agree that your plant mass is low for your light levels. Generally excessive algae is a sign of imbalance between a variety of factors, which can include plant mass, light, CO2, and nutrients. How much algae is there? Do the plants pearl, too?


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## Akaliman (Jul 28, 2014)

Now some of the plants are pearling as well.
It means the tank is moving to the right direction right?

Now what do I do with the existing algae?
I don't think manual removal is an option. will they disappear by themselves?


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## plantetra (May 17, 2014)

Were you able to identify the type of algae?


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Having enough plant mass to use the energy provided by the light is the basic balance
issue of keeping out algae.
My tank "style" is likely appreciated by me mostly if not only so consider the amount of
plants rather than the tank style on this one. But I run higher light than is normal for
most people(except for injected CO2 tanks)when you look at the height of this tank.
It is 40L and 20"x10"x12" tall. I use EI but once a week only on macros and twice a week on micros plus Excel @ 2x the recommended doses. Light is one T5HO bulb @ 11.5" above the sub on for 7.5 hrs. I like a small amount of GSA on the rocks in it so
this light level is very intentional. The 7.5 hrs regulates the amount of the GSA.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/pGallery/pg_12001e.jpg
I think you would do your tank a favor to include a large single plant on the other end
from your island on the right end. The 80cm seems perfect for a Prince Kleiner Sword or
an Amazon sword. Both of these can exceed 50cm.
https://www.azgardens.com/freshwate...r-prinz-echinodorus-sword-aquarium-plant.html
For the picture only.


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## Akaliman (Jul 28, 2014)

@plantetra: i believe the algae is green cluster algae, but the color is dark brownish. its multiple thread-like and can get as long as 10cm. 

@Raymonds: you read my mind on adding plants on the other end. I happen to get "inheritance" of cranium calamistratum 
I would never have bought such delicate plant if my tank had not been stable. 

here's the pic


btw, are you guys still thinking the lights is too much after seeing above picture?
the lights looks pale in comparison to morning sunlight.

i tried to kill/ weaken most of the algae with 3% H2O2, and adding fast growing plant hygrophila difformis. 

so what's the verdict guys: keep all 3x150watt or take one out? the 3x150watt just seems too pale in contrast to sunlight


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

High tech doesn't work without a high plant mass. your tank is simply too sparsely planted for that much light - simply not enough plants to use that energy so algae has the upper hand.

The responses that you have received are good in the fact that they mention that you need plant mass for high tech to work. Usually this is not recommended from what I have seen but is almost always the issue with tanks like yours so I try my best to preach it.


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## Akaliman (Jul 28, 2014)

here's an update..

I have reduced the light to just 1x150 MH.
I have also reduced the water column to just 60cm (before 80cm).

i have crank up the CO2 , and it seems to be heading in the right direction.

a bigger project like this is a challenge of its own. for example, i have to set the CO2 ON 2 hours before the lights ON. It takes time to saturate the water. 

another challenge is that I have discus in it. I need to be careful with the CO2 dosing.
At the same time, Im keeping a smaller 36G tank with no fish in it. I just crank up the CO2 like cray. No ALGAE at all

I plant gloss at both tank, with the same resource.
The one in 155G tank grows leggy, and the one in 36G tank spread out nicely.

my conclusion is that 
1. whenever you can, one should turn up the CO2 as much as possible. 
2. It is better to start without fish, or you are risking suffocating your fish.

of course these conclusion is not new. But it always nice to reconfirming the theorem in an experiment.

here's the pics

this is the 155G tank. note that the glosso grow leggy, and there's a lot of green dust algae on the anubias



36G tank
glossy grow horizontally, and not a single algae on the anubias petite, which grows slower than regular aunubias


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