Extreme Algae Growth For Months!

[juhason]

My tank has been running for about 3 months now and the algae has not gotten any better! Here's some pics, although the algae looks worse in person.

Tank is a 29g biocube (originally saltwater) with a built in wet/dry filter. Plants are java moss, java fern, wisteria, italian  val, some other type of val, frogbid, and crypts. I dose 3 times a week (per instructions on bottle) and all the plants with undergroud roots have root tabs. I have no fish in there (yet) but there is a decent colony of hitchhiker snails. 
 
Light is a 36 watt 65k full spectrum (exact light here:  http/www.catalinaa...roducts_id=1000) It runs for about 9 hours a day (10am-3pm and 5pm-9pm).
 
I know I have slime algae (which is lovely....

) and I think the huge wads of algae floating everywhere is hair algae. I also have this white-grey algae growing on the glass (its really inconspicuous) and some weird grey-green algae that's really curly (not sure what it is). Don't ask me for parameters I haven't checked them yet, once I do I'll post it up. 
 
My two ideas: 1. Filter uses bioballs which apparently people like to call nitrate factories? Anyone know anything about this?     
                       2. There is some sun exposure, I tried my best but I just can't get it fully out of the sun.
 
 
On a side note: I do not currently like how my tank looks, aquascape-wise. Anyone have suggestions? I let the vals spread, I can't decide if I want to keep that or not.... All suggestions welcome! 

 

[juhason]

So I need to get a new test kit, I lost my ammonia bottle #1.... but I nitrites and nitrates were 0ppm! However my pH was 8.2!!!!! WTF?!!?!?! I have a DIY concrete rock wall but I sealed it with a clear coat at least like 7 times..... fml. I probably have to do like 500 water changes over the course of a couple more months before that drops....and I was ready to put some fish in there..... anyways I still need help with my algae hehe 

 

[Aquarian58]

I think you'll find the consensus will suggest you have too much light, the wrong kind of light and/or too many nutrients.
 
Stay tuned for the technicalities on how to adjust those things

 
 
....and for what it's worth, I like your set up, it's similar to mine except I have river pebbles front and centre

 

[juhason]

....and for what it's worth, I like your set up, it's similar to mine except I have river pebbles front and centre

Thanks 

 I like the basic idea of mine, just feel like something is missing... I like jungle looking tanks I guess.... I feel like maybe I can add a plant in the middle back? 

 

[BettaBettas]

here's a few suggestions:
 
1- label the type of algae because I cant tell what kind it is...
2- may have to much nutrients, this isn't a "bad" thing but it will help the algae spread and grow.
3- nerite snails, if you meet the conditions for these helpful critters, they will clear everything (or pretty much everything) I have 5 and they keep it all under control...
4- What kind of ferts do you use.
5- as Aquarian said, your lighting, may be an issue. although I don't think it is because from the picture it seems pretty average,i would lower the lighting to 4-5 Hours a day

also, you can put the vals in both the corners, kind of fluff up both corners with plants, some reds maybe mixed in? also some moss on the rocks would really look nice, I suggest fire or Christmas moss

 

[juhason]

here's a few suggestions:
 
1- label the type of algae because I cant tell what kind it is...
2- may have to much nutrients, this isn't a "bad" thing but it will help the algae spread and grow.
3- nerite snails, if you meet the conditions for these helpful critters, they will clear everything (or pretty much everything) I have 5 and they keep it all under control...
4- What kind of ferts do you use.
5- as Aquarian said, your lighting, may be an issue. although I don't think it is because from the picture it seems pretty average,i would lower the lighting to 4-5 Hours a day

1- I tried my best in the OP, most I don't know what it is. 
2- is there a way to check this? 
3- love the work they do, hate scraping the eggs
4- roots tabs and Envy
5- only five hours a day?!

 

[BettaBettas]

If you have nerite snail eggs than you are extremely lucky, because it takes super professional breeders to breed them. rarely in captivity. so I would do some research on them maybe again lol
As for the lighting, 4-5 hours a day, may not seem like a lot but yes. it is ok for the plants depending if they require high to low light, im not going to ask you to list them but if you know do most of you plants require high or low light? If they take low light I would go for about 4 hrs a day and if high 5 hrs. just temporarily. also so you don't have to constantly turn the light on an off all the time, you can buy a timer which easily takes care of the light hassle. recommend a Utilitech Heavy duty appliance timer.  

 

[juhason]

If you have nerite snail eggs than you are extremely lucky, because it takes super professional breeders to breed them. rarely in captivity. so I would do some research on them maybe again lol
As for the lighting, 4-5 hours a day, may not seem like a lot but yes. it is ok for the plants depending if they require high to low light, im not going to ask you to list them but if you know do most of you plants require high or low light? If they take low light I would go for about 4 hrs a day and if high 5 hrs. just temporarily. also so you don't have to constantly turn the light on an off all the time, you can buy a timer which easily takes care of the light hassle. recommend a Utilitech Heavy duty appliance timer.  

Oh I do have a timer! And I listed the my plants in the OP haha 

 . Also for the nerites, in my experience they constantly lay eggs, but none of them are fertile. Do you get those white dots all over your aquarium wall? That's what happened to me.  
Update: I tested my tap water and it has a super high pH..... is messing with pH a huge hassle or should I attempt it? 

 

[BettaBettas]

As for the plants they should be fine in the 4-5, I would personally go for 4hrs 30mins. no I have 5 nerites, and they have never, ever laid eggs anywhere. Your lucky

also are you sure they are nerite eggs, sorry I am just very curious about this!

also if your ph is alkaline, I would lower it to a 7.5 neutral ph for fish and plants (even though you don't have fish, but if you want some in the future.) also lowering ph isn't that much of a hassle, especially since you don't have any fish! so for you, id say just add some PH Down as instructed on the bottle. or add some kind of rock, or wood, that can lower the ph

 

[juhason]

As for the plants they should be fine in the 4-5, I would personally go for 4hrs 30mins. no I have 5 nerites, and they have never, ever laid eggs anywhere. Your lucky

also are you sure they are nerite eggs, sorry I am just very curious about this!

That's what they look like. Used to cover my driftwood and glass, and I'd find some on my plants sometimes too. 

 

[DomH]

The reason they won't hatch They only hatch in brackish


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I have those everywhere too, not that uncommon. They are definitely Snail eggs though


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[BettaBettas]

yea I guess your right, they are snail eggs. really neat! you could be a nerite snail hatchery! honestly ive never heard of somebody having a tank at home specifically for nerite snail breeding lol.

 

[juhason]

yea I guess your right, they are snail eggs. really neat! you could be a nerite snail hatchery! honestly ive never heard of somebody having a tank at home specifically for nerite snail breeding lol.

Haha but I don't want to be! I think I'll try them out again anyways though 

 

[BettaBettas]

sounds good! hopefully they help your algae problem a bit more if you have any more questions just ask, also post an update later on one day

 

[Byron]

I will offer some general comments on a couple things mentioned in this thread.
 
Slime algae is not algae but cyanobacteria, a bacteria which is caused by organics in the presence of good light.  Sunlight is likely part of this problem.  You will have to somehow prevent any direct sunlight from reaching the aquarium.  Even bright daylight (ambient light) in the room can upset the balance [being what someone mentioned earlier, light and nutrients must be balanced for the plants].  Organics are usually from fish, but excess plant additives can contribute too, I have had this.
 
On the pH, you will almost certainly have no luck using pH adjusting chemicals.  The pH is part of the mineral/carbonate/ion relationship.  First, we need to know the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) of your source water, and also the pH.  You should be able to track this data down from your municipal water authority if you are on city water (not a private well).  Check if they have a website, or call them.  And when testing tap water pH, you need to ensure the CO2 is out-gassed or the reading may be inaccurate.  Let a glass of tap water sit 24 hours, then test pH [this is not necessary when testing aquarium water, just so you know].  Or get the pH from the water site too.  As these three are closely connected, you will not have any luck permanently adjusting the pH if the GH and KH are significant.  We can go into this more when we have the numbers.
 
You also mentioned a concrete rock wall sealed...this may well increase the GH/KH/pH as concrete contains limestone which is calcareous and dissolves slowly in water.  I've no idea how you "sealed" this, but it may or may not affect the process.  Just something to keep in mind.
 
While snails can help with algae, they will never deal with a serious problem because the algae simply spreads too rapidly when conditions are to its advantage rather than in balance for the higher plants.  Same applies to any so-called "treatment" with algicides, and anyway these have the further more serious problem of being detrimental to fish and plants.  You need to sort out the light/nutrient balance.
 
The "Envy" I assume is the so-named product in Seachem's newer line of plant additives, AquaVitro?  If it is, I would stop using it, at least until you have all this algae/cyano under control.  There are ingredients in Envy that I personally doubt can have any benefit to plants.  And it is an algae-base to begin with, Chlorella algae.  I really don't know what this may do.  The substrate tabs (presumably Flourish Tabs) are OK and should help control/prevent algae as the nutrients do not get into the water column in the way that liquid additives do.  I use these and have so far seen nothing I can blame the tabs for, but I have had algae issues with the liquids if I use too much.
 
Byron.