Algae On Plants

[AdamBeat8]

I recently noticed brown algae has been coming on my plants as well as some green hair algae on my driftwood. A few weeks ago i bought 4 assassin snails to get rid of my snail problem, it worked! Then this is when i started to notice the algae on my plants and driftwood. Is this the reason, no snails? I bought 2 mystery snails today to see if that works. What do you guys think?

 

[Caprichoso]

Is this a newly established tank? Brown algae/diatoms are very common in a new tank and are the result of trace amounts of ammonia. It will go away once the tank is fully cycled. Just to let you know, the ammonia will not show up on a test kit as it is in such small quantities. The hair algae will also occur in a new set up but can become an issue if you have the lights on for too long as well as other reasons. It's better to get to the root of why you have the algae rather than using snails to eat it. That's not to say you can't have the snails, it's just good to know why you are getting the algae so that you can correct it rather than use a band-aid solution. If you tell us a more about your tank; filter system, size of tank,lighting, how old it is, what plants, if you're using fertilizer or CO2, etc, we can help you treat the algae issue.

 

[AdamBeat8]

Is this a newly established tank? Brown algae/diatoms are very common in a new tank and are the result of trace amounts of ammonia. It will go away once the tank is fully cycled. Just to let you know, the ammonia will not show up on a test kit as it is in such small quantities. The hair algae will also occur in a new set up but can become an issue if you have the lights on for too long as well as other reasons. It's better to get to the root of why you have the algae rather than using snails to eat it. That's not to say you can't have the snails, it's just good to know why you are getting the algae so that you can correct it rather than use a band-aid solution. If you tell us a more about your tank; filter system, size of tank,lighting, how old it is, what plants, if you're using fertilizer or CO2, etc, we can help you treat the algae issue.

Thanks so much! hmmm tanks 4 months old, 46 gallons, 20 gallon co2 reactor.. Plants: anubias x4, jungle vail, swords, grassy plant (idk what its called) moss ball... i have more but dont know the names. Just a regular filter for a 46 gal.

 

[Caprichoso]

Some algae issues will sort themselves out once the tank is mature however, some things can definitely add to the problem. How long do you keep your lights on for? Also, is the tank by a window or does it get direct light from a window? Restricting light from outside sources will help as well as making sure your tank lights aren't on for more than 6-8 hours. I do not know how this works with CO2 so it would be best to hear from someone who uses it. I don't want to lead you astray.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Here is a link to very good info on algae: http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm