THREAD ALGAE

Question
Dear Stephanie,
I have a 125 gal. aquarium.  My lighting is about 3 watts per gallon and the tank is heavily planted.  I have CO2 injection.  I'm getting  somewhat of a yellowish stain on my gravel/substrate, mostly in the front.  There grows a yellowish "thread algae".  It is easily removed with a toothbrush, as it tends to grow in clumps.  This is becoming a daily routine.  My lights are programmed for 10 hours per day.  My water has hardly any phosphate and my Ph is a constant 7.2.  I have 2 large Aqua Clear (110) filters which run continously.  It may be helpful for you to know that my tank is still going through it's Nitrogen Cycle; the ammonia is gone, but the nitrite is (still) high.  I belive the Cycle will be completed in about another 1-2 weeks.  However, in the meantime, this yellowish thread algae, which is slowing-down a bit, is becoming a nuisance.  Any ideas as to what might be causing this problem?
Regards,
Dave M.

Answer
Hello,

Your thread algae may be caused by the nitrites, but for the most part algae of all sorts is common (and likely, as well as unpreventable) in all fish tanks.

If you have lots of natural sunlight getting to your aquarium this could also be a cause of this algae.

I would recommend waiting until your tank has finished cycling and is healthy and stable before worrying too much about this algae. If possibles, ignore it for a bit (no tank can ever be completely algae free) and hold off on the cleaning until your regular weekly cleaning.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Stephanie