Help with algae problem

I think you either need less light or to start some CO2 of some sort.

Exactly what kind of light fixture do you have and how high is it above your substrate? Watts are not descriptive enough as I had a 96 W of lighting on a 30 gallon but I was getting low light. Are you adding any fertilizer as well? I don't recognize the algae but it is the result of some imbalance in your system. Amanos and nerites will help but it's better to figure out the source of the problem.

Soujirou said:

Exactly what kind of light fixture do you have and how high is it above your substrate? Watts are not descriptive enough as I had a 96 W of lighting on a 30 gallon but I was getting low light. Are you adding any fertilizer as well? I don't recognize the algae but it is the result of some imbalance in your system. Amanos and nerites will help but it's better to figure out the source of the problem.

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I've got the Aqueon dual lamp T5 fixture with a 6.7k lamp and I swapped out the colormax for another bulb I can't remember. I'm actually going to try to raise my lights about 6 inches above the tank to see if that works as right now it sits about an inch or two above the tank. I don't have a glass cover between the water and the light so I'm not sure if that'll make a difference. I used a bit of Flourish Excel but stopped because my vals began to melt but other than that I have root tabs. There are not a lot of LFS in our area and the one that did have any Amanos is currently out of stock right now so I'm gonna have to go a couple more days with out a clean up crew. Anyone have an idea as to what kind of algae this could be?

DBlauj said:

Anyone have an idea as to what kind of algae this could be?

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Looks like the beginning stages of BBA to me

Black Beard Algae is characterized by it's thick black clusters that grow in aquariums that have either too much light and inadequate carbon dioxide levels, or too little light and inconsistent carbon dioxide levels.

It's a PITA to get rid of as well. Be prepared for a battle on your hands unless you jump on it now

You can spot treat with Excel or H2O2 (I feel H2O2 works better). Prune off any leaves that have this algae on it to help get it out of your tank and not send spores all over your tank. I would spot treat on a daily basis until it is gone

shinycard255 said:

Looks like the beginning stages of BBA to me

Black Beard Algae is characterized by it's thick black clusters that grow in aquariums that have either too much light and inadequate carbon dioxide levels, or too little light and inconsistent carbon dioxide levels.

It's a PITA to get rid of as well. Be prepared for a battle on your hands unless you jump on it now

You can spot treat with Excel or H2O2 (I feel H2O2 works better). Prune off any leaves that have this algae on it to help get it out of your tank and not send spores all over your tank. I would spot treat on a daily basis until it is gone

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That was definitely not what I wanted to hear but I guess it's better to know than later. I'm going to go pick up some H2O2 tomorrow and get on it.

Can you wipe the algae off of your plant leaves easily or is it really stuck to it? From what I remember, BBA should really stick to leaves.

I'm not too good with PAR values nor fluorescent lighting. I've read that an Aqueon T5 dual lamp fixture is a rebranded or at least very similar to a Coralife T5 NO fixture. If your lights were about 15" from the substrate, then the plants should have bee receiving 24 PAR according to Hoppy's chart here. I'd be worried about raising the lights since it's considered low light already. How were your plants doing before there was algae?

Soujirou said:

Can you wipe the algae off of your plant leaves easily or is it really stuck to it? From what I remember, BBA should really stick to leaves.

I'm not too good with PAR values nor fluorescent lighting. I've read that an Aqueon T5 dual lamp fixture is a rebranded or at least very similar to a Coralife T5 NO fixture. If your lights were about 15" from the substrate, then the plants should have bee receiving 24 PAR according to Hoppy's chart here. I'd be worried about raising the lights since it's considered low light already. How were your plants doing before there was algae?

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Agree. You have low lighting, you don't need to raise your lights. It doesn't look like bba to me. Are you adding any fertilizers? What kind of filtration do you use? how often are you doing water changes, and how much? Fish?

shinycard255 said:

Looks like the beginning stages of BBA to me

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i agree.