Hello,

I have a 220 litre (24" cube) Malawi cichlid tank (see
http://fish.alansilver.co.uk/Mark3/G...fault.asp?img=
tank_040217_01.jpg for an out-of-date picture) that is suffering from a
green algae problem.

I'm fairly certain that the problem is caused by the amount and/or type
of lights. The tank has two 24" fluorescent lights, one white and one
blue, plus three 40 watt halogen spotlights. This is all because the
tank is in a corner away from any natural light and we want to be able
to see the fish!!

Anyway, the tank is fairly covered in very short hairy green algae. I
have to clean the glass at least once a week, or it gets too mucky to
see inside. The background is quite covered in algae as well. This isn't
too terrible as it looks more natural, but it does make the tank dark.

So, any suggestions? I know I could cut down on the amount of light, but
I want to keep it bright. Would different types of lights help? If so,
what?

I have an Ancistrus bristlenose catfish in there and it is pretty busy,
but it doesn't seem to be able to keep up with the algae growth. I
wondered about adding another, or even a Plec, but I don't know if that
would be the answer.

Any suggestions greatly welcome. TIA.

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)