Algae killer liquid and Otocinclus/algae eaters

[GaryE]

I’m going to try 5hrs in total a day. The aquatic store recommended 6 when I got the tank. It’s weird that I only had this issue 5 months into having the tank, I thought everything was pretty settled. I’m half-minded to rip all the moss out (which it’s mostly attached to) buy new moss and start again.

From the standpoint of the tank if we pretend the box is an organism, it makes sense. Algae is part of it and it takes time to develop, and time for conditions to be right for it. The only neat, crisp tanks are brand new ones.

If you're patient, black beard is just a phase, and it goes away.

Peroxide is effective, but remember, it kills the good and the bad, and solves nothing. I load up pipettes to kill hydra, and it's a great tool. I've never used it on algae.

 

[Neonlights]

So my wife’s bought me a pressurised CO2 system for Christmas which I’ll be getting tomorrow! I’ve done the weekly water change today of around 40%, trimmed back and binned loads of moss, went over the plants with a toothbrush and dragged out lots of hair algae and added a plant nutrient that I hadn’t used for a couple months (API leaf zone). The addition of nutrients, controlled/timed CO2 and reduced light I’m hoping will be enough to prevent and resolve the algae problem. I decided it’s better to sort the cause than keep trying to treat the problem.