Ambient light = algae?

[Magnos]

That ammonia reading... can't tell if it's 0 or .25

 

[Byron]

That ammonia reading... can't tell if it's 0 or .25

Is chloramine added to your municipal water, or just chlorine? The chloramine is a bond of chlorine and ammonia, and several members find ammonia at this very low level (0.25 to 0.50) following a water change. Conditioners break the bond but the ammonia is still present. But should not be an issue, as within less than 24 hours plants or nitrifying bacteria can easily handle this. With plants, within a very few hours.

Nitrates at 10...do you have nitrate in your tap water? Or is this occurring solely from the biological system within the tank?

 

[Magnos]

I mean literally the tank is perfect for me except the algae on my damn driftwood tree lol. I've honestly never tested my tap water. Give me a sec

 

[seannx]

Quick question if you don't mind. I have a window about 5 feet from my tanks and while they aren't getting direct sunlight there is definitely ambient light coming through. My algae isn't out of control but wondering if you think it'd be a good idea to black out the window or if I should reduce the twin star S light to like 6 hours a day?

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I put a blackout curtain on the window behind my tank and it really helped reduce algae growth. You can also use a matte finish thin plastic material on the back of the tank, which has the benefit of making the fish more visible.