Algae

[Tony 2001]

I've done all of the recommended stuff but my tank builds up green algae very quickly all over. reduced the sunlight etc... but it's still growing very fast. when I get a pleco or algea eater they die within 2 weeks. all my other fish are strong and healthy and last forever, any ideas anyone?

[IVAN]

WHAT IS YOU WATER QUALITY CHECK YOU PHOSPHATES IT SHOUL BE O-O.5PPM HIGH LEVELS WILL CAUSE ALGAE GROWTH, WHAT ABOUT THE WATER YOUR PUTTING TO TOP OFF THE TANK OR WATER CHANGES. A RO/DI UNIT HELPS ALOT. ALSO OVER FEEDING THE FISH WILL CAUSE ALGAE GROWTH

[Tony 2001]

I have not checked the phospates, I'll need to get a test kit for that ok will do. I should chek the water I am adding too, thanks for the tips.

[Lynn P]

I am having a very similar problem in a 30 Gal tank - water going green but minimal algae on the sides of the tank. Can anyone recommend a good test kit for phosphates? I have the same problem as a previous post that all other fish are healthy but algae eaters die within a couple of weeks. Can't be starvation!! ;-)

[tleaf2001]

I have FW 45 gal tank and persistent algae problem. I have a phos-Zorb bag in my Eheim filter, have only one 55 watt bulb in my 110 light, keep light to 8 hrs a day and still it grows pretty quickly, with hairy algae on plants. I also have SAE, feed fish twice a day, about 20 inches of fish, change 5 gals of water a day. Any help ?

[aquak]

I have live plants, sunlight, and a full spectrum hood light. I have green algae that is very much under control and looks natural where it grows on rocks and plants. I have three otocinclus. The first one must have been very hungry when I got him. He practically cleaned the tank, especially the plants, overnight. After he'd been there a while and seemed OK and algae started growing again, I got 2 more and they all eat only algae. I still have it, but it is natural and not coloring the water or overrunning anything. I occasionally clean it off a small spot on the front of the tank but otherwise leave it to the otos. They are cute little fish and like to have the company of their kind.

[fishy714]

For all the people that have algae problems need some more info. Water parameters, how many hours of light. Also if you are using direct sunlight.

For the people that are getting green water. You can just do a 30 to 40 percent water change. This should clear up some of your water problems. Green water happens cause your tank has a lot of nutrients that is floating around. And to much light gets the algae stimulated.

Has far as the green algae goes. Cut down on your lighting and do a water change also. If you guys are adding anything to the water that is problem what is causing your algae problems especially if you have plants. With plants you have to balance the nutrients that you put in the water cause if you dont algae is the one that will take the nutrients instead of your plants.

Direct sunlight will cause a lot of algae problems also temperature problems.

[vjvl51]

Due to the number of posts here, I am going to give some general guidelines that I use when I have an algae bloom.

Algae can only grow when there are extra nutrients in the water. The goal is to reduce those nutrients.

First, I would reduce feeding to once every other day until the algae is under control. A couple of weeks of every other day feeding won't hurt the fish.

Second, during the reduced feeding, I would siphon the extra food off the bottom, about 10 minutes after I feed. Only change the water required by the siphoning right now. You could be adding more nutrients with the fresh water.

Third, I would increase my clean-up crew. I use cories (small catfishes), a snail or two (if you get apple snails, watch for egg sacs, unless you want more problems), raphael catfishes, flying foxes, otocinclus, needle nose catfishes (farlowella) and spiny eels (peacock, horse head, tire track). I wouldn’t put all of these in a small tank. This is just a list to give you some ideas. The flying foxes and otocinclus will eat algae. The remainder are general clean up of excess food. Remember this is a balancing act. When you feed your fish, there is always some extra that will decompose. The clean up crew is there to take care of this extra. How many you need depends upon how messy of eaters your fish are and how much you feed. Algae eaters are not on the list because I don't find them that effective and my other fish objected to being cleaned by the algae eaters. Once the clean up crew is established, you won't need to siphon.

Fourth, I would daily clean the glass and generally disturb the algae so that the filter can remove as much as possible. This will mean that the foam inserts will have to be rinsed more frequently for a while.

Fifth, are the live plants. Plants with high growth rates will use up the nutrients before the algae. I have many plants but use floating plants, like Crystalwort as my control. It is easy to reach in and remove a handful or two as required (always leaving some to continue growing). You don't want to allow the floating plants to block your light to the tank. For your live plants to grow, they require about 10 hours of light daily. I always add an extra bulb (the same length as what came with the aquarium) for the plants. The amount of light that you get from one fluorescent light bulb isn't enough for the plants to have a high growth rate. If the plants are not growing, they are not using up the nutrients. For plants to grow, they also need about a 4 inch sand bed. (This will also help your filtration. Anything less than 3 inches has no filtration benefit, in my opinion.)

I've never tried it, but I have heard of people wrapping their tanks with blankets to ensure that no light gets in for a couple of days. The lack of light causes the algae to die off.

These suggestions should give you some idea on how to combat the algae. I'm sure there are other methods as well. Once the algae have taken over, it takes some effort to get it under control.

Vickie

[raptorpb1]

I agree.
Do all the test. Also you can get less algae by using RO water, but then you need some chemicals to make it good to use in freshwater.

[DONE45]

As mention by vickie..Reduce the lighting on your tanks.2 bad I dont get this problem:D

[ChikenMan]

What about red/brown algae? Is there a differance? I get green algae in my 10 gal that is close to a window, and I get the red/brown stuff in my 30gal on the other side of the room. Neither one seems to affect my fish and it grows fairly naturally, only attaching itself to the gravel, rocks and plants.

One problem I am having is in my 30 gal. I had a common pleco for quite a few months and then he was gone. I mean disappeared! I noticed he was nowhere to be found so I started cleaning and nothing. I think maybe my cat may have gotten him, but still there is no evidence to this. :SK I also check all around the tank to see if maybe he climbed out somehow, but still nothing. Since then I have bought two more on two separate occasions. Both died within a few days. My water levels are fine, both by my tests and the LFS. Any Ideas? Could it be this brown algae? One more thing to note. I didn't really notice any of this brown algae until my first pleco "moved out". Also, my latest pleco was a large one, but I thought he would be OK since I there is plenty of algae to eat. Instead he has become a snack for all the other fish.

[vjvl51]

Hi ChikenMan

Your “red/brown” algae is probably this.

(Quoting from Baensch’s Aquarium Atlas)
“The “brown algae” found on the sides of an aquarium indicates a shortage of light. The glass appears brownish and seems covered with a thin layer of chalk. The algae can be easily removed with a sharp-bladed scraper. When similar algae is seen on the bottom gravel it generally indicates extra-hard water. Plants seldom do well in a tank with super hard water and the water values should be checked immediately. Replace part of the contents with soft, desalinated water. The quantity of light should be increased, doubled or more. You may need to add an additional tube or a more powerful bulb.”

Plecoes are a fairly hardy fish, so the only thing I can think of is food. Plecoes will eat algae, but not all types of algae. Were you feeding the plecoes? They need the balanced diet of algae tablets to live. I usually feed my night feeders just after I turn out the lights. Plecoes, being night fish, require hiding spots for the daytime. I assume the fish weren’t stressed due to no place to call home.

Vickie

[ChikenMan]

Well, well, well

As coincidence would have it, the kid at the store said my water was a little hard. He didn't think it was anything to worry about so I didn't really pay that much attention to Mr. spikey hair. So, maybe I should get my own test kit for hardness. Would water that is a little hard affect only my pleco and nothing else? What is a little hard compared to super hard? Should I buy one of those softening pillows or go the route of the desalinated water?
Another coincidence, if you remeber from another post, was my lighting. I have since bought an aqua-glo light and things are definately brighter. I haven't really noticed any differance in my plants yet though. I have been kicking around the idea of adding a second bulb, but that involves buying a different hood to accommodate for the second light.

[vjvl51]

Little hard shouldn't worry you. I was able to keep all fish except discus and angels and my hardness was "20" per the water softener store. (I usually quit after 25 drops with the test kit.) I’ve kept plecoes without any problems, so I don’t think that would affect it. You could try mixing some distilled water with your tap water. Very important to remember – distilled water has all of its minerals removed (sometimes called dead water), and a lack of minerals will kill your fish. The maximum that I would go would be 50% distilled and 50% regular water. To the fish, softened water has the same hardness as hard water. All the softener does is change one type of ions for another type (salt ions). If you have a fish that is very sensitive to salt, the salt ions could kill them. Like everything in an aquarium, make the change slowly to allow your fish time to acclimatize.

I've tried the softening pillow without any change in softness. I was able to have some success by putting peat plates under my 4-inches of gravel. I also added some driftwood pieces in the tank. Both of these over time will soften the water, but be warned, they both add a little brownness to the water. I like the effect – it softens the look of the aquarium – the aquarium doesn’t look so bright and sterile.

For an extra light bulb, I bought one of the under counter fixtures from a hardware store and put an aquarium light in it. Then I removed the lid (the part that would tilt up to let me feed the fish) in the aquarium hood and placed the new light there. It covered 95% of the opening and was cheaper than buying an aquarium fixture.

On my bigger tanks, I didn't buy a hood. I bought the sliding glass top. I then bought a regular florescent fixture. I covered it by screwing (from the inside) ½ inch thick pine boards (found in the hobby section of the lumber yard) to the outside. This rests on the aquarium sides and holds 2 lights. The ends, I made 1/5 inch longer so they catch over the sides of the tank. This prevents me from accidentally dunking the light into the tank when I’m moving it. It is a little heavy to remove but cost less than half of the aquarium fixture. If you are handy, some aquarium stores are carrying a florescent fixture that consists of ballast and the correct number of end caps. Build a wooden box to house your lights and put the ballast under the tank. This results in less heat build up in the tank and a lighter fixture to remove for cleaning.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Vickie