Would kitchen lights cause algae?

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 17, 2016

My fish tank sits in the corner of my kitchen and I frequently have the lights on during the day. Regular light bulbs on a 4 bulb ceiling fan. Would having these on sporadically during the day cause algae?

saltyphish · Oct 17, 2016

They could. Sun shining in through windows can be a problem as well. Do you notice algae growing more in areas lit up by your kitchen lights? Location of where it is growing can help determine sources.

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 17, 2016

saltyphish said:
They could. Sun shining in through windows can be a problem as well. Do you notice algae growing more in areas lit up by your kitchen lights? Location of where it is growing can help determine sources.

Well my kitchen lights are almost directly over my tank so I can't say that I noticed anything from them because it would be evenly dispersed throughout the tank.

Im just trying to make sure I'm doing everything possible to minimize Unwanted algae growth.

saltyphish · Oct 17, 2016

keep low nutrients and that will be key. Also a diverse cuc works best

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 17, 2016

Yeah I'm trying to keep my phosphates in check. They've been declining steadily and I have now been leaving the refugium light on 24/7 to soak up those nutrients. The cheato has been growing significantly which makes me think it's doing its job.

Rick.45cal · Oct 19, 2016

You need to give the stuff in the refugium a dark period, Cheato especially. Make the refugium's lighting schedule opposite of the tank to help keep your pH stable, but give it a dark period. Your Cheato will grow better and be more efficient. Plants need time for respiration (requires darkness)

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 19, 2016

Rick.45cal said:
You need to give the stuff in the refugium a dark period, Cheato especially. Make the refugium's lighting schedule opposite of the tank to help keep your pH stable, but give it a dark period. Your Cheato will grow better and be more efficient. Plants need time to respire (requires darkness)

this.

scrub and siphon the obvious stuff so it doesn't get out of control. once the system balances itll be easier.

@USMC 4 LIFE Is the ugly phase buggin the heck out of you?

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 19, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
this.

scrub and siphon the obvious stuff so it doesn't get out of control. once the system balances itll be easier.

@USMC 4 LIFE Is the ugly phase buggin the heck out of you?

Just trying to take precautions, learn about algae growth. I'm in this for the long run so I want to learn what I can about maintaining a healthy tank.

Yeah I've been scrubbing the brown algae off the rocks every fourth day to keep it at a minimum. The sandbed is another story. The algae there grows rapidly when the lights are on. Resides at night. Also been noticing more and more rocks are being consumed with a very bright neon green algae. It's hard and doesn't come off with a brush so I'm assuming it's coralline algae.

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 19, 2016

Rick.45cal said:
You need to give the stuff in the refugium a dark period, Cheato especially. Make the refugium's lighting schedule opposite of the tank to help keep your pH stable, but give it a dark period. Your Cheato will grow better and be more efficient. Plants need time for respiration (requires darkness)

Did not know that. I'll make sure the light comes on during opposite shifts now. Thanks!

Rick.45cal · Oct 19, 2016

USMC 4 LIFE said:
Just trying to take precautions, learn about algae growth. I'm in this for the long run so I want to learn what I can about maintaining a healthy tank.

Yeah I've been scrubbing the brown algae off the rocks every fourth day to keep it at a minimum. The sandbed is another story. The algae there grows rapidly when the lights are on. Resides at night. Also been noticing more and more rocks are being consumed with a very bright neon green algae. It's hard and doesn't come off with a brush so I'm assuming it's coralline algae.

How old is your tank? Sounds like you have a lot of the new tank stuff going on. I would diversify and increase my clean up crew first and foremost, let them do some of the work for you. Having a variety of organisms to clean up will really make a big impact on getting most everything. There are still somethings that clean up crews won't touch though.

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 19, 2016

Rick.45cal said:
How old is your tank? Sounds like you have a lot of the new tank stuff going on. I would diversify and increase my clean up crew first and foremost, let them do some of the work for you. Having a variety of organisms to clean up will really make a big impact on getting most everything. There are still somethings that clean up crews won't touch though.

Tank has been set up since Aug 10th
Yeah it's new and still establishing itself. Got another 3 months before it really becomes strong. I've been told this is the "ugly phase". Just trying to make it visual appealing without having a setback.

CUC won't touch cyano right?
CUC is diverse.