New light..new algae

I just received my new 6x39 TEK light, which I'm ecstatic about. Within a day of plugging it in, I'm experiencing a big algae bloom. My tank was crystal clear prior to the light...I know this isn't the forum for algae. Was just wondering if anyone else experienced an algae bloom when they upgraded their lighting. I'm only running them 8 hours a day with a 2 hour dawn/dusk.

 

I think its a common occurance to get an algae bloom when you increase your lighting. Keep your parameters in check and the algae will eventually dissapear!

 

Agreed. Now, nutrient levels need to be dealt with.

 

I would like to support the posts of the previous 2 people

I believed I phased my light upgrade in very gently over a 4 week period but at weeks 5 , 6 and 7 I was cleaning the front glass every other day

the only algae issue I was having was that micro algae, the dust type stuff that settles on rocks, and tank walls etc

week 8 I introduced Phosgaurd and that helped a lot ( 0 x PO4)

so test and stay on top of Phosphates and Nitrates and the algae will cease to be an issue

Steve

 

I agree totally with this post. You should never BOMBARD your tank with new lighting. Turning off some of the bulbs (or not installing) and gradually adding more and more is important, however, on the flip side, not having enough on from the new fixture can also be a problem (lack of spectrum intensity).

 

I went at the tank full speed ahead with the lights....my mistake. I'll back it off a bit.