green algae

I have a bad case of green algae going on. I have to use a scraper to get it off. My lights are on a total of 8 hours a day with actinics going on 1 hour before and one hour after. I use 65watt compact fluorescent bulbs. I am using a duel hang on skimmer for filtration. I wonder if this is enough. If anyone has any suggestions, please help. See attached photo. Thanks!!!

 

What kind of flow do you have? What are your nitrates and phosphates like? Even with levels alittle off the proper flow will help.

 

Is the algae just on the glass? When you scrape it off how quick does it come back?

 

I have a maxi jet 1200 on each side of the tank. My nitrates have been fine, phosphates are high. The algae is mostly on the glass, not on the rocks at all, a little layer on the sand. It comes back within a couple of days after water change and cleaning, which I do once a week. The water is from an ro system.

 

Algae eat nitrates and phosphates. You may want to try phospad for your sump if you have one or getting a phosphate reactor to bring down the phosphates. Maybe get a handful of turbo snails.

 

have you attempted scraping it off the glass and then doing a water change? If not i would try doing multiple water changes over a couple of days and maybe cutting down the light and feeding for a week or so. These little things helped me when i had algae problems. If you just scrape it off the glass it doesn't die, it just reattaches somewhere else. I don't know much about your equipment or livestock so these are all the suggestions that i have. Good luck

 

the window in the back ground could be your culprit. if your using a canister filter or bio wheel then that could also be the problem. Si, PO4, NH3,4 feed algae, which is why your #'s are low in those areas. try adding more flow in the tank towards the glass front and to rid the tank of Si, PO4, NH3,4 use carbon or seachem gel.

 

good eye on the window in the background

 

What you see in the background are glass sliding doors. lots of sun light. I don't have a filter at all. Just the duel hang on skimmer which I was told would be enough. Any opinion on that??? Also, no sump. I could try the phosphate reactor and more flow.

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what do you mean by Si, PO4, NH3,4?

 

they are just short for silicates, phosphate, ammonia, ammonium