Spot Algae HELP needed please

I have have noticed very small patches of Spot algae on the glass on the front of my Tank .. after checking ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 1.5ppm
I cant understand what has caused this

I have some golden Nugget Plecs in the tank will they eat it or wil I have to mechanicaly remove it ...

the only thing that has changed is that I have started to feed my fish 2 times a day now could the extra bioload cause this algae

I am still using ferropol liquid addative and change the water 2 times a week 25% could it be that an overdose of Ferropol has made the iron concentrate rise and thus caused the algae to take hold ....(so far it is not unsightly as it is only in small patches any advice would be welcome



P.S my lighting is a bit haywire at the moment as my timer has broken so I am trying to keep it to no more than 12 Hrs do u think by reducing the lighting to 11 hrs would help ...
I have noticed from one of the links poste here that helped me to identify the algae that this kind of algae is normal with well lit aquariums but mine is only 1.5-2 W per gallon plants are growing well

How do i test for Phoshpate and do you think reducing the light period to 11hrs will help

:)

Get that NO3 up to 7.5ppm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, reduce to a 10hr photoperiod and lower your Iron supplimentation. I found that most spot algae occured when I had high levels of trace elements in my tank (read: too much) and a long photoperiod. There's really no good way of getting rid of it other than getting your tank in balance and physically removing the stuff. Ancistrus plecs will eat it, but they'll also chew holes in your rosette plants.

Don't worry so much about PO4, keep your CO2, K, and NO3 up and then watch your plants for pearling to determine PO4 dosing. That's worked well for me.

ok thanks for the response .. I dont have Co2 in my tank and raise the Nitrate to 7.5 http://opkikkertje.nl/smilies/weetniet/weetniet005.gif why do this I thought algae feed of nutrients in the water column ....
surely im giving them more of what they need ?

and can you explain what pearling is please http://opkikkertje.nl/smilies/februari/blob1.gif

Oooooh...no CO2..ok. Don't raise the NO3 then.. With a CO2 system you need to keep the NO3 up at a minimum level for the plants to stay active. When it drops below 4-5ppm your higher plants start slowing down and the algae takes over. Get some CO2 into that tank quick!! :)

Pearling is when your plants are photosynthesizing so much that they saturate the water with Oxygen and the excess is seen as little bubbles in the water and on the plant leaves.

When your plants are active at their optimum level they're producing enough O2 to keep the algae in the aquarium dormant. It's been postulated that algaes don't like an environment with a high 02 content and I believe it. In fact, I think that's how we got an Oxygen based atmosphere..the algaes way back in the beginning photosynthesized enough to convert a CO2 based atmosphere into a Nitrogen and O2 based one. Once that happened..POOF, the algaes died back, giving rise to higher life.

Just for information, I came across a nice algae website. Check it out:
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm

;)

Cheers ronrca that is where I identified what type of algae it was boy Bio you realy have me confused now buddy http://opkikkertje.nl/smilies/weetniet/weetnietA1.gif

one min i need CO2 then I dont due to low light now I need it ... me plants are growing well just this spot algae has just started to appear at the same time although to be honest the spores where there a few weeks ago but didnt take hold ... only actualy appeared visible in the last 48 hrs I actioned a water change last night of 30% and did not dose with liquid fert Iwill see how it goes .... it seems to me the more variables u add to the water the more can go wrong .....

what I mean is u start adding co2 then nitrate then pottassium and iron and well its like a soup sooner or later it will spoil ... (due to the fact you are treading a very fine line) I know that it can and has been done ... just seems to me a an absoloute beginer that its all a bit to complicated ...... at this rate the plants need more attention than the fish


http://opkikkertje.nl/smilies/tong/tong004.gif

You're right, plants do need more attention than the fish. :P You treat them right they keep your tank in good order for your fish.

BTW, you asked how to treat spot algae and you got an answer. Probably not the one you'd liked to have heard, but an answer nonetheless. I hope you're able to get rid of the problem in an easier manner than I described. *sigh* such are the trials of planted aquaria.

Best,
Phil

Hello Angel,

I don't know how long your tank has been set-up or enough about plants, water chem. etc to give advice in setting up the conditions to let a tank balance over time, but here's a link that helps I think in dealing with algae and enjoying the tank while things are balancing out--
www.wheelpost.com/Evolution.html.

May not help much for you if your tank has been up for a while, but gave some good info for me. Lots of good pictures of plants on the web-site also. :)

steve