Algae on glass

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

My aquarium is about 4 months old and I get a green algae build up on my glass that I have to clean every few days. I'm starting to get some coralline grown on my rocks but none on my glass, just the green film on my glass. I'd like to start seeing some coralline algae on my back glass, should I stop cleaning off the green film in the back glass and just wait till I get some coralline or do I need to keep cleaning the the green film off? I feel like if I keep scrubbing it clean I'll never get any coralline.

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
My aquarium is about 4 months old and I get a green algae build up on my glass that I have to clean every few days. I'm starting to get some coralline grown on my rocks but none on my glass, just the green film on my glass. I'd like to start seeing some coralline algae on my back glass, should I stop cleaning off the green film in the back glass and just wait till I get some coralline or do I need to keep cleaning the the green film off? I feel like if I keep scrubbing it clean I'll never get any coralline.

Is the algae easy to scrub off? Or do you have to go to town on it?

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

cameronh said:
Is the algae easy to scrub off? Or do you have to go to town on it?

The film comes right off but I get little green dots of algae that sometimes takes a bit more scrubbing or scrapping to remove. I've heard different stories on letting it grow or removing it when it stars to appear.

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

Oh and also it's very hard to get the lower part of the back glass clean because the rocks don't give me much room to work with.

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
Oh and also it's very hard to get the lower part of the back glass clean because the rocks don't give me much room to work with.

Coralline starts with tough somewhat light green algae. Have you introduced coralline to your tank yet? (Seeded) what's your calcium and magnesium levels? Salinity?

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

My calcium is around 500 and salinity 1.024, not sure about my magnesium. I've been using purple tech to try and speed up the coralline grown.So should I try to just stop cleaning the back and see what grows

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
My calcium is around 500 and salinity 1.024, not sure about my magnesium. I've been using purple tech to try and speed up the coralline grown.So should I try to just stop cleaning the back and see what grows

Couldn't hurt to stop and see.

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

I was just a bit worried about stoping cleaning it because my LFS said the green won't grow any coralline but if I keep cleaning it nothing will ever grow.

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
I was just a bit worried about stoping cleaning it because my LFS said the green won't grow any coralline but if I keep cleaning it nothing will ever grow.

Do you have a photo of this algae?

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

I don't at the moment because I just cleaned the back tonight but it's like a green film with green small dots. Sometimes has a browning tint to it.

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
I don't at the moment because I just cleaned the back tonight but it's like a green film with green small dots. Sometimes has a browning tint to it.

Ah! Gotcha. Yeah gently scrub it off. Eventually coralline will start to appear.

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

cameronh said:
Ah! Gotcha. Yeah gently scrub it off. Eventually coralline will start to appear.

So I should keep cleaning it and not just let the algae glow?

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
So I should keep cleaning it and not just let the algae glow?

For the time being I would clean it, if you can, get a photo of it when I grows back.

Yokahammy · Sep 21, 2016

cameronh said:
For the time being I would clean it, if you can, get a photo of it when I grows back.

Okay thanks!

cameronh · Sep 21, 2016

Yokahammy said:
Okay thanks!

Anytime!

Scott.h · Sep 21, 2016

Coralline takes a bit of time on a new tank. Personally I like it on the rocks but I clean it off the glass, including the back. Every tank I've started, even with live sand and all live rock goes through a nasty green fuzz over everything stage and it seems like it takes about a year for everything to settle and coralline to take off. Personally I'd clean the green off so it doesn't take off and make a mess. Magnesium up around 1350 and consistent will help with the natural process, and lower nitrates/phosphate will help with the unwanted green stuff.

RudyB · Sep 22, 2016

Have you checked your low range phosphates? If it the beginnings of hair algae you will need to get your phosphates below <0.03.

Yokahammy · Oct 1, 2016

How do most of you clean hard to reach areas where rocks don't allow you to get between? Move the rocks or just let the green algae grow and clean what you can easily access? Or just don't clean the back of the tank at all?

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 1, 2016

Yokahammy said:
Or just don't clean the back of the tank at all?

thats my auto snail feeder.

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 1, 2016

Yokahammy said:
How do most of you clean hard to reach areas where rocks don't allow you to get between? Move the rocks or just let the green algae grow and clean what you can easily access? Or just don't clean the back of the tank at all?

the mrs just got the "flipper scraper" AWSOME!!!! its very thin and has a blade. but yea I do

leave spots for the snails