I'm about to set up a heavily planted aquarium. I understand it will take time to get to that point, but im going all out and starting properly.

The tank will be about 250 litres (4ft)

I will have double bulbed T5 lighting, Flourite and gravel mix, and Co2 injection.

What can i do to make sure i can keep algae growth to a minimum and whats the best way to deal with it in a planted aquarium ?

A new setup will almost always get algae.

List your filtration, photoperiod and ferts...

Cheers

I have not set the tank up yet.

I plan to have a mixture of Flourite and normal gravel. Which means i probably wont go to heavy on any fertilizers.

double bulb t5 lighting for 8 hours a day.

External canister filter filtration.

Its great that you are doing the research before having a problem.

It is possible to not have any algae problems if you go slow. I usually do the following:

1. Make sure to put a lot of plants in there - some experts say up to 75% of the substrate should be planted when you are first starting out. You can use all sorts of fast growing plants and once the tank is settled, you can slowly get rid of the ones you don't want. They will act as sponges to utilise the nutrients in the tank before algae can.

2. Keep your photoperiod down. I usually start around 6 hours a day and half the intensity (e.g. one tube instead of two). The plants will still grow well but you can control how much nutrient they need. After 2-3 weeks, you can gradually start to increase things if the plants are growing well. If you see any signs of algae, keep the photperiod down until you get it under control.

3. Keep your CO2 levels stable. Turn the gas on one hour before the lights go on and turn it off one hour before the lights go off. Aim to have about 25-30ppm of CO2.

4. Add nutrients gradually. The plants will not be able to utilise them straight away - it will take a week or so. Add a good micro + macro nutrient and change 50% of the water once weekly.

5. Keep up the flow in the tank so the plants are bathed in nutrients

Very helpful, thanks J !

Anymore information you have will be much appreciated !

well if you do buy that light of mine u are most welcome to come have a look at my display tank

I'm tagging out of algae conversations..........

I'm tagging out of algae conversations..........

whys that?

am wanting to buy the light, but am waiting for a reply to my email. id be very keen to come and see the tank

sorry cnt reply .pm me

Because I think there should be an algae sticky, instead of hundreds of algae threads with the same advice.

Don't get me wrong... advice is what this forum is about. Lets just set some parameters so advice can be founded on something.

:tears:

ok

Because I think there should be an algae sticky, instead of hundreds of algae threads with the same advice.

Don't get me wrong... advice is what this forum is about. Lets just set some parameters so advice can be founded on something.

:tears:

Ooohhhh... are you going to kick this off for us? I can provide pics of some algae, but am too busy to do the writing bit. You could create your own thread and get people to submit pics and what they did to get rid of it and what they think the cause of it was, then formulate a writeup for it that can be stickied. Be aware that if Caryl gets wind of this that she will want an article

Because I think there should be an algae sticky, instead of hundreds of algae threads with the same advice.

Ah, just the person I was looking for to work with me on the algae article I am writing for the new upgraded site...something that we all can link to when there are queries...... 8)

Sounds sweet

The following should at least be listed:

- Tank size

- Lighting specs

- Photoperiod

- Filtration specs (including lph)

- Fert routine

- Plant mass

Anything to add?

Anything to add?

Substrate, kH, goals (high tech, low tech), budget, type of CO2, type of plants, fish feeding regime, maintenance regime....etc, etc, etc.

Send me an email and we can begin hashing it out. Anyone else who wants in feel free to email as well. :happy2: