[Chad Roehrich]

Hello,

I set up this peacock cichlid planted tank about 5 weeks ago. Can someone identify this algae?

 

[Dannyul]

Hi Chad,

Yeah that's diatom algae for sure. It is an algae that is highly common in newly set up planted tanks and can be a bit of an eyesore especially when it gets out of hand. Although saying that, after a while it does start to subside and disappear once your plants settle in and the tanks ecosystem is somewhat stable.

Keep the CO2, lights and fertilisers going - don't reduce or get rid of any of them. Keep the plants happy and the algae will eventually go away.

What you could do in the short term is manually remove the algae yourself. By this you can use a soft bristle brush (or an old toothbrush) and gently brush off the diatom algae from plant leaves. It is a very tedious task but perseverance pays off in the end. After you do this task, a water change should be performed to help remove a vast majority of the diatom algae from the water column.

As well as this, regular cleaning of your filter, media and tubing is good practice. As you may be aware, never rinse filter media in tap water.. always use old tank water to rinse filter media etc. This will help reduce the build up of organics etc that could contribute to undesired algae growth.

At the end of the day, diatom algae will happen in newly planted aquaria so unless it gets out of hand, it will go away on it's own.

It would be wise to introduce some true Otocinclus Affinis into the tank and I would highly recommend Amano / Red Cherry Shrimps too providing your water contains Calcium and Magnesium (i.e. a optimal GH level).

I hope that helps,

 

[Nordic]

I find sticking a hose with an air stone under the nasty bits helps to lift the stuff away and get it in the filter.
Do this at night of coarse when the CO2 is off.

 

[klibs]

that is definitely NOT diatoms and I'm sorry but I completely disagree with Dan and IMO you should not take his advice of keeping your light/fert levels where they are. You have too much light/nutrients (mostly light) for how low your plant mass is which is why you are having issues. Also I am so sick and tired of seeing the 'oh just throw some algae eaters in there' response. Algae eaters MIGHT eat the algae but they certainly will not keep it in check. Get at the root cause of the issue (lack of healthy plant mass to out-compete potential algae under the amount of light you are using).

I actually am not sure what that type of algae is called but I also get a little bit of it on some of my older leaves. I can say with 99% confidence that it's not diatoms though lol

What light fixtures are those?

 

[Nordic]

Is there a reason algae seem to prefer growing on older growth?

 

[klibs]

yes there definitely is but I am not sure of the science behind it. Under ideal conditions though algae should NOT grow on older growth (or any parts of the plants).

 

[Chad Roehrich]

I believe it is actually two different types of algae, both of which seem to only grow on older leaves. After I took that picture I attempted to rub it off. The "fuzzy" algae came right off, while the darker algae did not. I plan on adding more plants, but I am in the transition of trading in Mbunas for peacocks and habs. The Mbuanas are from my pervious tank and they destroyed some of the plants. The peacocks and habs I have don't touch the plants. I'll be trading in the last tonight :laugh2: I noticed that when I direct the spray bar towards my plants they start to pearl like crazy so I thought it could also have to do with improper flow and CO2/fert distribution. I ordered a Hydor Koralia Nano Aquarium 565 GPH Circulation Pump that I'll be adding tomorrow to see if that helps. I read proper current is just as important as balanced light/co2/ferts. Currently I use root tabs and fertilize with Seachem Comp and Potassium twice a week. As for the lights, there is one 48" FINNEX RAY2 7000k and one 30" FINNEX RAY2 7000k(from the previous tank). Obviously, the 30" is placed in the center. After analyzing PAR graphs, I believe it is high light in the center(where they overlap), and medium light on the sides. The 30" is on for 6 hours and the 48" is on for 8 hours.

I will say that the algae does seem to be getting a little better. Do you guys think I should change anything, or see what happens over the next couple of weeks?

 

[Dingleberry]

I had the exact same algae on my crypts but only on the older leaves and upper portions of the leaves. My tank is now completely algae free. I knocked the lighting back to about 6 hours and drastically reduced the amount I fed my fish. I now feed that particular tank only every other day. It does not hurt the fish whatsoever but it does reduce waste in the water column. A few weeks of that and voila no algae.

 

[Nordic]

I remember as a kid we had this encyclopedia of animals at school. Under guppies they mentioned the oldest guppies on record (I can't remember the numbers), but the secret to their age was being fed almost only once in a blue moon.

 

[bluesand]

looks like fuzz, black brush and maybe staghorn algae. IMO i would leave only the 48" fixture and add more co2 to the tank.