Algae growing Everywhere!

[Jackel15]

What do I need to do to get rid of this algae? And what kind is it?
This is a 55gal freshwater with around 7 cichlids.

 

[fort384]

It is hair algae. Tell us a bit more about your tank and we can help diagnose a problem:

NH4?
NO2?
NO3?
PO4 (if you have a kit?)

Lighting (both type of lights, number of bulbs, and how long per day you light the tank)

Is the tank near a window and does it get any natural sunlight?

What do you have in the tank for stock?

How old is the tank? How long have you been having an issue with hair algae?

 

[Fishmasters44]

Get 2-4 Chinese algae eaters and it will be gone in a week

 

[fort384]

I would never recommend getting a fish to solve a problem, unless you want the fish. CAEs get aggressive with age and aren't compatible in every system, so if you are interested in that approach I would recommend researching the fish first.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

i agree, chinese algae eaters are a poor choice for algae control.

they will eat algae in the beginning but later they won't touch it at all and they'll just attach themselves to your other fish... i had to rehome the one i had since he actually killed 3-4 of my suburst platy.

for algae control its always better to get a pleco or otos. species and size is dependant on tank size though. i now have two albino BNP in a 55G and i love them. they're so active and they're all over the place.

i'm kinda jealous of your algae issue(sounds weird i know)... i can't seem to get algae to grow in my tank to save my life. i'm lucky i have wafers and driftwood for my BNP

 

[jondamon]

i agree, chinese algae eaters are a poor choice for algae control.

they will eat algae in the beginning but later they won't touch it at all and they'll just attach themselves to your other fish... i had to rehome the one i had since he actually killed 3-4 of my suburst platy.

for algae control its always better to get a pleco or otos. species and size is dependant on tank size though. i now have two albino BNP in a 55G and i love them. they're so active and they're all over the place.

i'm kinda jealous of your algae issue(sounds weird i know)... i can't seem to get algae to grow in my tank to save my life. i'm lucky i have wafers and driftwood for my BNP

This again unfortunately is not great advice. It's a fish to cure a problem.

Let's find the under lying problem what's causing it, fix it and then we can look at whether it needs anything else to help.

My guess before you even post tank stats are that nitrates and phosphates are probably high and you maybe lighting your tank for too long.


But let's get some specifics and resolve it.



Jon

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

This again unfortunately is not great advice. It's a fish to cure a problem.

Let's find the under lying problem what's causing it, fix it and then we can look at whether it needs anything else to help.

My guess before you even post tank stats are that nitrates and phosphates are probably high and you maybe lighting your tank for too long.


But let's get some specifics and resolve it.



Jon

my apologies, i wasn't suggesting a fish for his/her issue... i more or less got extremely side tracked with my comment about no chinese algae eaters.

if it seemed like i was suggesting a fish to cure the issue then i deeply apologize.

i love my BNP and got carried away

 

[foster53]

Hair algae is normally the result of high phosphate levels, and too much light. test your tap water for phosphate, and step up the water changes to keep all levels low.

 

[aqua_chem]

It is hair algae. Tell us a bit more about your tank and we can help diagnose a problem:

NH4?
NO2?
NO3?
PO4 (if you have a kit?)

Lighting (both type of lights, number of bulbs, and how long per day you light the tank)

Is the tank near a window and does it get any natural sunlight?

What do you have in the tank for stock?

How old is the tank? How long have you been having an issue with hair algae?

These questions need to be answered before anyone can give decent advice.


Also, none of the fish you described will eat this type of algae. That's one of the major issues with recommending fish to eat algae without knowing anything about the causes.