So my 90 gallon reef has been up and running for about two months now, and when it comes to cleaning algae off the glass I really just focus on the front and sides, without touching the back glass (mainly out of my own laziness of having to get back there with a scraper). At this point the back wall is getting covered with algae. It’s not really the nuisance kind like hair, it’s more like green and brown spots throughout with some coralline spots starting to develop.
My question is, should I just let these algaes continue to grow and take over the back wall, almost like a living background? I don’t have any background or anything covering the back glass, so if I clean it, the alternative for now would be me staring at rockwork sitting in front of my house’s wall paint. So I guess it’s more of an aesthetic question of what you guys think would be more attractive. I know clean pristine tanks are what most people shoot for, but having the back of the tank as an “algae background” actually has that more natural look to it in my opinion and doesn’t really bother me. The fish (tangs especially) certainly don’t mind having that buffet of algae to graze on all day. Not to mention I have my rocks moved away from the glass so if I ever decide to clean it, it wouldn’t be a huge mission. Let me know what you guys do in terms of back wall maintenance.
My question is, should I just let these algaes continue to grow and take over the back wall, almost like a living background? I don’t have any background or anything covering the back glass, so if I clean it, the alternative for now would be me staring at rockwork sitting in front of my house’s wall paint. So I guess it’s more of an aesthetic question of what you guys think would be more attractive. I know clean pristine tanks are what most people shoot for, but having the back of the tank as an “algae background” actually has that more natural look to it in my opinion and doesn’t really bother me. The fish (tangs especially) certainly don’t mind having that buffet of algae to graze on all day. Not to mention I have my rocks moved away from the glass so if I ever decide to clean it, it wouldn’t be a huge mission. Let me know what you guys do in terms of back wall maintenance.