algae question

[saltguy21]

I have a 120 gallon fish only set up with about 140 lbs of live rock. My fish include 2 puffers a trigger, a clown, a lunar wrasse a foxface and a couple damsels. I have 2 moderate skimmers and a sump running that filter well. I am considering letting the back side of my tank grow algae on it. As of now, the glass has some green algae, a little brown and mostly dark purple algae growing on it. I like the look it gives my tank but am wondering how this will effect my fish and rock in the long term. It seems that most reef tanks have the rear glass totally covered but my lights are just standard lighting. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[wrightme43]

I just have coraline algae on the back of my tank. It seems to outcompete everything else. At first it had green alage, but not now. I dont scrap my back glass.

 

[Krish]

I don't think there is anything wrong with algae on the glass other than it is un-sightly to most people and if it grows on rocks and smothers it, it will probably prevent any form of biological filtration to take place within that rock. Algae is present when there is basically excess nutrients in the tank (nitrates, phosphates etc) and it binds them up which makes the water quality a little better for fish, inverts, corals etc. People add an algae all the time to their systems (mainly in their sumps out of view) to do just that...Remove excess nutrients and make better water quality. Can't be too bad unless the algae dies and releases everything bck into the water and that is mainly the reason people "export" it after it has grown to a certain point...Just a few thoughts...

 

[NaH2O]

I don't see the algae growth on the tank an issue, unless you look at it from the standpoint of why is it growing (if you have really high nitrates or phosphates). However, with FOWLR tanks, elevated levels of these aren't as critical as in a reef tank. Coralline algae (the hard flat purple stuff) is great, and I don't scrape that off unless it is on the viewable sides. If there is a lot nusiance algae growing, then you might have some nutrient issues, but it doesn't sound like it since you like the way it is looking. How are your water parameters?

 

[saltguy21]

nitrates arround 40 but have allways been there.