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My Java Moss is getting covered in algae. It's a 20 gallon tank with moderate lighting, 6 hours a day. I do weekly water changes, 25%, and use Seachem Flourish. Any tips to keep the algae off without harming the moss?

Algae on moss is a pain, dude. First, cut the light to 4 hours for a week. Add some floating plants like Frogbit to shade the moss. If that doesn't work, spot treat with Excel but go easy, moss is sensitive. What's your nitrate level?

I had the same issue. Reducing light helped me too. Also, adding more shrimp like Amanos cleaned it up. They love grazing on algae.

My moss got algae when I overfed. Maybe check if you're dropping too much food in there. Shrimp are a good call, they're like little cleaners.

Try a blackout for 3 days. Cover the tank with a towel, no light at all. Moss can handle it, but algae can't. Just don't do it too often.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try reducing the light first and see how it goes. Nitrates are around 20 ppm, which seems okay?

Lioness wrote: ↑Thu Aug 14, 2025 12:27 pm Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try reducing the light first and see how it goes. Nitrates are around 20 ppm, which seems okay?

20 ppm is fine, but lower is better for algae control. Up your water changes to 30% if you can. Also, consider a phosphate test, high phosphates feed algae.

I agree with kayoko. More water changes helped me. I do 30% twice a week now, and my moss stays clean. It's a bit more work but worth it.

If you're gonna add shrimp, make sure your tank's cycled well. They're sensitive to ammonia. I lost a few when I first started.

ladydawn wrote: ↑Thu Aug 14, 2025 4:35 pm If you're gonna add shrimp, make sure your tank's cycled well. They're sensitive to ammonia. I lost a few when I first started.

Yep, shrimp are picky. Test your water before adding them. Also, drip acclimate them slowly, like over an hour.