# Low tech and lights?



## MultiTankGuy (Jan 8, 2018)

Chic...

A little algae is a good thing. It's a good natural water filter and a sign you're keeping a healthy tank. Light is only part of the puzzle. If you limit the amount of food that goes into the tank, you can stay ahead of the algae problem. Feed low phosphate foods and change out most of the tank water every week, no exceptions. If you reduce phosphate and nitrates, you'll control algae. You can put the tank lights on a timer. I set mine at 12 hours on and 12 off.

M


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## chicken.nublet (Mar 29, 2018)

Thanks M. It sure is unsightly though! 

I've resigned to the fact that there will always be algae in there so I'm not looking to get rid of it completely (it's probably impossible) but I would really like to minimise its growth so that it doesn't take over and choke out all my plants. I will admit that I'm probably overfeeding by most aquarists' standards so I'll fix that as well.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

chicken.nublet said:


> Just wanted to ask members of this forum whether in their experience algae problems are caused by too much lights? It seems the predominant advice given in response to algae problems is to adjust the intensity of the lights and reduce the time the lights are on. I'm still wondering how I can achieve a good balance.


My answer to this common question is not very popular and my answer is no.

Any "ammount" of light which is disproportionate to the given plant mass and available nutrients causes algae.

In other words: availabe energy + available nutrients - consumers. The so called "balanced tank" means, at least to me, that the result of that equation should be darn close to 0. If the result is either greater or less then 0 then algae gets the upper hand.

When people use "too much light", my question is "too much light in relationship to what?"


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## chicken.nublet (Mar 29, 2018)

OVT said:


> My answer to this common question is not very popular and my answer is no.
> 
> Any "ammount" of light which is disproportionate to the given plant mass and available nutrients causes algae.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the illuminating answer. Maybe a better question would be 'is lighting the easiest thing to [censored][censored][censored][censored] up?' I would guess in my case then that it would be too much light in relation to the amount CO2 and the amount of plant mass available?


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

chicken.nublet said:


> Thank you for the illuminating answer. Maybe a better question would be 'is lighting the easiest thing to [censored][censored][censored][censored] up?' I would guess in my case then that it would be too much light in relation to the amount CO2 and the amount of plant mass available?


You are welcome. The light tends to be what people get obsessed over first. More must be better. I am in the same camp. That's why I think it's the easiest thing to mess up when you first start with planted tanks. But the light is also one of the easiest aspects to control: rev it up slowly, use a dimmer, hang it up higher, use window screen to cut down the intencity, run it for 8 hours instead of 16, run 2 bulbs instead of 6, etc.

In my experience, it is the co2 which is the hardest to control and to get "right".

To your specific question, yes - too much light in relation to your plant mass and nutrients (that includes the stuff in your substrate and co2 and fertilization and fish food / waste and that hamburger your kid dumped into the tank  ).


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## chicken.nublet (Mar 29, 2018)

OVT said:


> You are welcome. The light tends to be what people get obsessed over first. More must be better. I am in the same camp. That's why I think it's the easiest thing to mess up when you first start with planted tanks. But the light is also one of the easiest aspects to control: rev it up slowly, use a dimmer, hang it up higher, use window screen to cut down the intencity, run it for 8 hours instead of 16, run 2 bulbs instead of 6, etc.
> 
> In my experience, it is the co2 which is the hardest to control and to get "right".
> 
> To your specific question, yes - too much light in relation to your plant mass and nutrients (that includes the stuff in your substrate and co2 and fertilization and fish food / waste and that hamburger your kid dumped into the tank  ).


Thank you very much OVT

There is nothing in my substrate since it's just inert sand... plants are all anchored on hardscape. I'm not injecting any CO2 so the only CO2 I have is produced by my livestock and the plants themselves during the night, as well as whatever carbon Excel actually adds to the water. 

So assuming CO2 levels and plant mass remain constant, should I now be reducing my photoperiod and dosing less ferts than I used to in order to keep the algae under control? Realistically, I will only be able to add more plants at the end of the month, when I really have time to mess around with my tank. I assume that at that time I can start increasing my fert and Excel doses?


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