Is lighting the ultimate algae control?

73179 Views 73 Replies 44 Participants Last post by Irida, Feb 21, 2012

Laith

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2005

Curious to know what people think...

Given that all your other plant nutrients (including CO2) are available to your plants in adequate (or more than adequate) amounts for your level of lighting, what lighting changes will have a positive impact on the reduction of algae?

Assume that you have let's say 3-4wpg.

21 - 40 of 74 Posts

standoyo

· #21 · Nov 6, 2005

cool discussion, never really thought of light being a problem in the first place but this thread set me straight.
i voted to reduce light intensity as i don't like stem plants going haywire and needing constant attention. limnophilia aquatica is a pain to trim as it grows at 6-8 inches a week.
i'm only half of what edward is doing at 3WPG at 12 hours constant. i can't imagine 6WPG... whoa...i'd say it would be cool if at those intensities it sped up the growth of the slower than turtle ones like bolbitis, downnoi and the crypts...but the algae! i can't imagine as i've made peace with the algae.
i have it easy and scrape once fortnightly and the tank is good to look at for at least ten days without any interference other than dosing and water top up.

Edward

· #22 · Nov 6, 2005

Hi standoyo
Some plants under the 6Wpg high light grow denser and shorter. Some actually bend and grow horizontally as they were afraid to come any closer to the light source. Dosing must be done daily keeping the high nutrient demand. If one or two days are missed plants complain by turning reddish in hours. A usual fresh dose returns their mood back to normal like nothing had happened. Water changes are not that necessary because the daily dose has been used up in a day or so. The PPS dose is 2 ml SS, 4 ml PF, 4 drops Mg and 4 drops TE per 10 gallon.

The water flows through a UV sterilizer keeping GW green water away and making crisp clean visibility while having no filter and no filtration in these aquariums. Algae is absolutely 100% non existing.

Thank you
Edward

Bill Weber

· #23 · Nov 10, 2005

Water change, water change, water change.
With that amount of light you need to do a 50% water change at least every other day. Over time this will reduce the algae in your tank.

Laith

Discussion Starter · #24 · Nov 10, 2005

Bill Weber said:
Water change, water change, water change.
With that amount of light you need to do a 50% water change at least every other day. Over time this will reduce the algae in your tank.

I'm puzzled as to what the relationship is between light levels and having to do many large water changes as you suggest?

standoyo

· #25 · Nov 14, 2005 (Edited)

Edward said:
Hi standoyo
The PPS dose is 2 ml SS, 4 ml PF, 4 drops Mg and 4 drops TE per 10 gallon.

The water flows through a UV sterilizer keeping GW green water away and making crisp clean visibility while having no filter and no filtration in these aquariums. Algae is absolutely 100% non existing.

Thank you
Edward

i like the idea of speeding up some plants but alas i'm not around everyday to dose. works takes me away for 3wks at a time.

erm, never had green water issues but spot algae yes. i like it on the rocks but not on the glass. scrape scrape scrape!
i have trouble getting loose ferts and luckily friend has found some kh2PO4 and KNO3.
let me reread the PPS and i'll get back to you as i'm new to PPS...

thanks a heap...

stan

banderbe

· #26 · Mar 6, 2006

Laith said:
Curious to know what people think...

Given that all your other plant nutrients (including CO2) are available to your plants in adequate (or more than adequate) amounts for your level of lighting, what lighting changes will have a positive impact on the reduction of algae?

Assume that you have let's say 3-4wpg.

If healthy thriving plants are the true enemy of algae, then assuming your ferts are in order, it stands to reason that MORE light is a good way to stop algae.

banderbe

· #27 · Mar 6, 2006

plantbrain said:
Most of the answers in the poll are possible, there is no correct single answer.

If the other elements are non limiting, a reduction in light intensity will add a more robust anti algae environment than higher intensity. It will slow growth, allow better plant health and a more stable system. Time of lighting can play a role going longer/shorter. Burst works well and allows less to be used for the remainder of the light cycle. I would say overall though at 10 hour photoperoiod, less intensity is the best option if algae is the only factor but there are other possible answers.

Still, way too many folks have way too much light as a rule.
Plants do not need that much and algae does do better as higher and higher light intensities are present.

Regards,
Tom Barr

So what IS "too much light" ?

I have 2.25 WPG and a mid-day 3 hour period of 4.5 WPG, and I am going to expand the mid-day period until eventually I have 4.5 WPG for the full 10 hours of my photoperiod.

banderbe

· #28 · Mar 6, 2006

Every single time I see "experts" talking about combating algae, they *always* talk about nutrients, CO2, healthy plants, etc.

It seems to me that if you are having to back off your lighting, install UV sterilizers, etc., then you are fighting symptoms rather than the cause, which is an imbalance in your tank.

I could be wrong. I'm a noob, but this is what I have gathered after hours upon hours of reading people like Tom Barr, Roger Miller, old papers like the Sears-Conlin paper, etc. People may disagree about the nature of the nutrient imbalances, or how to go about correcting them, but I haven't seen anyone suggest that lighting is the problem.

As a temporary corrective measure, lighting could be eliminated or reduced but that's not a good solution and not a way to have a vibrant planted tank. Or so I have read.

banderbe

· #29 · Mar 6, 2006 (Edited)

Bill Weber said:
Water change, water change, water change.
With that amount of light you need to do a 50% water change at least every other day. Over time this will reduce the algae in your tank.

I have read some experts say water changes make an existing algae problem *worse* but maybe that's only for non-CO2 tanks... can't remember..

jeff63851

· #30 · Mar 6, 2006

I voted for the reduction of light. When I have the 4.0 wpg power compact lighting, there was so much algae, it wasn't even funny! But I reduced the lighting to 2.0 wpg and the algae started to die off. As my aquarium got more established, I slowly added more lighting.

Elkmor

· #31 · Mar 6, 2006

IMHO, light manipulations, if in appropriate for plants range, doesn't affect algae at all. If plants suffer from deficiency, reducing light will reduce uptake rates, and, therefore, increase plant's health.

Plant's health affects algae much more than light.

Edward, plants aren't afraid to be closer to light source. There are no such thing in nature, like "near light source". IMHO, plants simpler thinks, that they will get much more light by spreading horizontally then by growing up (in case of poor light).

I'm a novice at plants cultivation, but some thing seems to be obvious.

yildirim

· #32 · Mar 6, 2006

Hello all,

In my 32g tank with a little more than 4wpg I only have GSA on older leaves of Anubias which after several tries I considered as normal to have it. My tank is very heavily planted and all the nutrients are above the suggested levels (perhaps much more). I pump CO2 into the tank with a DIY setup and never take into consideration so called CO2 charts of pH and kH. The onlt indicator for me for CO2 is my fishes responses. Unless u have enough nutrients, co2 and plenty of plant I never considered lighting as a very important issue for algal growth. But anyway due to my working hours and I wish to see my tank when lights on during the time I'm at home, I apply a midday siesta for two hours in my tank. Besides that lights are on for 5hrs in the morning and 2 hours siesta and then on again for app. 8 hours which means that my tank is lighted with more than 4wpg for app 13 hours (which most of you will consider as a long period). So according to my current configuration going for over a year my vote goes for midday siesta. This much and long lighting didn't cause me an alg problem but incredible growth and too much pruning.

YILDIRIM

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mlfishman

· #33 · Mar 10, 2006

hi light

I like the look of the plants that high light yields. Lower lighting may make it easier to grow the plants with less algae but lets be realistic here. Alot of people are trying to shoot for the stars with their tank, and recreate some of the top notch tanks with vivd colors that they see all over the net. if someone does not have the time to put it that it requires to maintain a high light tank properly then no it wont work< and lowering the light is better> But if you take the best quality mid to low light tanks and compare them to the top notch high to ultra high tanks the higher light ones are always more stunning in terms of plant quality and color (there are exceptions but for the most part) to each his own but i"d rather walk that line and deal with hte issues of a high light tank

Laith

Discussion Starter · #34 · Mar 11, 2006

mlfishman said:
... Alot of people are trying to shoot for the stars with their tank, and recreate some of the top notch tanks with vivd colors that they see all over the net. ...But if you take the best quality mid to low light tanks and compare them to the top notch high to ultra high tanks the higher light ones are always more stunning in terms of plant quality and color (there are exceptions but for the most part) ...

It depends what one is considering as low, mid and high light tanks. Most of the well known aquascapers that produce those top notch tanks are for the most part *not* using 4+ wpg on their tanks!

standoyo

· #35 · Mar 12, 2006

ha... glossy mags use flash photography...

Edward

· #36 · Mar 12, 2006

Elkmor said:
IMHO, light manipulations, if in appropriate for plants range, doesn't affect algae at all. If plants suffer from deficiency, reducing light will reduce uptake rates, and, therefore, increase plant's health.

Plant's health affects algae much more than light.

Edward, plants aren't afraid to be closer to light source. There are no such thing in nature, like "near light source". IMHO, plants simpler thinks, that they will get much more light by spreading horizontally then by growing up (in case of poor light).

I'm a novice at plants cultivation, but some thing seems to be obvious.

I noticed that under high light intensity a hungry plant turns away from light source and when full of nutrients it turns back. This can be observed in a matter of few hours.

Laith

Discussion Starter · #37 · Mar 13, 2006

That's an interesting observation... never noticed that.

Elkmor

· #38 · Mar 13, 2006

Laith said:
That's an interesting observation... never noticed that.

It's a kinda magic. Only chosen can notice that.

Elkmor

· #39 · Mar 14, 2006

Elkmor said:
It's a kinda magic.

Interesting fact: my wife, the biologist, said, that some of dry plants can rotate their leafs parallel to light in case of very hight temperature. She have no information on water plants.

gf225

· #40 · Mar 16, 2006

Fascinating thread.

Since using EI and pressurized CO2 I've never had algae issues (except BGA via too low NO3).

I only have 2 WPG T8 though and run 10 hours straight. I assume it is my lower lighting intensity that helps - although it is still enough to carpet glosso very quickly.

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