Would the type of lighting be a factor? I am thinking of changing the
halogen lights for fluorescents anyway as the halogens produce too much
heat. Would this help the algae problem?

My halogen spots don't cause a problem. They are on for about 16 hours
a day. I don't use fluorescent lights. Maybe they are your problem.

Dunno, fluorescents are the standard for fish tanks, they aren't
generally known for causing algae problems.

"Standard" or not, try using just the halogens for a while. If the
algae starts to fade away don't forget that dead algae can also be a
problem so keep it cleared out.

Can't harm to try I suppose. I don't know how long it would take before
I would expect to see a difference though. I know algae grows pretty
quickly, how quickly is it likely to fade away if the fluoros are the
problem?

Maybe I'll have to add a Plec and see if that helps. They are supposed
to be good algae eaters.

Plecs are not as good at algae clearing as bristlenose and you already
have one of them. Get another one. If you get a pair they will breed.
OTOH Plecs will never breed in a tank.

Baby bristlenoses? That sounds like fun!! Trouble is, I have no idea
whether mine is a boy or girl, and catching him wouldn't be easy. Still,
I might do some research and see if I can find out how to tell the
difference.

BTW what sort of Malawi cichlids are they? Most of the common Mbuna
eat algae, especially if no easier food is supplied. If they have
other food they won't eat the algae - why scrape rocks when flakes are
around. Mbuna fed on algae turn on their best colours.

Mine do scrape at the algae a bit, but not a huge amount. Maybe if it
were longer they might, but as I said, it's very short.

Thanks for the reply.

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