Ok check this link out... I can't seem to get rid of this fuzzy
looking, red-brown, almost purple looking algae. Please let me know
if you know what this is or how to get rid of it... I've got 2 pics
here. I get it mostly on my powerhead but it gets on my water sprite
and my bananna plants and starting on my dwarf hair grass.

http://home.comcast.net/~dacaprice/

Chris

Lots of stuff on the web about how to fight algae(s). More,
or less, the bulk of it applies to all of them.

fins is good, so is the krib.

Generally, they all boil down to nutrient control. P,
Nitrate, and Fe mostly. Control induced mainly by either 1)
healthy plants(*); or 2) chemical removal.

Nitrate - water changes. Nitrite/Ammonia - verify your
bio-filtration.

P - (Commercial and Governmental target of choice) Limit
inputs, remove using low dose Alum. (1 tsp per 1000 gallons
is 1.2 ppm, do the math, don't exceed, you can kill fish.)
Watch pH, add washing soda to offset acidity. Test
low-range P if you can, target accordingly.

Fe - use chelated forms, don't overdose. Keep tank well
oxygenated. Make sure you use enough carbon to keep water
from getting yellow.

Encourage high-productivity plants. My fav is floating
Hornwort. Let it grow broad and deep until the problem
clears, then prune to a nice little sprig in the corner.
Whenever it grows with vigor, let it, and yank to keep the
top of the tank packed, down to about 1/3 depth, until it
slows down.

Remember you are the tank's largest predator. Remove what
you can, but don't disperse it in the tank. Carefully
remove the items and affected plants, and wash them under
chlorinated tap water. Dunk hardware (power heads) in
strong bleach solution, rinse well.

Remove the beasties from the water before they grow. Use DE
filtration, UV, ozone, or any of the advanced photp
oxidation pprocesses. (Start easy - DE or UV is great)

You can play games with the lights. Shorter photo period,
different types (less red? less blue?), less bright, etc.
I've never played this card, directly.

CO2 - some say add less (if you add), or off gas more using
air stones and/or surface turbulence. Meanwhile, some say
be sure to maintain up to 25-30ppm. Go figure.

bio-cides - arrg, not my cup of tea, you're on your own.

(*)Make sure you have enough K, and other micro and trace
minerals.

********************************

Dacaprice wrote:
Ok check this link out... I can't seem to get rid of this fuzzy
looking, red-brown, almost purple looking algae. Please let me know
if you know what this is or how to get rid of it... I've got 2 pics
here. I get it mostly on my powerhead but it gets on my water sprite
and my bananna plants and starting on my dwarf hair grass.

http://home.comcast.net/~dacaprice/

Chris