How do I reduce film algae?

The algae that accumulates on my glass weekly is something I would like to minimize. What are my options to control this, or is it an inevitable part of reef keeping? Should I invest in a better skimmer? A bigger CUC? Feed less? I already have a fuge should I remove some caulerpa so it can grow more? What if anything can slow this process?

 

it will always come back, period.

i clean every couple days with a mag float ...

all the things you listed will help minimize it.. it's algae just like any other so the same nitrate reduction techniques should work on it too. but even in reduced state, you'll have to clean the glass every few days.

 

I have a walmart magnetic glass cleaner. Is the magfloat much different? It seems that every day or two my algae on the glass is to hard for my magnetic cleaner to scrub off? I have to manually go in there with a razor blade. Does the magfloat have a different material that scrubs better?

 

well... i know what's on the mag-float - it looks like the rough side of velcro (probably what it is)... no idea what's on yours.

 

Mine is like cheap felt ha ha ha. I will have to go buy a magfloat. That crappy magnetic cleaner i have is nothing more than a coraline farm right now.

 

the outside piece of my magfloat is also felt (make sure you aren't using it backwards )

also be mindful there are different models for glass and acrylic. the glass one will scratch acrylic... thinking maybe you are using the acrylic type on glass?

I have both (both kind of tanks). The acrylic one on acrylic tank does an inferior job (but good enough) as compared to the glass one in a glass tank.

if that made sense...

once coralline does grow on the glass, it pretty much takes a razor BUT I only get this around the edges where the magfloat can't really reach ... with routine cleaning of the main panels, the coralline never has a chance to take hold... if I wait a week, then bam, got to pull out the razor.

 

Get a decent magfloat, they are great and I use it every other day.. otherwise my glass starts turning green too. That's inevitable and normal.

 

I would go by peredhil's advice... make sure you get the right one. My tank is optical glass but make sure before you spend the money.

 

well the walmart magnetic glass cleaner is only 1 type (1 for all i guess) but it sucks. I have a glass tank so I will get the magfloat (with the rougher scrubbing pad). What I meant about the coralline farm is that my magnetic cleaners plastic is covered in coralline (I leave it in the tank behind the rockwork.

 

I only clean maybe once every 4-5 days, with my mag. I dont care about the back or the sides of the tank as much as the front panel. I like the coralline on the sides/back. main thing is have good current blowing on that front panel helps with algae buildup.