[Blackheart]

So I've been having constant algae issues ever since I set up my 55 gallon tank in April of last year. What is up with this? It seems like as fast as I clean off the algae from the glass it comes back!! Looks like diatoms. I've never had an algae problem this bad before. Whenever I would setup a tank, I would get it for a little while and then it wouldn't come back usually.

I think I can rule out overfeeding. I only feed a pinch full of food 5 days a week and my tank is heavily stocked, so whatever I put in there is always gone pretty quickly. My current substrate is Flourite regular. In any other planted tank I've setup, I've always used Eco-Complete. One thing I did also notice that if I stir up my substrate, being Flourite there's always a huge cloud of dust and debris that comes up and sometimes the debris makes a wall on the front glass. If it's on there long enough, sometimes it seems as if it turns into algae later on. Could there be a connection between the substrate I'm using and the algae?

 

[Hardstuff]

I run Flourite as well in a 55g. I had a GDA algae problem on the glass but since have contributed the algae to over lighting. I run a Fuge Ray and a planted plus. If I run the Fuge Ray more than 4 hours I get massive GDA algae growth on the glass only. Plus since I have been cutting back on nitrates and K they have decreased as well. Now the growth of the GDA still grows but much slower.
I now have cut the Ray lighting down to 3.5 hours with the planted plus running 11 hours. My tank is doing really well now. Heavy bio mass and light fish load.
You did not say how much lighting you are using and nothing about CO2 and ferts. I would start cutting back the lighting intensity and reduce macros but do not limit! Try keeping the KNO3 down below 10ppms and PO4 at or below 1ppm. Run lean and reduce lighting. The fish load is not helping either. I am not a fan of over stocking.
The Flourite should be double rinsed at least before putting in the aquarium but without much rinsing more water changes will help. All I use is Flourite, It works just fine. It does not alter ph.
You just need to really keep on track with the ferts or nutrient hungry plants will starve quick!
As a side note I would stay away from CSM+B as a trace source. Metal toxicity big time. I am staying with Seachem Trace and Flourish Comprehesive. I still dose KNO3, PO4, Seachem Iron and CO2. Nothing wrong with Flourite, you need to clean it well before using. Most people make the same mistake. The tank will clear but it can take a long time to get the fine dust out during water changes.

 

[Blackheart]

I'm using the USA Current Satellite Plus. I haven't done much tweaking with it though and I'm using one of the default modes that came with it. I try to keep it limited to no more than 8 hours a day.

I don't dose anything or use C02. Really never have in any of my tanks. I did thoroughly wash the Flourite when I got it. It was an all day process.

 

[roadmaster]

Maybe consider fish food and also fish waste (poo) if heavily stocked, to be more organic matter than one might think is present in the system.
Slow growing plant's might have plenty of nutrient's from said fish waste/food, and low light would keep demand lower = more organic matter in water/filter to feed algae.
How large and often are water changes? How often do you clean filter material.?
Sometimes maybe too much in the way of root tab's are used (not sayin this happened) and this extra fuel /food could also be utilized by algae if plant mass is not sufficient to uptake it all.
The other possibility might be that you are not dosing anything,and something plant's need, is missing.
Or..sudden carbon loss either EXCEL, or CO2 gas has caused plant's to take a hit and algae to find condition's suitable.
Just some thing's I might consider.