This is a guide tailored to marine aquariums. While the basic premise can be applied to most situations regarding freshwater algae control, it cannot be used for freshwater planted aquariums. There's a bit more going on in planted tanks than meets the eye. So let us begin by naming the four musketeers.
* Hair Algae
* Red Slime Algae
* Brown Diatoms
* Dinoflagelletes
Listed above are the four most prevalent forms of problem algae marine aquarists face. Lets scratch off brown diatoms right away as it is the easiest of the four to get rid of. Just maintain zero phosphates for a week or two and it should disappear. Not so for the other three. Once they've got a hold on your aquarium it takes some long term algae control to be rid of them.
The reason pest algae growth is so prevalent in your tank (If you have this problem) is because they are getting energy from some source. The two sources we will be looking at are nutrients and lighting. Lets start with nutrients.
The next time you're in a department store, head on over to the gardening section and take a look at those packets of fertilizers. Some are suited to flowering plants while other claim to be better for green leafy plants and so on and so forth. What you'll probably see is something called an NPK rating stamped on these packets. Avid gardeners will know exactly what i'm talking about. They stand for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).
These three nutrients along with light and water are necessary for plant growth. Some need more of a specific nutrient or they don't do so well but that isn't true with regards to marine pest algae. The more nutrients they have, the better. They're not picky, have food = will spread. Thats their motto.
The nutrients we will be testing for are nitrates (NO3) and Phosphates (PO4). These two are directly correlated to the rate of pest algae growth that your system is experiencing.
Nitrates = Form of Nitrogen
Phosphates = Phosphorus
So these two nutrients are fertilizers. And our immediate goal is to reduce them to zero. And for that you will need a PO4 and NO3 test kit, a lot of extra salt mix for new aquarium water and a good PO4 remover media like Phosban.
Lets tackle NO3 head on. To reduce your aquariums nitrate levels as quickly as possible, water changes are needed. Direct export of the nutrient. If your nitrate readings indicated large water changes to reduce them to zero then i suggest splitting the up over a few days back to back. Do not change 80% or more of the aquarium water in one go. Do it gradually as the sudden change in water chemistry might affect the tanks inhabitants. The most i'll ever do in a day is a 40% water change.
During these water changes you want to siphon out as much fish waste, detritus and uneaten food as you can. Left in place, they all contribute to elevated nutrients. Manually remove the pest algae rock by rock until most of it is out of the tank. This is important as even the smallest amount can regrow and spread over your aquarium all over again. In large tanks this is a hassle, but it needs to be done. A 100% algae removal isn't necessary but the more you remove, the better.
Reducing PO4 is a much easier affair. While water changes also remove PO4, they tend to come back with a few feedings. Unless, you employ the use of phosphate removal media. I swear by them. Just add the directed amount per gallon in an area of high flow and you should see you levels plunge. They must be zero for it to be effective. Some good brands to use are Phosban, Rowaphos and Phosguard. Available at most pet stores.
Next, we look at lighting. Whens the last time you changed your bulbs? If they are older than 6 months then you might want to change them as older bulbs tend to emit light from the red spectrum. And these algae really thrive in such lighting conditions. Also, lower your daily photoperiod to 5 or 6 hours if possible. Most soft corals (mushrooms, leathers etc) will do fine with lower lighting but an SPS dominated tank might suffer. Up to your discretion.
Follow this regiment for a solid month straight and you should see results at the end. You need to ensure the tank is clean of detritus and any new algae growth during this period to be successful.
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