HeyPK

Try guppies. They could be even better than rosy barbs. They have a systematic way of pecking at patches of soft algae and even sucking down sufrace film algae. Rosy barbs tend to rip out pieces of hair algae and swallow them, but I don't recall seeing them grazing on flat surfaces. I have not had them for a long time.

dennis

Laith,

How are you coming with the battle? I still have mine, but also Ihave been fiddling a lot lately with lights, dodages and water changes for other reasons, so I know I have not been doing much to try and beat it into submission I am getting real sick of it though, and have been thinking about getting a quick filter and runit for a day or so, scrubbing the glass as often as I cen to make it free floating so it can be trapped by the filter. I have it in 4 out of six of my tanks and its making me tired.

Just wondering how you have come with it?

Laith

Dennis,

I gave up and removed the extra 25w light that initiated the problem.

I tried everything, including daily 50% water changes (and re-dosing) and wiping down the glass with paper towels to get the algae out of the tank. After two week of these daily water changes with absolutely no improvement, I got fed up and removed the extra light.

I still don't understand it, I mean I only added enough light to bring the wpg from about 2.4 to 2.9! I can understand that there would be an initial imbalance but would have thought that it would be temporary. My battle went on for more than a month!

I'm puzzled by how people do it with 4, 5 or 6+ wpg? Maybe because they start the tank up with that much lighting instead of increasing it later?

Anyway, now I'm back to a more balanced tank and cleaning the glass once a week at water changes. Tank looks nice but my c. furcata couldn't handle the lower lighting and my E. tenellus is once again struggling, its leaves getting covered in black spot algae...

dennis

Well,

Ithink I am finally beating mine into submission. I toka page from Amano's book and am running my lights for 8 hours. The tank currently has 1x36watt Pc, 10000k from Hellolights.com. with a homemade reflector to give even light coverage(I love the 10000k btw) I made the switch to the PC about halfway through my fuzz issues. Since cutting the light baclk to 8 hours, the green fuzz is almost gone. The is an ever so slight tinge on the glass in the back corners where water flow is least. I am going to stay at 8hrs until after the new year (as I am giong on vacation for over a week) an dthen I wil try upping my lighting period. This tank has Rotala indica, Bylxa japonica, Glossostigma and Elatine tiendra. Only the glosso seems affected by the shorter light duration, but minimaly. A few more runners want to grow straight up than before but nothing that can't be trimmed back and I found that when the carpet starts getting thick it does that anyway (or atleast in my past experiences) I am still dosing the same, 10/1ppm No3/P04 every other day and 2-2.5ml Flourish on opposite days.

I must say the tank has never looked better. Th eplants and water is crystal clear. Its finally starting to be as nice(chemestry wise) as my AGA entry (TOTM), like there is not even any water in the tank I have a 15 gallon that I am also battling the fuzz in, I think I will change the light duration in it tonight too

Well, pardon the ramblings of a duranged plant freak

ShaneSmith

A tad of Green clean kills the algae. Just sprinkle over infected area. Once it is done for you must follow correct fertilization schemes.

Bert H

Hey Dennis,

Just looking for a follow-up here from you. Did the light change to 8 hours do the trick, and have you returned to the higher lighting times?

My newly set-up 50 (December) is driving me nuts with this stuff. I've been doing twice weekly water changes. The part I can get to with a towel to wipe down as the water drops, remains clearer for longer than the part where I can only scrape because it has water in it. And of course, the part that receives the filter outflow directly in front of it has no algae. I have tried doing vacuming as I scrape but to no avail. I have read the filter should be turned off when doing the scraping, but the other day I left it on and it seemed to improve matters a little.

dennis

Don't remember That tank has not exhisted for some time now I do remember that the GF went away but I don't remember exactly why or when.

Sorry!