Too much light? 20H Low Tech

[temple2101]

Hey all, I'm new to planted tanks and have a fairly new 20H that is currently growing in. I'm using the Finnex Ray II DD LED light and I'm starting to see algae growth on the glass on the sides of the tank right under the light. Is the Finnex LED too much light for low tech? My photoperiod is 10 hours, is that too long?

In the terrible iPhone pic below you can see the growth on the right side. Just hoping to combat this on the front end in hopes it doesn't get out of control.

Thanks!
Joe

[TwoTacoCombo]

Are you seeing any algae growth on the plants, or just the glass? Does it wipe right off, or is it really adhered to it? I'd clean or remove that sponge prefilter for a while as well. It's reducing your flow and you'd be better off getting those chunks out of the tank. I don't know if it's just the camera, but that lighting looks pretty intense for a low-light setup. Have you tried raising the lamp up a bit?

[BBradbury]

Hello Joe...

Algae isn't a bad thing. It's a sign of a healthy tank. It appears your tank hasn't been running long, so it's entirely possible the water chemistry is still a "work in progress". When the chemistry settles out, then algae may not be such a problem.

In the mean time, you can scrape the front part of the glass on a routine basis, so you can see into your tank and just let the algae grow on the other sides.

You can also invest in some "Ramshorn" snails. They'll eat all kinds of algae, plus any decaying plant and fish material. I keep them in all my tanks, and I have no visible algae in the tanks. The best thing, these snails won't damage healthy plants.

As for your lighting, I wouldn't change it. Aquarium plants are tropical and used to long hours of daylight. Large, frequent water changes are also helpful.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B

[temple2101]

Originally Posted by TwoTacoCombo

Are you seeing any algae growth on the plants, or just the glass? Does it wipe right off, or is it really adhered to it? I'd clean or remove that sponge prefilter for a while as well. It's reducing your flow and you'd be better off getting those chunks out of the tank. I don't know if it's just the camera, but that lighting looks pretty intense for a low-light setup. Have you tried raising the lamp up a bit?

No algae growth on the plants. I went ahead and cleaned the front of the glass and it was very easy to clean. Didn't realize it was on the front and back too, just the most visible areas are on the sides closest to the light.

As for the sponge prefilter, I have to have that as I have RCS in the tank as well as CPDs. I don't want anything sucked up! I'm hoping the light isn't too intense. It probably is the pic, according to the PAR data I've seen for the light, I should be around 40 directly beneath the light, and in the 30s within 6" front to back. I'm assuming that's Low/Medium?

Originally Posted by BBradbury

Hello Joe...

Algae isn't a bad thing. It's a sign of a healthy tank. It appears your tank hasn't been running long, so it's entirely possible the water chemistry is still a "work in progress". When the chemistry settles out, then algae may not be such a problem.

In the mean time, you can scrape the front part of the glass on a routine basis, so you can see into your tank and just let the algae grow on the other sides.

You can also invest in some "Ramshorn" snails. They'll eat all kinds of algae, plus any decaying plant and fish material. I keep them in all my tanks, and I have no visible algae in the tanks. The best thing, these snails won't damage healthy plants.

As for your lighting, I wouldn't change it. Aquarium plants are tropical and used to long hours of daylight. Large, frequent water changes are also helpful.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B

The tank is definitely new, a little over a week in but cycled practically instantly with an established filter. Water chemistry definitely needs to stabilize though with more time; I didn't think about that in terms of algae!

I've never done planted, just the typical fake plants and have never had a hint of algae, so I guess I was just concerned I was seeing it right off the bat on this tank. One question I do have is that you mentioned just cleaning the front, but leaving the algae on the rest of the glass. Is there a specific reason for this? Does it help with something? I do have a few ramshorns, but maybe I need to up the count.

Lastly, for the water changes I'm also fighting off a case of ich from some fish I just received, so I'm doing frequent 25-50% water changes. Didn't notice they had it until after acclimation and after I introduced them to the tank. I don't have a QT yet (shame on me). Given that, my temp is at 86.5F as I'm trying to naturally get rid of it with heat only. The algae was present before this, so I'm assuming temp has nothing to do with it. On another note, I am worried about my plants... most seem OK for now, but I'm hoping I don't lose anything with the higher temp. Anyway, went off topic there.

Thanks to you both for the replies, really appreciate it!

-Joe