The Same Old Question About Algae

[gangeox]

I've read with some interest the posts on algae and how to get rid of it etc etc and wondered if anyone can explain the following:
Many years ago, say 30 to be precise, my first tank was 3'x18"x18" it had a grolux light if i remember correctly (not sure of wattage) it had an undergravel filter, a few plants a few bits of natural rock and a few bits of bogwood (which gave the water a nice reddish tinge) and quite a few fish and i can honestly say i had no problems with algae at all, never! Now after coming back into fish keeping after many years i have had nothing but trouble with algae! its everywhere! i'm running a rio 180 with standard lighting, external filter, plenty of bogwood a few plants and quite a few fish.
Now i may be wrong but could it be something to do with not having any air bubbles as i used to have with the undergravel filter? i mean, i know when you use CO2 it means introducing 100% oxygen, so maybe with an underground filter, although your pumping air, you are in fact introducing 21% oxygen.
Your thoughts will be most welcome

 

[ian]

Firstly the lighting in your old system would most probably have been real low light, i remember talking to my father in law, he says the same thing regarding the algae, the bulb was probably a T12. Enter 2011 and you now have a tank rocking T5 lighting, although the WPG rule is still in situ with a T5 tube, the PAR of the bulb is said to be better, this means the light now reaches to lower parts of the tank. Now i'm sure the bulbs are 45w on the Rio 180? If so your looking at medium lighting in the tank.

Onto the C02, i'm not sure what you mean regarding the O2 levels in a tank, as pumping air into a tank will provide aeration into a tank but not directly put O2 into the tank via the bubbles. As long as you have a good surface ripple in your tank, you are aerating the water with enough O2.

Have you got any pics of your offending algae?