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If we read up on the topic of algae control in tanks, the common factors which are controlled by hobbyists to battle algae appear to be :

1. CO2
2. Nutrients
3. All types of algae eating fish/invertebrates
4. Lighting
5. Plant stock
6. Circulation

The result is that new hobbyists spend Rs.5000 on a CO2 setup, buy 6 Otos, start dosing immediately after setting up a tank and setup high tech lighting setups.Obviously, nothing wrong in all this - combined wisdom drives us as a species.I have also done all the above.

But if you think of it, the last point - circulation, actually does not appear to be given much space in a forum or in the `combined wisdom'. This got me thinking. We use plants in our tanks, some of which come from still or low current waters. Yet, there are a lot of others which come from rivers and streams where there is constant flow of water. Anubias is one example. Staurogyne Repens is another.

I therefore have a hypothesis. If we choose the right mix of plants for our tanks, provide a good substrate for them to grow, ensure sufficient lighting and provide nutrients once in a while (all exactly like we do for terrestial plants) AND we provide enough circulation in the tank , it is possible for us to keep the algae away only on the tank glass, ornaments and driftwood.

I ask all hobbyists who have setup and maintained planted tanks over a period of time to comment on this hypothesis.

I would say you have a valid point, Joyash.

The most algae infested tanks i have seen in my life are those that have very poor water circulation. That guy in Laxmi Nagar is yet to learn that powerheads are meant for more than selling for profit. He keeps his display tanks like decoration pieces, extra fish added casually and food occasionally for them, but no filter. Just water changes when a few happy coincidences happen.. (which is maybe once a month if the fish are few ). The kind of algae you see there resembles a forest of alien flora you see in comics about life in Mars! Layers, clouds, sheets, blankets

I have seen this algae 'biotope' in many other dealer tanks in the course of the last decade in Delhi. There are some fish that don't like water movement that much (bettas, clown killies) and they come from ditches and coastal drainages. But even stagnant water plants like at least some circulation. ... Their better growth proves it every time.

I doubt I need more information in order to take advantage of.

Sharaken wrote:I doubt I need more information in order to take advantage of.

Please start a new topic with your query and condition of your tank. Please also introduce yourself in Self Introduction http://www.aquapetz.com/viewtopic.php?f ... start=1100 section of forum.

Algae! My favourite topic. Haha! Actually as the above points mention, having good circulation and right plant mix (plus adequate lighting) helps control algae. One more interesting point I observed in the recent days is it helps to have some algae "uprooters"

I understand from experts and some reading that there are no true algae eaters in nature. They all feast on the organisms that grow amidst the algae. But there are few creatures (like Garra sp. and ghost shrimps) which uproot the algae in search of food and have helped me keep my tanks without any hair algae or bba. Again, I might me wrong. This is just my observation.

Having said all this, I love to see algae growth in my non planted tanks

Cheers,

Karthik


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How active ghosts are?

parthapratim22 wrote:How active ghosts are?

Better than rcs. Always on the move, less hiding because of their size (less fish attacks). Multiply like rats!




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Algae is the result of excess traces. Low CO2, excess light, low flow, low plant mass, lots of fauna... all result in high concentrations of traces in the water column that benefit the growth of algae. I've written a long write-up and more thorough explanation here:

https://classicalaquascaping.wordpress. ... -of-algae/