[C.A.Caron]

Hi everyone, In my custom vivarium and have some problems with some slimy black algae growing and competing against the Jave moss in the water section.

The temperature seems alright at around 77°F. I also have a small waterfall in there so the water is not stagnant.

I would like to know if anyone here ever had that problem and if so some corrections I could do to prevent this algae from growing everywhere. :x Its really not pretty.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Charles

 

[JoshKaptur]

If you have high light and enough nutrients in your water, you will get algae. Java moss is not that efficient at removing nitrogen from the water. My best advice is to get some fast growing plants that will send roots down into the water (through the soil into the false bottom, leca, or gravel). This will act as a "nutrient sponge" and possibly outcompete the algae.

You may need to physically remove as much algae as possible to help in the war.

hth,
JOSH

P.S. This advice is not from my exprience in dart frog tanks, but I have used similar methods in high light planted fish tanks.

 

[Moe]

Probably some type of slime mold, though its doubtful it would be black.

Do a search on slime mold; they grew all over my glass in some vivs.

M.N

 

[rmelancon]

I have had similar "black algae" take over the java moss in some of my tanks. Not really sure if it is algae or something else. It peels off sometimes fairly easily, sometimes not so easily. Haven't found a way to prevent it although I have java moss in almost all of my tanks and the black stuff has only affected a few. I'll have to look more closely at the differences in the setups. My guess would be amount of light and or moisture, but that's just a swag.

 

[C.A.Caron]

Thanks everyone, I will try to add a few more plants. I've done some research but still don't know what kind of algae it is.

Anyway, right now it peels easily so it could be worst I guess.

 

[Guest]

its most likely cyanobacteria. Its not really algae and its not really bacteria, somewhere in between. Faster growing plants to out compete is the best bet. I get this kind of algae growing on the leaves of some of my plants. I rub it off when I clean the tank every week or two.