Using very strong lighting is like driving a fast car. There are 4 main factors that determine algae absence or presence in a tank.
Regular vacuuming of the top surface of the substrate also important using a turkey blaster to stir up only the top most layer of the substrate while hovering a siphon above is an easy way to accomplish this. Having shrimps, snails and microfauna that quickly break down and digest these smaller pieces of organic material is tremendously useful. Most planted tanks produce a lot of organic debris that can trigger algae. Preventing the plant from under going such periods of stress is important in keeping the tank algae free. Old leaves do not heal, and need to be trimmed away to make space for new growth. However, often the plant may choose instead to channel energy into producing new leaves, sacrificing the oldest leaves. If the plant recovers in time, often affected leaves can recover. Algae will then opportunistically spawn on the affected (usually older) leaves. Under stress, plants will generally stop defending the older, less valuable leaves first. While the plant goes through this adaptation phrase, it prioritises critical functions, leaving less energy to produce defensive anti-microbial chemicals. However, each time growth parameters are changed drastically, plants have to channel energy instead to re-program their enzymes to optimize for new conditions.įor example, if an aquatic plant was transferred from a tank with high CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels to a tank with low CO2 levels, the plant would channel more energy to proteins and enzymes responsible for capturing CO2 to compensate for the dip in CO2 levels. Healthy plants produce anti-microbial chemicals that prevent pathogens and algae from attacking the plant. Maintaining good plant health, and stable parameters are important as it allows plants to grow consistently healthy. This means avoiding the key triggers for algae - nitrogenous waste, ammonia, unhealthy plants. The cleanest tanks are where algae does not spawn in the first place. Algae removal techniques should not be the default method to keep a tank algae free.