What to do next

[Larry Grenier]

Tank setup: 58 gallon cube. Substrate: 1.5" onyx + fine sand with 1+" gravel over that. Lighting: 2 96w quad pc's. DIY C02. Various plants, several guppies, several otos, and a few other algae eaters.

It's been up since late January. I've only been using one of the pcs and havn't started the C02 yet.

The tank is overrun with algae. My biggest concern is the hair algae. It's covering some of the plants completely.

I'm afraid to start using both bulbs and the C02 but what do I know... <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley5.gif" border="0">

1) What would you recommend I do next?
2) Can the hair algae kill the plant it's on?       <edited><editID>Larry Grenier</editID><editDate>38078.5221875</editDate></edited>

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

Start the CO2!!!
Don't start the other 96W just yet. Infact I'd be
a little wary of starting that without using
pressurised CO2.
Manually remove as much of the algae as possible.
Increase frequency of water changes.
Get some fast growers in there - water sprite,
hygrophila difformis, hygrophila polysperma.
It may take a few weeks but you'll conquer the algae.

[krisw]

Larry, how long are you keeping your lights on every day? I've seen drastic algae reduction with something as simple as a small decrease in the amount of time I left the lights on.

[SCMurphy]

CO2 then add some... no wait.... sorry I'm still in shock over the last tank I added chemicals too. Do start the CO2, the plants need it to out compete the algae.

[Larry Grenier]

OK, I'll start the C02. Removing algae is difficult in a 24" tall tank with the small opening that the acrylic tank has but I'll see what I can do. Interesting that the hair algae has engulfed some plants but hardly touched others.