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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/23/2007 8:49:55 PM
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| Does PO4 or excess nutrients cause this?
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/30/2009 11:51:31 AM
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| Higher nutrients will accelerate the growth of films on glass, but all tanks grow films of some sort. That is why everyone puts snails in their tank and keeps a glass cleaner. I have had a tank where, at times, I only cleanded the glass once a week. At other times I had to clean it every 3 days. Some nutrients may drive the growth of a particular organism eg: elevated silicates encourage the growth of diatoms. What sort of growth do you have and how often do you need to clean your glass? Fred
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/23/2007 8:49:55 PM
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| every other day....its greenish film(not h.a.)
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/30/2009 11:51:31 AM
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| That is quite often. If you look closely at the green film, is it a really short fine hair algae? Do you have other algaes growing in other parts of the tank? Time for more info. How long has the tank been set up? What are your water parameters? How large is your tank? What grazers do you have in the tank? Fred
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Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
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| regardless of what type of nuisance microalgae it is, its' fast groth is an indication of some kind of nutrient accumulation/availability created by some kind of nutrient export deficiency in the system. But if you do some tweaks to dilute the nutrients and control them, you can regain control of the tank in a matter of weeks. You should be able to easily go a week without even thinking about needing to scrape the glass. My advice: - do one or two large (over 50%) water changes in the next week to knock down the DOC levels fast. - attend your skimmer(s) and tune them well so that you are getting a full cup of dark skimmate daily and consistently (see the "improving skimmer production" thread listed in my "fav links..." sticky under "discussions" (as well as the other skimmer threads). - tidy up bad habits re: nutrient import each day: test your RO/DI water to be sure it really is as pure as you think it is... never admit thawed pack juice form frozen foods into the aquarium (rocket fuel for nuisance algae over time!), feed tiny food portions frequently rather than large portions less often, etc.. - use ozone and/or carbon to really scrub the water of nutrients and raise RedOx values of the water to discourage algae growth - insure that you pH does not drop below 8.3 at night (test after a long period of darkness like early AM before lights come one). A strong and high/hearty pH also discourages many nuisance algae.
. Anthony Calfo
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