Green algae problem

[maestromad]

Hello all,
I'm having a bit of a nightmare with dark green algae. It's carpeting my sand the majority of my plants. At least once or twice a week I have to run my fingers over the plants to remove it and do large water changes to remove it.
I know my tank being next to the window isn't the best idea but was wondering if anyone had any hints or tips.
Ill be putting a black background inthe back and one side of the rank to try and the light thanks!

 

[maestromad]

Just a bump any ideas???

 

[lyric112209]

im also getting black and green algae in my tank, from what I've been told algae isn't a bad thing...its just ugly...

 

[Rivercats]

You need to post pic's so we can see exactly what type of algae it is.

 

[jcolon]

You need to post pic's so we can see exactly what type of algae it is.

+1 on the pics ... it'll help identify which type. Excess nutrients and light are your main culprits. Sunlight from a window's not going to help control algae. You may need to go somewhat drastic and do a tank blackout for a few days.

How often do you feed your fish? Uneaten food's also a big nutrient contributor for algae.

Pics will really go a long way in helping!

 

[maestromad]

Here are some pics this is after a good clean today the leaves are literally wearing a skin of the stuff!! I only feed a small amount each day

 

[BBradbury]

Algae

Hello all,
I'm having a bit of a nightmare with dark green algae. It's carpeting my sand the majority of my plants. At least once or twice a week I have to run my fingers over the plants to remove it and do large water changes to remove it.
I know my tank being next to the window isn't the best idea but was wondering if anyone had any hints or tips.
Ill be putting a black background inthe back and one side of the rank to try and the light thanks!

Hello mae...

If you have problems with algae, you have tank water with a high level of dissolved phosphates. Phosphate is one of the main ingredients in plant and fish foods.

So, gradually cut back on the amount you feed your fish. Unless you have fry in the tank, you don't need to feed your fish more than a couple of times a week. Then, feed a little frozen food and some pellets, and just what will be eaten in a minute or two. Fish in the wild are lucky to eat a little once a week. They'll do better if they have to forage for a few days between feedings. Your tank will stay cleaner too.

Check the ingredients of your plant food. If it contains phosphates, use sparingly or go to a brand that has no phosphates. I use Tetras "Flora Pride".

Make these changes gradual and within a couple of months, you'll be hard pressed to find any algae in the tank.

B

 

[Rivercats]

Two things, have you checked your water supply for both nitrates and phosphates? Many people have both in their tap water which of course when doing WC's they are just adding it back to their tanks. Number two is what type lighting do you have and how long do you leave it on every day? Oh, have you actually done water tests on your tank for nitrate and phosphate? A high amount of dissolved organics in your water can also contribute to algae. One thing you can do is get some floating plants that will help mop up excess nutrients in the water making less available for the algae.

 

[Gotgutz]

Two things, have you checked your water supply for both nitrates and phosphates? Many people have both in their tap water which of course when doing WC's they are just adding it back to their tanks. Number two is what type lighting do you have and how long do you leave it on every day? Oh, have you actually done water tests on your tank for nitrate and phosphate? A high amount of dissolved organics in your water can also contribute to algae. One thing you can do is get some floating plants that will help mop up excess nutrients in the water making less available for the algae.

I'm dealing with the same problem, could you give some suggestions as the which plants? I added a moss ball and a water wisteria to my tank but wonder if there's something better I should be using.

 

[Rivercats]

Wisteria is good, so is water sprite which can be planted or floated. Ambulia grows fast and works great for absorbing nutrients. Most stem plants that grow quickly are good. Java moss is another. Then floater like duckweed, frogbig (my favorite), water lettuce (small ones), water hyacinth (small ones) are all good floaters.

The more plants in your tank the more nutrients they will use making it harder for algae to compete.

 

[Gotgutz]

Wisteria is good, so is water sprite which can be planted or floated. Ambulia grows fast and works great for absorbing nutrients. Most stem plants that grow quickly are good. Java moss is another. Then floater like duckweed, frogbig (my favorite), water lettuce (small ones), water hyacinth (small ones) are all good floaters.

The more plants in your tank the more nutrients they will use making it harder for algae to compete.

Ok cool. Thanks alot for the suggestions

 

[Ahisma]

Does anyone recommend turning off the light for a few days?

Because you have a window, would getting a background help shade the back of the tank from the sunlight?

I had a horrible algae problem as well. Probably the same kind... Dark green, thin layer, carpet-like. I had to turn the light off for 3 weeks to kill it. I only had an anubias, so it was ok.

Now that I have a ton of plants and 3 ramshorn hitch hiker snails, the tank is clean of algae. I actually prefer the threat of a snail outbreak over an algae outbreak. the snails keep my plants completely free of algae!

 

[BBradbury]

Algae Problems

Does anyone recommend turning off the light for a few days?

Because you have a window, would getting a background help shade the back of the tank from the sunlight?

I had a horrible algae problem as well. Probably the same kind... Dark green, thin layer, carpet-like. I had to turn the light off for 3 weeks to kill it. I only had an anubias, so it was ok.

Now that I have a ton of plants and 3 ramshorn hitch hiker snails, the tank is clean of algae. I actually prefer the threat of a snail outbreak over an algae outbreak. the snails keep my plants completely free of algae!

Hello A...

Your algae problems didn't happen overnight, so it's not going to disappear overnight. Aquarium plants are generally tropical and used to long hours of daylight.

I didn't mess with the lights, because that would affect all my plants. I just wanted to reduce the algae. Algae is a primitive plant and it takes much longer to digest nutrients. Stem plants are more complex and quickly take in nutrients, so I floated Anacharis in all my tanks. It used the dissolved food in the water before the algae did, so the algae slowly shrank. It took some time and in the mean time, I made sure I changed half the water in the tank every week. This removed any dissolved toxins in the water and extra nutrients.

After a few months, the visible algae was gone. I only feed my fish and plants a little twice a week and the algae hasn't come back. That was 5 or 6 years ago I had the algae problem.

I didn't have use expensive chemicals or equipment of any kind.

As for the "Ramshorn" snails. They're second to none in removing all kinds of algae. They are fast breeders and if you have a lot of food in the tank you'll have a lot of snails too. They can present another problem.

B

 

[maestromad]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll be putting a background in when I get the chance.
Ie tried a blackout but it really affected the plants. I don't have the kit to test my phosphates and things and I don't hav the same problem in my other tank so I think it's mainly the window issue and I can't move my window lol

 

[Ahisma]

If its still a problem, ramshorn snails will work wonders! They come in beautiful colors: blue, purple, pink... I'm stuck with brown leopard print. My fish must be eating their eggs, as they are not breaking fast in my tank. I remove eggs and any baby snails that I see. I figure an assassin snail will be needed if things get out of hand, but so far so good. They are keeping the plants free of algae and don't seem to be eating the plants.

 

[Ahisma]

Hello A...

Your algae problems didn't happen overnight, so it's not going to disappear overnight. Aquarium plants are generally tropical and used to long hours of daylight.

I didn't mess with the lights, because that would affect all my plants. I just wanted to reduce the algae. Algae is a primitive plant and it takes much longer to digest nutrients. Stem plants are more complex and quickly take in nutrients, so I floated Anacharis in all my tanks. It used the dissolved food in the water before the algae did, so the algae slowly shrank. It took some time and in the mean time, I made sure I changed half the water in the tank every week. This removed any dissolved toxins in the water and extra nutrients.

After a few months, the visible algae was gone. I only feed my fish and plants a little twice a week and the algae hasn't come back. That was 5 or 6 years ago I had the algae problem.

I didn't have use expensive chemicals or equipment of any kind.

As for the "Ramshorn" snails. They're second to none in removing all kinds of algae. They are fast breeders and if you have a lot of food in the tank you'll have a lot of snails too. They can present another problem.

B

Thanks for the info!

 

[maestromad]

I am thinking of moving some of my assassin snails over to see if that helps I have loads in my 110L tank

 

[Ahisma]

Will assassin snails eat algae? Ok, so I finally got the snail explosion... I was hardly feeding the fish and still a snail explosion... So never mind about the ramshorns.

 

[Rivercats]

Assissins snails eat snails, won't eat any algae. Nerite snails are perfect as they can't breed in freshwater so however many snails you put in are how many you are going to have.