Aaarrrgh!!!

You may remember that I have bored you all silly with the algae problems in my Goldy tank. Basically it was this -

Brown diatoms - due to low lighting so increased lighting.

Then got -

Green algae - due to too much lighting!!!!

Anyway, followed a bit of advice from Mary, stripped the tank down, washed everything, and then just put the lights on for about 4 hrs a day. It was great then - a little bit of brown stuff, but hardly noticeable and no green at all - sorted

I then decided to put some live plants in there coz I thought it would get rid og the last bit of algae, but then realised that the plants needed more than 4hrs light a day (tank is in quite a dark spot).

Now of course the brown diatoms are having a field day and taking over the tank again!

So, would 4 hrs lights on per day be ok for the plants, or do I have to remove all the plants and just leave the Goldy tank 'fake'?

I dont know anything about anything but have been recommended to cover my tank over with a blanket to get rid of hair algae.

Would that help with yours too?

No your plants will need at least 7-8 hours a day of light. One of the reasons that I keep just "faux foliage" in the coldwater tanks 'coz I have enough bother running two heavily planted tanks.

I understood that the brown diatoms grew in low light though, Diana so I would actually increase the amount of light for the plants. You might find that the brown stuff will die off as a result and, once the plants start growing, they'll outcompete the green algae so you should see a reduction in that also.