kiwifisho

Hey Fish experts. My tanks is in its 5th week now. I am starting to get Some hair like algae growing only in the front of my tank The hair like Algae is also starting to grow on my driftword. THe gravel in the front 1/3 of my tank is greening up a bit.

My tank is 100 gallons and is built in. I have an aqua one fluro fitting which sits directly on top of the fish tank. This has 2 x 40 watt fluro aquatic bulbs.

With the tank being built in all the top is enclosed. There is a distance of approx 18-20 inches between the top of the tank and the roof of the enclosure. I have another flouro fitting (an old one) fixed here so it is 18 or so inches above the tank. This has 2 x 65 watt (850k) bulbs in it. They are a standard fluro cool white fluro tube.

I calculate I have 2.1 watts per gallon. Do I have too many watts?

My tank is planted. All the Java died when I cleaned the tank and started from scratch. I replanted the Java and all new growth is coming through and I have added other plants (not sure what they are) and they are all coming along nicely.

Any thoughts and help much appreciated.

I have not introduced and Algae eaters yet, Some Algae eaters and some corys will be my next purchase but I am still not sure if my tank has cycled.

I will do a water change tonight as I have read that high nitrates can cause Algae growth

Peterpiper

Hi kiwifisho,
Not to sure on the lighting requirements for fresh water plants as I have marine ( salt )
But fluro's need to be replaced every 6 months, as the fluro's get older the light spectrum shift's to the red and the hair algae love it.

To cycle the tank you must add some form of ammonia. How are you cycling the tank?
The high nitrates could be from the Java that died, as plants will release nitrates when they die, so remove any dead plants asap

kiwifisho

Hey Fish experts. My tanks is in its 5th week now. I am starting to get Some hair like algae growing only in the front of my tank The hair like Algae is also starting to grow on my driftword. THe gravel in the front 1/3 of my tank is greening up a bit.

My tank is 100 gallons and is built in. I have an aqua one fluro fitting which sits directly on top of the fish tank. This has 2 x 40 watt fluro aquatic bulbs.

With the tank being built in all the top is enclosed. There is a distance of approx 18-20 inches between the top of the tank and the roof of the enclosure. I have another flouro fitting (an old one) fixed here so it is 18 or so inches above the tank. This has 2 x 65 watt (850k) bulbs in it. They are a standard fluro cool white fluro tube.

I calculate I have 2.1 watts per gallon. Do I have too many watts?

My tank is planted. All the Java died when I cleaned the tank and started from scratch. I replanted the Java and all new growth is coming through and I have added other plants (not sure what they are) and they are all coming along nicely.

Any thoughts and help much appreciated.

I have not introduced and Algae eaters yet, Some Algae eaters and some corys will be my next purchase but I am still not sure if my tank has cycled.

I will do a water change tonight as I have read that high nitrates can cause Algae growth

Many Thanks

JP

Blub

sirdarksol

2 WPG is good for a pretty wide range of plants.
Since you don't know what kind of plants you have, it will be a matter of trial and error to find out which ones can tolerate the current lighting conditions and which will die off.
The dead Java moss probably fed nitrates/phosphates into the water, which, in turn, fed a hair algae growth. Lots of water changes and a light break in the middle of the day (a half an hour or an hour where the lights are off) might help get rid of the hair algae.
Can't recall which fish eat hair algae, but it's a limited group. The stuff is actually pretty tough (if you've got a patch that's two inches or so, try pulling on it, you'll see what I mean).

RiffDawg15

Sounds like your light is not shining on all parts of your tank. Might be because the lights sit too high on top of your tank. 18-20 inches above the top of the water would be pretty high for your lights to be.

Its really hard to say what could be causing the problem without seeing your set up. If you can upload some pics so we can check them out. Then we can give you a more accurate answer.

Blub

sirdarksol

Yes, amano shrimp will eat it, but will rarely leave a significant dent in it. (They enjoy the stuff, though)

Barbrella

I"m told that rosy barbs will eat hair algae sometimes..maybe you could try them!

How many hours per day are the lights on?

kiwifisho

I have had the lights going for 11 hours per day (which I read on here somewhere). My local fish store has advised me to run them at 8 hours per day.

Would it be a good idea to turn them off for a few days? I have been running them for the last two days for 3 hours per day.

It is 5 weeks now since i set the tank up and it still has not cycled!!!!!
I have 0 readings for ammonia / nitrite / and nitrates so dont want to buy anymore fish (algae eaters) untill i know my tank has settled/ cycled.

I am going to re-new 2 x 40 watt lights that are sitting on top of the tank with the recomended aquatic lights.

Are the standard ordinary everyday fluro tubes any good to use. I have two of these sitting 18inces above the tank. These are 65 watts each. I have turned these off for fear they are causing the problem.

I have no nitrates in the tank so this is not the problem.
I am sure I am not overfeeding my fish. They eat all I put in the tank. nothing ever makes it to the bottom.


Value your advice

THe kiwi fisho
JP

sirdarksol

I wouldn't turn the lights off completely. 3 hours a day will probably go a long way toward killing the algae. If you can, 10-11 hours a day with a break of 1-2 hours in the middle of the day makes it difficult for algae to grow.

It's possible (not likely, but possible) that the hair algae has been soaking up the nitrates, giving you a negative reading.
You'll be able to tell if this is the case once you get rid of the algae (which should happen as you're working out the algae thing).

Good luck with everything.

Barbrella

I would definitely cut down the lighting by a few hours a day.

You can also try planting a really fast growing, vigorous plant like Wisteria. It will compete with the algae for nutrients, and it also sucks up nitrates as well.

kiwifisho

I have an electronic timer, so I am sure I can programme it for a break in the middle of the day.

Before i cleaned the tank it had alot of algae in it. is it possible that it is just re-growing?