Algae?

[aqua_chem]

Hello Aces...

You need to get some plants into the tank that will use up the nutrients. They need to be fast growing, those use the most food. Get some kinds of Hygrophila, Water sprite, Anacharis and some the "wort plants", like Horn and Penny.

If you're not already, you need to be doing 50 percent water changes every week.

This is all you need to do and the algae will be gone.

One last thing. Never, ever use chemicals to control algae, especially ones that contain "Gluteraldehyde".

B

Are you kidding me? Gluteraldehyde is Excel, one of, if not the the most widely used chemicals in planted tanks. Its fish safe, plant fantastic, and invert safe if used within reason. I don't know if I would use it in a non-planted tank though, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. You can even double or triple does the stuff for a short time. Dunno if I would do that with inverts though.

What you were describing is either Green Spot Algae or Green Dust Algae, which are common occurances in planted tanks.

You don't 'need' to be doing 50% PWC unless you're highly stocked or are doing something that requires it (meds, EI ferts). Regular, 20-30% WCs depending on stocking is all you need. That being said, regular large water changes are helpful. In planted tanks, GSA is usually caused by low phosphate levels in planted tanks. I'm not sure about unplanted tanks though, but PWCs probably wont help this particular cause.

Marimo balls are large algae balls that some fish stores sell. They're pretty cool really. They are, however, one of the few things that Excel will flat out kill.

What kind of lights (T5, T8, PC, CFL, etc) do you have and how much wattage, and how long do you leave on the lights? And yes, using a credit card will usually work to remove the junk. Out of curiosity, why do you strip down your tank when you clean it?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

^^^ Aqua_Chem is spot on +1. I have a low-tech planted aquarium and I never have to strip down the tank to do a cleaning. I use regular gravel and my plants are all flourishing. I do a weekly 30% PWC, do a little scrubbing here and there on the algae my otos and snails miss. I hope when you strip down the tank that you're not rinsing off all your ornaments. By doing so, you can also be removing beneficial bacteria colonies living outside your filter.

 

[Aces11]

^^^ Aqua_Chem is spot on +1. I have a low-tech planted aquarium and I never have to strip down the tank to do a cleaning. I use regular gravel and my plants are all flourishing. I do a weekly 30% PWC, do a little scrubbing here and there on the algae my otos and snails miss. I hope when you strip down the tank that you're not rinsing off all your ornaments. By doing so, you can also be removing beneficial bacteria colonies living outside your filter.

I never rinse off the ornaments. I just take everything out so I can vacuum the gravel.

 

[Aces11]

Out of curiosity, why do you strip down your tank when you clean it?

So I can vacuum the gravel. I like to make sure I can get along the edges and between the glass and it's hard to do with decorations and plants everywhere.

 

[aqua_chem]

Ah. I think you might be being a weeeeee bit to careful about cleaning your gravel. A little bit a muck in the gravel will provide food for your BB. If you have plants, they will benefit from some waste in the substrate too. If anything, being to clean might be harmful to your BB in your substrate. Also, 'breaking down' a tank might be stressful to its inhabitants, as most fish thrive on stability and low stress levels.

I'm personally a big proponent of plants in tanks. They suck the nitrates and harmful chemicals, all while making your fish feel more comfortable.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

If you do decide on plants you could get some moss, java fern or some anubias. They all attach to driftwood and decorations so you could still remove them to clean.

 

[BBradbury]

Are you kidding me? Gluteraldehyde is Excel, one of, if not the the most widely used chemicals in planted tanks. Its fish safe, plant fantastic, and invert safe if used within reason. I don't know if I would use it in a non-planted tank though, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. You can even double or triple does the stuff for a short time. Dunno if I would do that with inverts though.

What you were describing is either Green Spot Algae or Green Dust Algae, which are common occurances in planted tanks.

You don't 'need' to be doing 50% PWC unless you're highly stocked or are doing something that requires it (meds, EI ferts). Regular, 20-30% WCs depending on stocking is all you need. That being said, regular large water changes are helpful. In planted tanks, GSA is usually caused by low phosphate levels in planted tanks. I'm not sure about unplanted tanks though, but PWCs probably wont help this particular cause.

Marimo balls are large algae balls that some fish stores sell. They're pretty cool really. They are, however, one of the few things that Excel will flat out kill.

What kind of lights (T5, T8, PC, CFL, etc) do you have and how much wattage, and how long do you leave on the lights? And yes, using a credit card will usually work to remove the junk. Out of curiosity, why do you strip down your tank when you clean it?

Hello aqua...

Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but Seachems's Flourish Excel contains a trace, 1.5 percent of the "Glut" carbon that's used to kill algae. Gluteraldehyde can damage similar primitive plants like ferns, mosses and some varieties of Vallisneria. Not something I'd recommend putting into my tanks.

Using Flourish Excel just seems too costly if you have several large, planted tanks. I've found organic, hydroponics liquid ferts that work very well for plant growth, don't contain the "Glut" carbon and are a lot less expensive.

Above everything else, have fun!

B

 

[aqua_chem]

Hello aqua...

Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but Seachems's Flourish Excel contains a trace, 1.5 percent of the "Glut" carbon that's used to kill algae. Gluteraldehyde can damage similar primitive plants like ferns, mosses and some varieties of Vallisneria. Not something I'd recommend putting into my tanks.

Using Flourish Excel just seems too costly if you have several large, planted tanks. I've found organic, hydroponics liquid ferts that work very well for plant growth, don't contain the "Glut" carbon and are a lot less expensive.

Above everything else, have fun!

B

Excel won't hurt Java Ferns. I've got one in a 2.5 that I add excel to and it's doing fine. Mosses are a different story. Most of the reports I've seen of mosses being hurt by excel was the result of direct application and not water column addition. I might use a half dose on it, but I would still consider adding.

Vals and excel is one of those things that people will argue about forever. Some people claim it melts vals, but their are others that report keeping them in excel tanks. I would think that they may be sensitive to overdosing, but they can probably be acclimated after an initial meltback. Same deal with hornwort.

There are plants that I might hurt, so like everything you need to research on it first, but I a blanket statement about never adding excel is silly. I would recommend it be added to any planted tanks, except maybe high tech tanks with CO2, and even then it has its uses. I had algae in a 10g that was cured in a week with excel.