[APD] 120 gallon Algae Issue

["Rozell, Spencer" <srozell at mdsi_ca>]

The problem I'm faced with is I've set up a tank in a front room where my window is South facing with a beautiful view of the sun. I COULD ask my wife to close the blinds, but then she'd probably to tell me to pack up my beloved tank and leave. 

As you can guess by the title, Anytime I come home after a particularly sunny day I have nice green algae on my tank glass. I scrub it off and everything is beautiful. I don't get algae on my plants, it only grows on the glass facing the window.

My set up is as follows.

120 gallon tank (3 feet x 2 feet by 3 feet deep)
3" of potting soil covered with 1.5" of sand.
160W of shop lighting
An Endler and Lamp Eye Panchax population that I can't seem to exterminate.
Lots of Hygrophila polysperma, difformis, corymbosa and Vallisneria gigantea.

I occasionally dose calcium carbonate and potassium sulphate. I typically only top up water, and I prune regularly. Fish and plants are thriving, though the PH is high.

So, that being said, obviously I have opted for a very low maintenance tank. Since the food is on a timer I often walk away from this tank for 3 weeks at a time and come back to a very healthy looking tank that needs pruning. Is there something else I can do to this system to inhibit the algae growth on the glass and still keep it low maintenance?

Spencer

_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants