algae bloom: 1 me: 0

[dsmalls]

Hey all, long time lurker, 1st time poster.

After 20+ years of maintaining FW aquariums, my little 10 gallon recently got blasted by a huge algae bloom (green water). Geeze, I've never had such a bloom. 8O I still have to run the usual water quality tests but, in the meantime, I have been doing H2O changes (10%) daily. Also, I'm fixing to try Algone once it gets here next week.
Anyhoo, here are my questions:

Is the green water harmful to my betta + 2 cory cats? Something about not enough O2 I read...?
Is 8 hours a day enough light for them?
I tend to overfeed just a tad (bad me!), so could I feed twice a day every other day until the soup clears up?

Thanks all and keep up the great work.

 

[flipz]

Well I can't give you very detailed answer as I've never dealt with a problem as severe as yours, so hopefully someone else can chime in. But I can say that too much light helps the algae grow. I would consider cutting it to 5 hours or less per day. Also too much food helps algae grow. I would consider cutting it. Don't worry, your fish won't die. 8O

Good luck!

-brent

 

[AussieGal]

I had the same problem a couple of months ago in a 60 gal tank. My main problems were too much light, and same as you, probably overfeeding

The tank was sold to me with too much lighting (lfs had the same bloom in their identical tank), so I reduced the lighting, have it on for about 9 or 10 hrs a day and added loads of plants, as they feed off the algae. Doing regular water changes, it still took me a few weeks to get rid of the bloom, but the fish seemed healthy and happy enough.

 

[Aqua-Zodica]

You have green water, aka Volvox. Cut out the all lighting for about a day, and dont feed for that same day. It shouldnt harm your fish too much, but a water change wouldnt hurt. HTH!

 

[poppab02]

Also, If you do decide to use chemicals, use a very small amount at a time. Maybe 20% of what they tell you to use. Trust me the chemicals will do more harm than the algae. A small algae eater probably wouldn't hurt you either.

 

[fearlessfisch]

diatom filter! they're great!

 

[TankGirl]

You could do a blackout treatment for 4 days with no light and no feeding with no ill-effects for the fish (they can go a week or two, though I don't recommend it!) so you could certainly feed once every other day without any problem, and cut back your lighting. I would say nutrients in the water probably did it, and in a small tank such as a 10 it is easy for things to go south quickly. It will take slightly drastic measures to get a handle on it, but if you can borrow someones diatom filter, like Fearless mentioned, that will definitely do the trick, but monitoring feeding and possibly increasing your normal water change routine a bit while decreasing lighting a bit will prevent it from happening again. Good luck and let us know what worked-

 

[dsmalls]

Thanks for the great ideas, folks. Small(ish) tanks are a real pain. Today I sucked out about 2 gallons without disturbing the gravel too much. The water is a bit clearer than it was 3 days ago, so I think some progress is being made. I also cut the feeding down to about 75% of what I usually do and turned the lights out much sooner than before.

What's the story behind those diatom filters? Are they just for 'special' occasions such as this? I see one at Big Al's, the Vortex Diatom Filter D-1, with 150 GPH flow. I may go that route instead of chemical solutions.

 

[flipz]

I've never personally used one, but yea, they are for "special occasions." from what ive read they can clear up green water pretty fast. like over night. although someone who has actually used one can help you more than i have. i just know by reading other peoples experiences.

-brent

 

[fearlessfisch]

i think allivymar posted pictures of her tank before and after use of a diatom filter to get rid of algae. the pics were really impressive ads for the filter! if you do a search, you might be able to find that post.

the Vortex is what she used, i think. the only drawback i've heard about them is that they are supposedly a little complicated in terms of getting them started (and maintaining them). if you're willing to deal with that, they seem to work great. there are also two models on the market that are easier to use and maintain. the Whisper Diatomagic is supposed to work great, but you have to put the whole thing *inside* your tank. the most expensive is the easiest to use and the most convenient....the System I Pressure Filter hangs on the back of the tank like a regular power filter, and all you have to do is add the powder and turn it on.

Some people here have talked about borrowing or renting a diatom filter from the LFS for single use. I haven't looked into that.

 

[fearlessfisch]

here's the link to the pictures. allivymar and grimlock posted some great ones of before and after diatom filter use.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=18966&highlight=algae+diatom