a 2 part question on Algae

[kiwicalifornia]

Hi..hopefully this is a very easy question...at the bottom of the slide of both my pumps there is a very fine, deep ruby red coloured algae growing, any idea what it is.?

2nd part of the question..I did have live plants but have since decided against it. If I switch my lightning to non -spectrum lightning, will that lack of spectrum lightning kill any algae that may be in the tank?

Thanks

[Buddha_Red]

do you have any algae eaters in your tank?

plants are a major killer of algae since they use up what the alage needs to grow.

I get that algae on my power filter but i just rub it off with a cloth or alage pad. My otto's keep my tank pretty clean, havent noticed any growth at all except for the filter which is outside their reach.


BUMP for the more educated

[aquak]

Your pleco probably needs some algae, though not the red stuff. I'm not sure what causes that, but the plants would help keep it down or away.

[AngelMom]

Another thing you can check is the levels of the phosphates in the water. I had a huge red algae problem and am able to control it by keeping the phosphates down.

[oscarbartoni]

I would get more light in the tank and also make sure that it is not rust.If you have a non greeen algae then it usually means that there is not much light in the tank. If you are getting a lot of green algae then you have plenty of light and plant food for the algae. In either case thereis plenty of plant food so if you do not have any live aquatic plamnts then I would start doing partial water changes to get rid of this plant food which could be in the form of nitrites or nitrAtes. Unfortunatately you will have to clean the red "algae off yourself. Do not use soap or any other chemicles that can kill your fish.