Fluval Filter Media, Water Polishing, Carbon/Chemi-Pure 4/13/08
Hello WWM gang,
Thank you for your great site, wishing you a happy spring.
We have a 125 gallon community tank with 40-45 fish (Corys, swords, mollies, platys). We operate a Fluval 405 and a Fluval 305 and a UG. We change water 2x weekly (25% each time, with a UG vacuum and Fluval clean). Our water is clear, parameters are fine (we do have to watch nitrates). Questions specific to 'filter wool' in the Fluvals and question on use of carbon vs. 'Chemi-Pure' product.
<Neither critical to freshwater fishkeeping, so use whichever you want. I personally consider both a waste of time/money compared with good quality biological media and generous water changes. Compared to these two things, any carbon or equivalent product has a tiny, tiny impact on water quality.>
After the Fluval first stage sponges, in our lower basket we always use 'filter wool' as a fine mechanical filter and change it weekly.
We use charcoal in the next basket up (monthly change) and then two baskets of bio-max ceramic rings (Fluval 405) and one basket of rings (Fluval 305).
<So far pretty normal.>
Fluval says to place filter wool in the bottom basket, and that makes sense to filter particles so they do not clog the ceramics.
<Yes; about the only thing that really matters with a canister filter is that the biological media should never become completely clogged with silt. A bit of silt won't do any harm, but if you see the water flow visibly dropping to less than half its normal rate, you have a potential problem with insufficient O2 getting to the bacteria.>
Fluval says to buy their "polishing pads" and place in the upper basket (meaning after the ceramics if this procedure is followed). Are we doing the same "polishing" the water thing by using 1" thick inexpensive filter wool in the bottom basket only?
<Pretty much yes. Provided the biological media (the ceramic noodles or sponges) stay relatively clear, then you can use whatever you want as the pre-filter. My filters containing nothing more than generic filter wool for the pre-filter and either the original sponges or good quality ceramic noodles as the mechanical and biological media.>
Is the Fluval product (we have not seen it) a finer filter material than the generic filter wool? Do we accomplish the same thing by folding the wool
into a thicker bundle?
<Better to use a thinner layer you change more often, because too much will reduce the flow of water. But in any case, experimentation and observation will provide all the answers you need.>
Does the filter wool need to fill the entire basket, or is one inch in the bottom of the 3" tall basket OK?
<A thin layer should be fine.>
Do we need to add a Fluval "polishing pad" to the top basket or can we stay with our method?
<Your method is fine provided [a] the water quality is good (i.e., zero ammonia/nitrite) and [b] the biological media doesn't clog up too fast.>
Carbon/Chemi-Pure: Your site advice in most FAQs says dump carbon and fill with ceramics; but also suggests in other FAQs using Chemi-Pure in place of carbon.
<There's a difference of opinion among some of us as to the value of Carbon (and equivalent products). I'm very much anti-carbon in freshwater tanks. For a start, it's benefits are trivially small compared with water changes. So it removes "organics" from the water. Fine. So does a 50% water change each week, at lower cost, and with the added benefit of removing nitrate too. Carbon stops the water going yellow. Great. So do water changes. And so on. The big negatives to carbon are that it is [a] expensive over the long term when used such that it "works" at all, i.e., 100% changes of carbon on a 2-4 week basis; and [b] it removes medications from the water. This latter has resulted in the deaths of goodness knows how many fishes that people treated for Ick or whatever and then were surprised when their fish kept getting sick.>
First, should we forget carbon and Chemi-Pure altogether and opt for more ceramics? If the answer is 'maybe', what are the deciding factors?
<I would.>
If answer is more ceramics, please answer this Q anyway: Chemi-Pure specs say it lasts 4-6 months. Is this true?
<Highly doubtful. All these sorts of estimates of chemical media longevity depend upon the context. In an under-populated tank receiving massive, regular water changes then perhaps yes, this sort of estimate can reflect reality. But in the average tank with lots of fish getting lots of food and relatively modest water changes, I'd be highly surprised if the chemical media really worked that well. Chemical media manufacturers rely on the fact that you can't possibly test their products and pull them up on it. How do you know when the media is "full"? What test would you use? They could be selling you dried macaroni and it wouldn't make any difference -- you're getting a product that you can't observe working, can't measure its efficacy, and can't tell if its doing nothing at all! No wonder they love to sell the stuff!>
If so, what is this material and how is it different from carbon/charcoal?
<In practical terms, very little. Chemi-Pure contains chemicals that (are said to) remove a few inorganic pollutants including phosphate. Given that phosphate isn't a toxic chemical in freshwater tanks receiving regular water changes, this is more a marketing gimmick than anything else. You should always remember that this stuff is mostly just charcoal, and costs virtually nothing to make. The profit margins are terrific, and hence aquarium hardware manufacturers are obviously keen on selling the stuff. Back in the old days when people avoided doing water changes, carbon served a useful role removing tannins and organic acids from the water. Without it, tanks often looked rather yellow. But in this enlightened age, it's redundant, and nothing carbon does isn't better done with a 25-50% water change at the weekend.>
Cheers, thanks!
Rosemary
<Cheers, Neale.>

Cichlid... spot/markings... and FW carbon use  – 03/20/08
Hello, Neale
<He's on holiday>
I have 55 US gallon FW tank with 5 fishes in it: 2 parrots (hybrid), 2 Severums and 1 Sailfin leopard Pleco.
I have two questions about my tank.
1) One of my Severums had been in the tank for about 7-8 months. When I bought him he was about 2 inches long. After few days I noticed that he has 3 white spots on his body and occasionally scratches himself. I thought it is ich
<Mmm, no... not w/ just three spots, and not just on the one fish>
and treated the tank with the salt and high temperature for 2 weeks. He stopped scratching but those spots never go away. Now this fish about 4 inches long, acting normal, but I can see same white spots that probably even bigger. Do you have any idea what is that?
<Possibly an embedded worm complaint, maybe a microsporidean... there are a few possibilities here... None really treatable, nor tremendously debilitating>
It still looks like ich to me, but definitely it is not.
2) I followed your advice on WWM and stopped using carbon in my filter.
After that I noticed that pH of my water drops from 8.0 to 7.6/week between 50% water changes. I don't think it is overfeeding because my
nitrates change only from 10 to 20ppm. Do you think I should use carbon again?
<I would. Not all our opinions on WWM are identical... but for the reasons/observations you make, I am a fan of periodic carbon use.>
Thank you for your help,
Mark
<Cheers! Bob Fenner>

Mystery Platy Deaths... chemical filtrant involvement?   3/15/08
I have a platy problem.
I’ve lost 3 platies in three days. First, here’s my tank setup:
55 Gal Freshwater Community Tank – Been up and running for about 18 months now.
Population (Before Deaths):
5 Bleeding Heart Tetras
3 Orange Platies
4 Yellow Platies
2 Zebra Danios
2 Glowlight Tetras
2 Peppered Cory Cats
2 Otocinclus
No live plants, a few rocks, some driftwood, and some aeration.
Water Parameters (as of a few days ago):
Temp – 74F
pH – 7.4
Ammonia/Nitrites – 0 ppm
Nitrates – 7 ppm
KH – 5 deg
Phosphates – 0.5 ppm
<Water quality and compatibility should be fine...>
A few weeks ago, I started controlling Phosphate levels, in an attempt to rid brown and black algae.
<Mmmm, how?>
My water supply has high PO4 levels (about 2 ppm), so I started putting Phos-Zorb in the filter. It brought PO4 levels down to about 0.25 ppm, but since then has started to rise due to regular water changes (~20% water/week).
<Mmm, you might want to just filter the incoming/change-out water>
A couple days ago, I noticed an orange platy couldn’t swim…he would just sink to the bottom, but remain vertical. He died later that day.
Last night, I noticed a yellow platy with similar symptoms, but he would swim up for food. He would also stay at the bottom, and/or hide. His fins were severely nipped, so I figured he probably got beat up and was just injured.
This morning, I found that yellow play dead.
I also noticed another yellow platy hiding, but did not appear injured…just hiding. I found him dead later this afternoon.
I’m afraid there might be some sort of parasite or something killing off my fish. All other fish appear OK.
<Mmmm, what fish/es if any, are new/er to this system... How recent?>
I feed the fish tetra flakes every day, with the occasional day of freeze-dried bloodworms. All 7 platies listed above were purchased about 8 months ago.
<Oh! They themselves are not likely a/the source then>
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Aaron
<I would remove the Phos-Zorb product, seek other means for algal control... Perhaps just some floating plant... Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwalgcontrol.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Opinion on Chemical Media in Planted Aquarium  2/4/08
Hi -
I wanted to get the expert's opinion on chemical media containing carbon with ion exchange media (such as Chemi-Pure and BioChemZorb) and the planted tank. My fear would be scavenging too many trace elements and hurting the growth of my plants.
I've used Purigen with great success, but have heard various rave reviews of the Chemi-Pure, and - to a less extent - BioChemZorb.
Thanks in advance for your feedback. Your site is, by far, the definitive online guide for fishkeeping.
Very truly yours,
Stu
<Greetings. I'm not a big fan of carbon in freshwater tanks. It does nothing that regular water changes don't do better. Carbon was most valued in the Stone Age of the hobby, where people deliberately avoiding changing the water. 10% a month was normal. The idea was "old water" was better than "new water". The big problem with old water is that organic decay in the tank produces organic acids that lower pH and turn the water yellow. Carbon adsorbs organic compounds, and by using carbon in a filter, the aquarist could keep the pH stable and the water clear. Nowadays we routinely change 25-50% of the water per week, so the dissolved organic compounds in the aquarium never reach a concentration where they are sufficient to cause harm. In terms of value, biological and mechanical filter media deliver more tangible results per cubic centimetre of filter space, and chemical media for buffering water chemistry can also be useful under certain circumstances. Finally, the active life of carbon (regardless of how it is packaged or what brand it is sold under) is literally a matter of days. One manufacturer of fish medications makes the point that carbon over 5 days old won't have any impact on their medication because it won't absorb sufficient quantity of that medication to affect the efficacy of the drug involved. That pretty much sets it out for you in terms of how often carbon needs to be replaced if it is to do any good. Carbon doesn't removed many inorganic substances, iodine is the only one of note, if I recall correctly. So carbon won't really do anything to the CO2, iron, magnesium, etc. that you need to keep plants healthy. The minerals at least need to be in their reduced rather than oxidised state, so won't be in the (oxygen-rich) water anyway but in the (oxygen-poor) substrate. The carbon obviously doesn't do anything to the substrate. So bottom line, in my opinion, is buy whichever you want since they're all a waste of money and don't make any difference in the big picture. Cheers, Neale.>

Questions on Activated Carbon
Hi WWM crew,
I have questions on carbon issue for fresh water usage. Hope you will clear my doubt and myth on this. Will it absorb vitamins that is being added to the water? Is it true that it will also absorb all elements in the water? Thanks in advance
< Carbon removes lots of things. Vitamins and organics are the main ones but will also remove chlorine and some lead. I think there is an article on carbon by Dr. Tim Hovanec. Go to Marineland.com and look under Dr. Tim's library. I think he has an article on carbon. -Chuck>
Cheers.

Runaway Carbon - 05/17/2006
Hi,
<Hello.>
I have a healthy (good pH, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrates, 0 ammonia) freshwater BiOrb containing a couple of Platy's and White Cloud Minnows.  When I cleaned it recently, some of the carbon pellets 'escaped' from the filter housing.  I had already cleaned - vacuumed & wiped the sides of the tank, and was in the process of changing the filter, when the 'escape' happened. I managed to scoop all the floating bits up with a net, but there are a few bits that have fallen in amongst the ceramic media on the bottom of the tank. The fish cannot reach them, and I felt I had disturbed my fish enough, so I decided to leave them there.  Now I am a little worried about whether or not they will affect my fish, and would value your opinion on the matter.  
<Ah, no worries.  I would get them out when you can, as they will possibly interfere with additives to the tank, but no rush.  When the fish are chilled out and you can get a very small, fine mesh net in there, go for it.  Until then, don't stress about it.>
Regards,  -Sharon
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

pH shock, FW  – 03/18/07
Dear Crew,
<<Hello, Kris. Tom here.>>
Does a routine carbon change in my freshwater tank cause a pH shock and if so, how do I get around this?
<<By “pH shock”, I’m assuming you’re observing a significant rise in pH, Kris. Changing the carbon in your filter shouldn’t affect your tank’s pH levels. If this “appears” to be happening, I’d surmise that it’s occurring in conjunction with water changes, which can definitely affect your pH readings. If your water is inadequately buffered, pH can drop significantly in a short span of time. Even with adequate buffering in your source water, you can expect to see a drop in pH levels after a while. A water change, particularly if it’s a large one, will send pH levels right back up. Kind of a pH roller coaster ride. You do want to avoid the temptation to chemically alter your pH in either direction. This typically creates more problems than it solves. A simple/safe way to maintain pH stability is by making smaller, more frequent water changes. Kind of takes “Nature” out of the picture and puts the control back in your hands. Best regards. Tom>>  

Carbon Removal, algicide use...   7/28/06
I put an algae inhibitor tablet in my tank and it said to remove the active carbon when using tablet. How long am I supposed to remove the carbon filter for?? I don't want to screw up the process.
<A week or so... algicides can be real trouble... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maralgcidefaqs.htm
Applies to freshwater as well as marine... though there are inputs for the other, carbon... posted on WWM. I'd be reading there, testing your water daily, being ready to change out water... Do read re other means of algae control. Chemical means are the least favorable. Bob Fenner>

New Tank Questions II  1/1/06
Thank you for the quick response.  In the past I ran the tank without CO2 with a similar plant load and lighting, about 2 watts per gallon.  With CO2 at 8-10 PPM the tank has much more rapid plant growth, at least double.  Its more work but seeing the plants flourish and bubble oxygen is worth it.
<Agreed>    
My goal is to get off of the Chemi-pure.  I purchased both Seachem Hypersorb and Purigen.  I plan to try them and see if I can get off the Chemi-pure.  I have used Chemi-pure instead of standard carbon for many years. I would imagine I can get much better technology by now. I just don't know but I have always used some form of carbon.  A bad childhood experience made think it was a must.  I think back think I always overfeed the tank.
< Think about what it is you want the medium to absorb. Chemi-pure absorbs almost everything, same as poly-filter.>   
Again thank you for your time and your advice.  Ultimately I want my new large tank to be as much joy as my 100 gallon.  I also want ease of maintenance and redundancy in filtration.  Perhaps if I go with something that includes a Fluidized Bed Filter I should also install a UPS to protect against power outages. Regards, Freddy
< Good luck and have fun with your new tank.-Chuck>       

Carbon and Plants  11/30/05
Love the Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Do you think that the addition of activated carbon to a planted fresh water tank, that I routinely add fertilizer to, will remove the fertilizer needed by my plants?
John
<Yes, and will quickly become inactive carbon as it does. Unless you are trying to remove a known chemical contamination I would not add extra carbon. Don>

Rinse That Carbon! - 11/25/05
Hi Again!
<<Howdy>>
Well I have finished my treatment with Cupramine and I am very happy with its results.  Now that I have basically done a 100 percent water change, added Bio-Spira and carbon, here is my question.
<<shoot>>
Might be somewhat stupid.
<<Only if not asked.>>
I bought a small pre-bagged pouch of activated carbon (from Hagen, it's AquaClear) and put it in the little Cascade filter but I realized that a lot of carbon "Crumbs" and dust came into the tank. I siphoned out as much of it as I could but I can't pin-point every spec.  Does this dust have any adverse effect on the fish?
<<Nothing to worry about mate...next time pre-rinse the carbon under the tap to rinse away the dust.>>
Thanks so much!
-Jon
<<Regards, EricR>>

The True Utility and Function of Zeolite 11/22/05
Hi,
<<Hello.>>
I was just reading the page on the following link
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwchemfiltrants.htm and would like to take the time to clear a point up about Zeolite.
<<Please do (especially after having read the post in question).>>
Zeolite is not a name given to activated charcoal, 
<<Carbon, activated carbon.  Charcoal is for the barbeque.>>
but it is a compound mineral that is mined in different countries around the world.
<<Yes, very true.>>
Its main function in aquariums is to remove ammonia or other positively charged ions. It can be recharged by submerging it in salt water and then rinsing the zeolite in pure water, for this reason it should never be used in a marine aquarium, as any ions that are naturally found in the zeolite will be released into the aquarium.
<<Well, this is more than I knew about this stuff (though I knew it was a mineral, such as dolomite is a mineral, and useful only in freshwater), and we can use all the good knowledge we can get.>>
Regards
Lorette Freese
<<Thank you for this information, Lorette. Am posting this morning. Marina>> 

Is high ORP achievable with very green water?  9/30/05
Hi WWM crew!
<Rich>
I am trying to improve water quality and control algae in my 150g
Malawi mbuna setup. To that end I recently started injecting ozone
through a protein skimmer, mindful of your guidelines/precautions in
your ozone and ORP FAQs. In the past few days, however, RedOx
potential appears to have skyrocketed from ~270mV to well past the
safe range. Redox potential as of this morning is ~440mV
<Mmm, I would be careful here... and keep this ORP reading below 350>
but green water remains in my tank. This is the problem.
<?>
I gather from this that 1) it is possible that high RedOx potential
and green water are not mutually exclusive, or 2) my brand-new,
cleaned and calibrated ORP probe is reading a voltage that is higher than actual.
<Possibly... both can occur>
I would very much appreciate your opinion as to whether I can
continue to inject ozone at low dosage despite my not-so-sure ORP of 440mV until the algae is defeated.
<Takes time... a few days to weeks...>
Thanks in advance, crew. You do a great service to aquariumhobbyistkind.
Regards,
Rich Choy
San Francisco, CA
<Patience my friend... and do turn down that RedOx dial. Bob Fenner>

Tanganyikan Cichlids, Carbon - II - 09/16/2005
Thanks for the reply.  
<You bet.  Crewmember Sabrina with you, this time, as so many of our folks (Bob included) are out at MACNA.>
I checked out Eheim's website, and they recommend  running carbon short-term, to take something specific out of the water.   
<This is the best/most common use, yes.>
I've never relied only on biological filtration.  If I didn't run carbon on a regular basis, wouldn't my water not be as clear?  
<Mm, only if you have something in the tank that continually discolors the water (like driftwood).  With proper maintenance, you should have no need for carbon except, as Eheim suggests, to remove something specific from the water (like discoloration from wood, undesirable chemicals, and emergencies where toxic substances may have been introduced).>
I have always done 20% weekly water changes.
<This is probably fine.  I would suggest to try running without the carbon for a while; it loses its efficacy after a few to several days, anyhow, so you really won't be "missing" much, I think.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Carbon Filtration 7/18/05
I need some instructions on how the activated carbon filtration works on a 150-200  gallon aquarium that's built  in to the back of the tank.
< Go to Marineland.com and go to Dr Tim's Library. Look at the articles on filtration and you will see one on carbon that should answer all you questions.-Chuck>

Phosphate removal results - freshwater tank
Dear Crew,
<Glen>
Here's another voice praising y'all for the invaluable service you provide to us in the hobby. Thank you for not paying attention to twits who don't want to take the time to read.
<A minor irritation... from an extremely small minority of folks.>
Thought you might be interested to hear my results in removing phosphates from my freshwater tank. We started out with phosphate buffers and fake plants in our 55 gal community tank. Over a period of several months, we replaced all the fake plants with real ones, and upgraded to 110W of light. 
<Ah, good>
The algae growth was pretty amazing at first, and as our desirable plants started growing and we increased their numbers, the algae started to at least slow down - the black brush algae pretty well disappeared, and was replaced with green and some thread algae.
<Good point>
I saw here and other places that excess phosphates made it more difficult to keep algae under control, and decided to do something to reduce the phosphates. I got an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals phosphate test kit, and the levels were
off the scale - over 10ppm, but no telling how far over.
<Yeeikes... anything over 1.0 ppm can be trouble>
The test immediately turned a gorgeous midnight blue, and got darker from there. Went to the LFS, and the guy there asked me if I'd be willing to try a new product they were carrying, and tell him how it did. It was the "Marc Weiss Phosphate and Silicate Magnet". When I got home, I did my usual due-diligence and looked it up. When I saw that people weren't terribly impressed with most Marc Weiss products, I figured I was in trouble, but then I noticed that someone felt that the phosphate removal stuff was ok. At $35 for an eight-ounce jar, I really hoped it was more than ok!
<Me too... this one is an "also ran">
I divided the product into two fine mesh bags, and stuck them in the cartridge of my Magnum 250. When I turned it on, I got a gush of rust-colored water (the active ingredient is ferric oxide hydroxide)...
<Yes... the ingredient in almost all such products>
..that turned the entire water column an ugly reddish brown. Yuck! The color disappeared after about two hours. I tracked the phosphate levels over the next while. After nine days, there was finally a detectable difference in color in the test - still a midnight blue, but not quite opaque. Levels dropped slowly over the next week. 
After sixteen days, they hit 2 ppm and stuck there for several days. It was pretty apparent that the product was exhausted. When I removed it from the Magnum, it had gone from its original deep rust color to an odd copper-blue.  I found some Seachem Phosguard on sale, and bought a two-liter bottle of it for $16 ($18?). After a couple of one-cup batches in the Magnum and another week, I got the phosphate levels down to around 0.5, which is what I wanted to do.
<Great>
In summary, the Marc Weiss "Phosphate and Silicate Magnet" did a yeoman's job of taking the bulk of the phosphates out of my tank. I'd thought about using the Phosguard from the start, but the directions on it indicated that it exhausts fairly quickly (which I've seen in using it on my smaller tank, which is in process now). When starting from a 2 ppm level, the PhosGuard did well at finishing the job, but it did take two batches to get it done. FWIW.
Again, thank you for what you do. I'll send another donation in the next month or so.  Glen
<Thank you for your keen input and kind, encouraging words. Bob Fenner>

Using ammonia/nitrate removing media during fishless cycle
First of all I must congratulate you for your wonderful site.
I have recently set up my 25 gal freshwater aquarium. I am using a canister filter, loaded with sponges for mechanical filtration, biofiltration media and Zeolite.
<Sounds good>
Currently, after 2 days running, I get the following readings: pH=7.3 , [NH3]=0.5mg/L, [NO3-]=12.5mg/l, [NO2]=0.05mg/L, KH=6, GH=3
Tap water from my area is hard and alkaline (pH around 8 and GH around 7).
<Tank is cycling...be patient and don't add fish until ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are at zero>
The aquarium is decorated with lava rocks and driftwood.
<I'd be wary of using lava rocks...it is my understanding these leech chemicals into the water and are not suitable for ornamental aquarium use...>
Is it the driftwood (and/or Zeolite) that softens the water and gives me a low pH value?
<Driftwood will lower the pH, shouldn't be the Zeolite, which, to my understanding, is simply a brand name of activated charcoal>
Is the buffering capacity of my aquarium enough or will I experience sudden pH changes in the future?
<You will have to monitor this to see - I can't give you a pat answer.  How big is the piece of driftwood and what is the pH of your original tap water? If need be, you can use something like aragonite sand as a substrate to buffer the water...>
I am planning to add a pair of firemouths, a pair of blue acaras and a Bristlenose pleco (A. multispinis). The problem is that the appropriate water parameters listed on the Internet vary from site to site. What are the optimal water conditions to keep these fish?
<You will always get different information depending on where you look.  I trust www.fishbase.org to have accurate info, along with others...in general, cichlids like water somewhere around 6.5-7.5 pH, and the Bristlenose pleco would be fine in that range as well.  In reality, pH stability is more important than exact matching...>
Now before adding the fish, I am planning to follow the fishless method to cycle my tank.
<Wonderful! Good for you...>
Is it absolutely necessary to add filter media from established aquariums?
<No, this would simply expedite the process.  Not necessary at all.>
Should I remove Zeolite from the filter?
<No, leave it in place>
Once the nitrogen cycle is established, should I use ammonia and nitrate removing media (such as AmmoChips/NitraZorb) or should I leave only the biomedia (BioStars) with their bacteria to filter the water? Will the accumulation of nitrate concentration at the end of the cycling process result in an algae outbreak? I have also read that it is recommended to keep the tank lit during the process. Wouldn't this normally aid algae growth? Should I add the pleco after the nitrite level begins to fall, in order to keep algae under control?
<I am not a fan of using chemicals to remove toxins.  Water changes will accomplish everything you need to do, from keeping algae at bay to completing the cycle.  I have always left my tanks lit during cycling, as the algae will also play a part in the cycle as well.  As long as you aren't running power compacts or other super-powerful lights, you shouldn't have too much of an algae problem, but do be aware that most new tanks have various algae blooms during the first several months they are established.  Again, water changes are your friend in this case!>
Thanks. Spyros
<Thank you, Sypros, for doing your homework and being such a thorough and thoughtful aquarist! Keep up the good work, Jorie>