Nikki Casali wrote:
Well, that says it all really. I think my 330l planted aquarium is going
through puberty. All this yucky black hair is very unattractive.
Definitely needs the full wax treatment.
Suddenly, I've noticed around the edges and tips of leaves an algae that
looks almost like black scraggy beard hair. I've just finished a course
of treatment to cure ich. That treatment lasted over 2 weeks. I checked
the phosphate level directly after and measured 2.75 mg/l. My tap water,
by the way, contains 2.20 mg/l of phosphate.
I'm wondering whether the ich medication had an impact on plant
phosphate uptake?
Today, the phosphate level is 2.07 mg/l. Yesterday, it measured 2.17
mg/l. I didn't feed the fish between the 2 measurements.
Other specifics a Nitrate 25 mg/l (tap 25 mg/l) pH 7.4 CO2 around 18
mg/l .75 watts of fluorescent lighting per litre for 12 hours
Algae eating Fish: 2 Otocinclus 6 Ancistrus 5 Mollies 1 Labeo variegatus
Should I stop feeding the fish for further days to reduce phosphates or
would I be better to place a phosphate removing pouch in my canister
filter? Maybe I should reduce lighting hours?
I don't think any of my algae eating fish are interested in the hairy
stuff. Maybe the mollies would be if I starved them?
Any ideas?
Nikki

Algae needs light to survive. I think the most effecient way to deal with algae is to do what some authors suggested years ago, and that is to cover the aquarium with a dark blanket and leave the lights off for three or four days. As the algae dies, it gives off a lot of CO2, so you would need to place airstones at one end of the aquarium to rotate the water for oxygenation. Also, the dead "plant" material would quickly foul the water, so you would need to follow up with a couple of partial water changes. This is a time-tested method, as simple as it gets, and involves no chemicals. --Mark



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