# Algea Problem on Plants and Driftwood



## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

We're getting light green, hairy, almost like a cotton ball texture algae in our planted tank. It is growing on the driftwood and plants. We pull off what we can but it grows back. What can we do to control it?
Thanks,Smokey


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Hey smokey!
Possibly lowering amount of time light is on may help.Some keep plants healthy with 6 hours.
If you are fertalising this may be helping the algae also.
Here's a good link on algaes.
Algae in the Planted Aquarium-- Guitarfish
Depending on the type you may be able to kill it cheap and easy with hydrogen peroxide,or with a little more expense by using Glutaraldehyde which is the active ingredient in Seachems Excell.


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## yekoms (Jul 7, 2013)

Thanks Bandit, Great info as always from you...I've been finding the answers to my other little issues by lurking on this site but, this one I had to ask.


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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

Sounds like a combination of over lighting and nitrogen buildup. As the filters continue working nitrogen levels slowly increase. Without sufficient planting to control nitrogen levels you make a nutrient soup of the tank and algae step in to take up the slack. Too much light exacerbates the problem. You will have to do lees lighting and either plant the tank heavier or increase water changes.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Planting the tank more will help. Are you providing any fertilization to the tank at all? What is your photoperiod length? Water change schedule, %?


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## joecrouse (Feb 3, 2014)

I too am having algae problems. 29 tall tank, my algae is dark green covers my plants and grows like a very thin fuzz on my tank walls and my rocks/and one piece of driftwood (red oak) where as my piece of redwood doesn't get any algae at all. 

I fertilized rather too heavy 1x or 2x due to misreading the bottle. but have done a lot of big water changes (I tend to do 40 and 50 percent water changes regularly with 5 gallon buckets) Ive even added a bit of salt to the water hoping that clears it. I haven't fertilized the tank in probably 3 months and have changed that water over at least 15 or 20 times. not since this algae problem cropped up. I SHOULDN'T have much in the way of phosphates unless they are seeping from the slate rock.

My 2 oto-cats and my two Mystery Snails and my growing number of MTS are barely keeping up. (you can tell where they have been attacking the algae there are streaks/where they have mowed in a straight line. 

The water itself is soft but has a green tinge to it the tank itself doesn't get a lot of light the hood light is only an Aqueon deluxe so its not really high light quality. Unless its the algae is just living off the light from my one living room lamp but one would think the algae would be thickest on that side where the lamp is.


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