Will a blue light reduce algae growth?

[sally666]

My FOWLR aquarium is about 2 months old and there is a brown algae or diatom growing on the sand. If I place a blue filter (used in photography) over my white led lights, will this help reduce the algae/diatom growth?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t think there is convincing evidence of that.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...ne-algae-growth-vs-lighting-spectrum.1099563/

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Maybe, but it's not likely. Just boost your CUC. Your tank is going through the ugly phase, and it's completely normal in a healthy tank.

 

[StartingATank]

Blue would help with green algae, but with brown, you just have to let that go away, but blue is better if you want less algae and less visible algae

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Blue would help with green algae, but with brown, you just have to let that go away, but blue is better if you want less algae and less visible algae

Do you believe it makes green algae grow less, or just be less visible?

 

[KrisReef]

I don’t think there is convincing evidence of that.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...ne-algae-growth-vs-lighting-spectrum.1099563/

This could go in a work thread. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes: :cool:

 

[StartingATank]

Do you believe it makes green algae grow less, or just be less visible?

I little bit of both, it can reduce the growth a little bit, if its at like 80% Blue and 10% white, but it also reduces how visible it is because I had to take a picture of my tank under white light, and I saw all my brown and green algae, but it makes purple algae more visible, which I actually like

 

[exnisstech]

I think blue lights hide green algae but it's still there. I was messing around the other day and turned my lights over my 2+yo acro tank to 100 % white and this is what I saw.

Same tank under blues a few day earlier.

 

[Lavey29]

I think blue lights hide green algae but it's still there. I was messing around the other day and turned my lights over my 2+yo acro tank to 100 % white and this is what I saw.

Same tank under blues a few day earlier.

So cool

 

[Lavey29]

My FOWLR aquarium is about 2 months old and there is a brown algae or diatom growing on the sand. If I place a blue filter (used in photography) over my white led lights, will this help reduce the algae/diatom growth?

A 2 month old tank with lights on is supposed to have algae or something is wrong.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think blue lights hide green algae but it's still there. I was messing around the other day and turned my lights over my 2+yo acro tank to 100 % white and this is what I saw.

Same tank under blues a few day earlier.

Wow. The difference is staggering.

 

[StartingATank]

Yeah, and it is especially bad with the brown algae. Just cleaned my tank so I can't post a picture

 

[Faurek]

Yes and no, the filter would reduce the amount of light hitting the tank, but it's a Fowlr you want white light, don't know what light you are using, but if you have a controllable fixture try setting white to 0 and have blue, green and red make the white alone. Basically what you want is less light, not narrow spectrum, the reason people use heavy blues is coral fluorescence, not algae.