Nasty Algae Outbreak And Pics

[Xzavier247]

So is it working? Because excel is a an algeacide. Hopefully your having hope.

 

[clivealive]

doesnt seem to be doing anything

 

[clivealive]

12 days of excel and less light and no change , hmmmm

 

[craftycarper73]

Had a bit of an algae problem myself, similar look to the picture in the o/p, bought 3 otto's and they keep it well under control, eating off the plants, wood & substrate. hen it gets low i just supplement them with algae wafers, and they love them to

 

[OpticNinja]

i would scrub it off or get a pleco. not sure if itll work but give a try. get a ten inch or so pleco btw

 

[ian_m]

BBA is caused by way too much light for the non supplemented plants you have. Adding liquid carbon and some form of fertiliser will help.
 
However liquid carbon will only remove BBA if spot dosed, which in my experience works fine.
 
So...
 
Use a syringe to squirt directly on difficult areas.
Remove hardscape and "wash" in liquid carbon, applied with toothbrush.
Apply some to kitchen towel, dunk quickly underwater and press onto affected area.
Can wash plants, if they can be removed, but some plants it will attack the leaves, forming holes.
 
Be careful after all this to make sure that you haven't overdosed your water, again some plants (and shrimp) are sensitive to liquid carbon and will melt.

 

[Byron]

I agree with ian_m.  And just to clarify a couple items from former posts, this is brush algae and otos, bristlenose, etc will not touch it.  It is also the only algae I have ever battled, and now I basically never see it because I have worked out the balance between light and nutrients for the plants.  I have seen it suddenly increase by dosing fertilizer twice rather than once a week in one tank, and by the increase of daylight during the summer.  Even if you manage to kill off most of what is there, without resolving the light/nutrient balance it will simply return.  Your light is very bright as others have mentioned, and this is going to bring it back if you don't reduce it.  Lessening the duration can do this but only if there is a reasonable balance; the intensity of light has to be lessened in most cases unless you up the plants and nutrients.
 
Byron.