New tank, new algae outbreak. Please help, gurus!

[Blah4Life]

My 55g NPT has been up and running for 12 days. I have 2 t5ho's (10000k) running for 12hrs a day. I know the light is on the high side, but my thinking was that if I started at 12hrs I would be able to jumpstart the plant growth to help the plants take root fast, and out-compete the algae. Plant growth is actually pretty good. I'm seeing fast grow on my stem plants and my swords. Even the Anubias is showing new leaves.

I have a few small fish and some snails in the tank, which I thought would also help to keep the algae at bay. But the last couple of days I am starting to see a spread of hair algae and another type of algae that is brown spots that are creeping across some of the leaves. It's not a huge problem yet, but I have some questions about it.

I'm not totally opposed to having algae in my tank. I want to keep my tank as natural as possible and algae can be part of that. I just don't want it to completely take over.

1. Will this algae slow and possibly go away once the plants fully establish themselves?

2. I can lower the photo period, and cut back to 1 t5ho bulb if it will stop algae growth, but I'm enjoying the plant growth from the 12hrs of light too. I'm curious what your suggestions would be for my plan of attack as far as lighting goes.

As I said, I want to stay as natural as possible. I have used a small amount of dechlorinator, but I would rather not add any other chemicals or ferts. My tank is dirted, and I feel like once the dirt adjusts to being submerged I will have plenty of nutrients.

I'm very interested in what your thoughts are! I can post pics if you need to see what I'm dealing with, but my only camera is on my iphone.

Thanks in advance, folks! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

[DerekFF]

youre light is on the super high light side and photo period is way to lohg

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[Blah4Life]

Ok. I know that, but do you have a suggestion on what I should change it to?

I'm so tempted to correct your bad grammar, but I'll refrain in the hope that you have some valid input.

[NWA-Planted]

Originally Posted by Blah4Life

I'm so tempted to correct your bad grammar, but I'll refrain in the hope that you have some valid input.

Thats not really a way to respond to someone giving you advice or advising what's wrong......

There are several ways to reduce your light levels. check the lighting thread and do some research in the stickies.

As to the photo period, think normal work day +-8 hours is a good place to start


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[Blah4Life]

I already knew that lighting was the issue. I mentioned in in my OP, buddy. I was actually looking for advice on what the lighting levels should be at. Your post was a help, his just reiterated what I already knew.

I didn't think my response was that harsh, and I wasn't trying to be a jerk. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, NWA.

[NWA-Planted]

Maybe it just seemed like it to me... I grammatically challenged myself, severely so



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[DerekFF]

Or maybe it's just that I don't care about grammatical errors when responding to posts from people who could easily find an answer to their questions by using this forums SEARCH capabilities. You must be TPT illiterate. But I'll refrain from helping you any further in the hopes that maybe you still have a chance to learn how online forums work

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[DerekFF]

Originally Posted by Blah4Life

My 55g NPT has been up and running for 12 days. I have 2 t5ho's (10000k) running for 12hrs a day. I know the light is on the high side, but my thinking was that if I started at 12hrs I would be able to jumpstart the plant growth to help the plants take root fast, and out-compete the algae. Plant growth is actually pretty good. I'm seeing fast grow on my stem plants and my swords. Even the Anubias is showing new leaves.

6-10 hour lighting period is plenty. If you eat 20 meals a day will you grow faster? Yes, but growth will be outwards and not upwards stem plants grow fast under almost any light. Algae and plants don't compete with one another, they each have their own niche they fill. You need to raise the lights or dull them down somehow.



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[DerekFF]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=174501

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[Blah4Life]

Hey Derek, sorry about yesterday, man. It was one of those days. I really appreciate your help with this, and I hope you accept my apology.