Low tech setup - Algae on wood and anubias

[ilaizm]

Hi,

I have a low tech, low light setup. The only plants I have are Anubias and Crypts. The tank has been running for a year. I've never managed to get rid of an algae which is growing on the anubias and wood which can be seen in the pics. The following are my tank details:

Tank Size: 180G
Light: LEDs - Radion XR15FW (I have 3)
Light duration: 6 hours. Radions are set at 20% of their consumption
Ferts: Easy Life ProFito weekly
Temp: 86°F
Water changes: Weekly 50%

Can anyone identify the algae and cause please?

[a.person61]

Looks like diatom algy to me, the first thing i would to is cut down on the ferts and light. If that doesn't work i would honestly get a small algy eater, most algy eaters that I've looked into love it.

Whats your nitrate like? Is there any natural sunlight? I once had diatom outbreaks in my betta tank because it was positioned in direct sunlight.

[ilaizm]

Looks like diatom algy to me, the first thing i would to is cut down on the ferts and light. If that doesn't work i would honestly get a small algy eater, most algy eaters that I've looked into love it.

Whats your nitrate like? Is there any natural sunlight? I once had diatom outbreaks in my betta tank because it was positioned in direct sunlight.

I'd like to tackle the problem with the light/ferts combination before trying with algae eaters.

Nitrate is never more than 20ppm and the 20ppm is due to the nitrate from the original source of the water.

I Don't have any natural sunlight direct on the tank.

[Darrell Ward]

You need to find a way to cut the nitrate level before it will go away.

[Darrell Ward]

...If your source water is 20ppm, your nitrate level is never below 20ppm and this is feeding the diatoms.

[Akili]

Are you using well water? It is very unusual to have such high levels of nitrates in tap water. Replacing your water with either RO water or spring water or filtered water will lower your nitrates.

[jmf3460]

I know you aren't looking for an algae eater, but amano shrimp would devour that stuff in a matter of days. I don't know if your discus would eat them though, if you found a store with full grown amano shrimp I think they would stand more of a chance. an ancistrus species would love that stuff too.

[Siddhartha Saive]

The cause can simply be excessive light. LED lights are very uni directional.. without "spill" and appear less brighter to our eyes than the PAR they put out. Reduce the intensity further or raise the height of the LED unit.

The fertilisers or nitrates are NEVER a direct cause for algae. If you are familiar with the EI concept of fertiliser dosing you would understand. Excessive nutrients DO NOT cause algae. Excessive light, insufficient CO2 and insufficient plant mass to utilise these resources you provide are the causes for algae. Furthermore a lack of nutrients/ fertilisers INCREASES algae growth because the plants don't have enough nutrients for them to grow and will start dying and the algae will take over.

Algae is a normal part of any ecosystem. It is not an "infection" as some people see it. Focus only on growing plants well and the algae problem will be taken care of automatically as the algae wont have any resources left to utilise.

Things that can solve your issue...

Reduce the light intensity by half for a week or two and gradually increase the intensity once your plant growth/ mas increases.
Add more plants.. simplest and sure shot way. Fast growing stem plants or floating plants are the best if you like em or add more of the same plants you have. More plants = less algae.
Add CO2. If you want to go that route
Add bristlenose plecos or amano shrimps to help with controlling it.
Ignore the problem. This is the easiest way ;) diatom outbreaks are very common in newly setup planted tanks and will spontaneously resolve in a few weeks

[ilaizm]

Thank you all for the feedback.

No, there is no direct sunlight on the tank. The water I'm using is municipal water. It's normal to be in that range in our country. I don't think that the nitrate in the source of the water is the main culprit, even though it's not helping.

I am also not seeing good growth in the Anubias. I know Anubias is very slow growing, but I've had that type of plant in the past and know its growth rate. So my suspicion falls on the lighting. Since I have LEDs I don't have anything to work with on the intensity I should set it to. As stated in my first post, I currently set them at 20% which is the lowest I've tried so far. I could try go lower than that or raise the height of the LED unit.

I've been ignoring this problem for a while now and the algae is still there. So now I decided to try tackle this issue and see whether I manage to remove this algae.

My intention is to have a minimalistic tank with wood only and anubias on the wood. So adding more plants is not an option.

I've also read that Nerite snails eat diatom. Between Amano shrimps and Nerite snails do any of you have any experience on which would eat this algae most?

[jmf3460]

its a win lose with nerite snails. They do a great job at keep plants and glass clean, and wood. But they leave crusty eggs all over the tank and I mean all over. Their eggs do not hatch in freshwater so they die and become encrusted so to speak. Its an eyesore, one that doesn't bother me but it is an eyesore. I have amano shrimp. In a discus tank they might not last long, but since yours are domestic and probably not used to going after live foods they may not attack them. Amano's are awesome. I have them in all my tanks almost and they will clean the crap out of anything they touch. I tried them with my wild discus once, and it was not pretty. Basically it was a really expensive snack for the discus.

[pitdogg2]

check phosphates and or silicates, Once I started using a phosphate/silicate remover that type of algae disappeared. I also agree that your nitrates are very high mine used to run high so I also incorporated Pura Nitrate lock it works very well and regenerates with plain salt. I only use the nitrate resin in my water change tank for my tap water it takes it to zero.

[walt]

Try dosing with seachem flourish excel I've had success with algae using it

[nikond70s]

your lights are way overkill especially for the XR15FW x3, high light = needs more fertz/co2

your temp is to high, it promotes algae growth.

main problem are your crazy high tech lights. cut it down or pack your tank with more plants to compete with algae. excel helps too. and id cut the temp down to atleast 82.

[Dhavalsp]

before making major changes, just control the light, at times just moving it about 6 inches away from the aquarium can make a big difference.

[kilnakorr]

Pretty dure its diatom algae. Often lives in symbiosis with cyano algae so might want too keep an eye on that. Feeds on silicates.
Get some silicate remover and cut the lights completely for a few days.

[Pedroski]

Yes, I'll control nitrates and silicates. Also, the lights. If the room if well illuminated try not to turn on the LEDs for a couple of days, and wait for any changes...

Besides, have you think in Otocinclus? (I have never used them with Discus... Most probably I will)

Good luck!

[ilaizm]

Once I modify the light setting, if I find the right balance, would the diatom die off on its own? If so, after how long would it start dying off?