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Unwanted algae

Well, I've been sitting on one type of algae for far too long. I haven't
written about or inquired about this, because everybody's water is obviously
different. How can you diagnose what another person may need? I'm wondering
if different algaes have different tastes, though.

 I have a 10 gallon green water tank. No matter that it's been up for over
six months, has had the osmocote removed, the substrate replaced etc. It is
still green. It remained green after I stuffed so many plants in there, the
one betta has no room to swim in. It was green when there was _no_ fish in.
There is no amount of plant growth that will clear this tank.

But now, my 29 gallon tank, where I placed 2 x 55 watts over it, has been
green for quite a while. Initially it was great. Rotala macranda growing
gangbusters, rotala wallichii & indica which have a tendency to show up
stunted if they don't get what they want. In fact, no stunted looking
leaves, despite the high light levels, everything was growing beautifully.
Then it turned green. I let it go, I changed water now and then. It would
ultimately turn green again. I decided to ignore it because I didn't have
the time to attend to it. Just when I decided it wasn't going to clear up
until I changed some water I woke up to a clear tank one day. Of course the
tank was so overgrown, that it required a trimming. And then it turned green
again. So it appears, at least with this tank, that the plant growth has to
be so profuse as to either reduce the lighting (plant growth trailing on the
surface) and eliminate the green water, or that that amount of plant growth
is inhibiting and using the nutrients. Unfortunately, that level of plant
growth is not desirable, and was not really attractive. So I'm considering
re-wiring and putting in 2 x 40 watt bulbs. I've tried various methods,
increasing co2, adding micronutrients, no3. The only thing that clears it is
replacing the water.

Not that I'm expecting a Dx and Rx, but any thoughts or ideas would be
appreciated.

Sylvia


Tom wrote:

>A little here and little there is tolerable
> by most of us depending on our motivational requirements:) Some/most folks
> don't mind some algae here or there. I do though.
> It takes a bit more than excess iron to have this happen. FWIW I have
played
> with iron enough to know it does not cause fur algae in and of itself -
> unless something is also messed up or not quite in a decent range (namely
> CO2 or lack of a macro). If things are not raised up along with those
higher
> iron levels it's hard to say that it's the iron's fault(or PO4 etc etc). I
> can assure that I have some of the higher iron reading around yet I have
no
> green fur in my tanks or elsewhere:) or any algae in general. Something
else
> must be at work here.
> You cannot say one element causes anything unless the other balances like
> light/CO2/NPK etc are in a good range. You will not know whether it is the
> iron or something else or a combination of something else then. Plant
won't
> use nutrients if they don't have the light and CO2. Light usually is not
it
> as long as there's enough intensity. So CO2 is then next. Nutrients are
> last. It takes all 3, not just one. If the CO2 is dicey then the iron is
not
> a bad one to limit for algae but your plant growth and removal of nutrient
> will slow down which is quite fine by some folks.
>
> Your happy and that's the bottom line for all of us. A small amount here
and
> there is no biggy for most folks. Most of us accept some algae.
>