Red1313

I don't know where this stuff came from but it's driving me batty. The only way I've found to get rid of it is to take all my plants out and through it off thread by thread. Anyone know how to beat this stuff? It's taking over my tank! It was bad growing all over the plants but now it's growing from the gravel too!
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Need to resize the pics
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Amanda

Get a snail.

sirdarksol

Any pics?
What color is it? What consistency (is it tough and stringy, soft and fluffy, in slimy sheets)? How easy is it to remove from the decor?
How much light is in the tank? How long are they on during the day? Does the tank get a lot of ambient light?
What's the nitrates?

Red1313

Lighting: 2x9W bulbs
Tanks size: 5 gals

The algae is really tough and stringy, it tries to cling to you're finger.

I have lots of snails
I'll test my nitrates right now while the pics load.
nitrate is according to my test is between 0<5.

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sirdarksol

Alright, you've got string algae, which is better than the blue-green algae I was worrying you had. The good thing is that, if you can get it to grow in a localized place, it can actually look pretty neat. If you pull it out, you're taking a lot of phosphorous and nitrogen out of the tank, which is another bonus.
The bad thing is that it's a pain to get rid of. Most snails don't eat it. Shrimp do, but not in huge quantities. You can try lowering the light in the tank (pulling one of the bulbs out or something), and watching how much you're feeding.

Red1313

hmmm... thanks sirdarsol.
I've been pulling huge mats of the stuff out and while it does look cool it's favorite place to grow is on my plants. Would the ludwig b ok with a decrease in light or would I'd be better to try and add some more plants and have them out compete it?

sirdarksol

I'd go with more plants and maybe some CO2 (you could do a homemade thing for that small of a tank) to help them out compete it.

Red1313

More plants it is then. (I'm sooo upset )
Thanks for you're help Sirdarksol, I'll look into the DIY CO2's.