Discus tank algae bloom fix

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Haterw
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:47 am

Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Haterw »

My 75 gallon Discus tank has a crazy algae bloom. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Running a Fluval FX6, lights on 8 hours, feed twice daily. Tried reducing light to 6 hours, no change. What's the move?
pacer
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2024 8:07 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by pacer »

Algae blooms can be a pain. How often are you doing water changes? I had a similar issue in my 90 gallon, fixed it by upping changes to 50% twice a week. Also, what's your phosphate level? High phosphates can fuel algae.
Luxury
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2023 2:58 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Luxury »

Haterw wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 2:27 am My 75 gallon Discus tank has a crazy algae bloom. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Running a Fluval FX6, lights on 8 hours, feed twice daily. Tried reducing light to 6 hours, no change. What's the move?
You might wanna check your tap water for phosphates. I had a bloom last year, turned out my tap was loaded with them. Switched to RO water and added a phosphate remover to the filter. Cleared up in a week.
Blossom
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:18 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Blossom »

I'm no expert, but my algae went away when I added some floating plants like frogbit. They suck up nutrients like crazy. Plus, the fish seem to like the shade. Win-win, right?
Boldie
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2023 4:47 am

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Boldie »

Yo, anyone here ever tried algae eaters? I got a pleco in my tank and it's a beast. Cleans up everything. Just make sure you get one that won't outgrow your tank.
Spark
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:20 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Spark »

Plecos can be sketchy with Discus. They might mess with them. I'd stick to nerite snails or amano shrimp. They're chill and won't bother your fish.
morse
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2024 4:22 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by morse »

What's your substrate? If it's got a lot of organic waste, that could be feeding the algae. Maybe vacuum it more often.
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Blazer
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri May 20, 2022 3:59 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Blazer »

Luxury wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 4:32 am
Haterw wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 2:27 am My 75 gallon Discus tank has a crazy algae bloom. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Running a Fluval FX6, lights on 8 hours, feed twice daily. Tried reducing light to 6 hours, no change. What's the move?
You might wanna check your tap water for phosphates. I had a bloom last year, turned out my tap was loaded with them. Switched to RO water and added a phosphate remover to the filter. Cleared up in a week.
Yep, phosphates are sneaky. I use Seachem PhosGuard in my canister filter. Works like a charm.
Purrer
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2024 11:08 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Purrer »

Aight, so here's the deal. You gotta cut the light, up the water changes, and maybe add some plants or snails. It's a combo thing, ya know? No single fix gonna cut it.
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Dubson
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:17 pm

Re: Discus tank algae bloom fix

Post by Dubson »

Blossom wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 5:00 am I'm no expert, but my algae went away when I added some floating plants like frogbit. They suck up nutrients like crazy. Plus, the fish seem to like the shade. Win-win, right?
That's a great point! Floating plants are a natural way to reduce nutrients. I'd also recommend checking your feeding routine. Overfeeding can dump excess nutrients into the water. Try cutting back a bit and see if that helps.
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