Algae accumulation inside the tubing of my XP2

by Jasmine L
(Toronto, Canada)

I've had the XP2 for almost two months, so far everything's pretty good. There's a bit of an algae problem but I think that just needs time as the tank matures.

However, I'm seeing a lot of small patches of algae stuck on the inside of the inlet AND outlet tubes. I understand why it might be in the inlet tube carrying the dirty water, but why the outlet tube?

Is there a way to clean these tubes? It was very difficult getting them onto the plastic parts and now they're locked in so I'd really rather not attempt that.

A: Algae can form anywhere if the conditions are right. It is an indicator of good water quality with enough nutrients (ie, nitrate, phospate) to support alage growth. You can clean the tubes by tying a string to a weight, feed it through the tubes, attach a cloth to the other end and pull it through the tubes. You can kill the algae or try and reduce the nutrients by testing for them and taking the steps necessary reduce these nutrients and other conditions that encourage alage growth.