"Geoff" wrote in message
...
Why is it easier to grow algae in my tank than any live plants? I've
got a
29G tank, which has all the essential/default equipment (filter,
heater,
hood, light, etc), yet all the plants I ever put in there die within a
month
or less. But meanwhile, the algae seems to thrive, and grows on all
the
plastic plants and tank glass, and some of it on the filter intake tube
and
gravel, but not on the heater.
The tank is 2 years old, and has an angel, 5 mollies, 10 neons, 3
ottos, and
a clown pl3co.

TIA! -Geoff

Perhaps this will help (from a business efficiency point of view). A
plant is like a large factory. They are slow to start up, but are very
efficient once they are operating with a steady supply of nutrients and
light. Algae is like a street-corner hot dog vendor. They appear
quickly, react fast to any changes in nutrient levels, and are very
opportunistic when supplied with strong light. Now consider your
operating conditions. In the average aquarium, lighting and nutrient
levels are peaky. If you could feed a tiny amount of food 12 hours a
day, your plants would acclimate to that level (of continuous fish waste)
and should starve your algae. This also explains why smaller tanks have
more trouble controlling algae (nutrient levels are even more peaky on a
fish-load scale). CO2 is like keeping your plant factory on hot standby
;~), so any nutrients hit the water and they are gone (well... they are
more quickly processed).

When you hit the right combination of nutrients in the water column (and
in the substrate for your root feeders), and the right quantity of light,
then the battle to fight algae is sometimes won with reduced feedings,
smaller feedings more often, or different types of food (lower in
phosphates or ash). Food, heat & light are the 3 inputs you have to play
with (ferts & CO2 being a form of food if you need to employ them).

Bottom line is lots of light and a stable set of conditions (which you
can then tweak), is usually all it takes (with some patience ).

NetMax