Uh oh. What kind of algae? And now what?

[trennamw]

This eraser sized spot turned up this morning. Nothing anywhere else so far.

3 gallon tank with a betta and a whisper filter, led lights (Marineland 3 gallon kit). Marimo ball and 3 baby java ferns are in the tank.

Water stats are 0 on all the baddies, pH 7.2, GH (from Seachem Equilibrium) 5 and KH 3 (from crushed coral). My tapwater is basically distilled. Temp is thermostatically controlled at 78. Food is 4 top fin betta pellets twice a day. Lights on a loooong time, can't spring for a timer now. Tank is 10 weeks old. And fully cycled.

50-90% water changes at least weekly. More wasn't helping water stats and was stressing the fish. Tds is consistently around 100.

Recent changes ... I gave him cobalt color flakes a few times, but didn't like how he may miss some. And it seemed to bug him (he was lethargic then I found a big glob of what I think was formerly constipated fish poop). He had those flakes maybe 3 times very carefully.

10 days ago I cleaned diatoms out and did a full water change.

3 weeks ago I switched to the seachem equilibrium and the crushed coral, previously I'd used a small dose of chichlid salts and buffer to get GH, KH, and pH up (honestly I think he liked that better).

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi. Did you mean to include a photo?

 

[trennamw]

Oops.

 

[mrvincent]

Scrub it with a toothbrush. If it's impossible to remove, then keep it, that will be green spot algae, signs of healty system.

If it's easy to remove, I would suspect cyanobacterias.

 

[squirrilah fish]

I get that stuff all the time, it's a pain to remove.

 

[trennamw]

It rubbed right off with a fingertip and there are a few spots of black.

Now what?

I wonder if it came in on the plants I got a few weeks ago and I didn't know it till I'd cleaned out the diatoms is been letting run their course. The fish did start getting sluggish at that time. He's 90% ok but just not as perky and bubble blowing as he was before adding the plants and changing how I supplement KH and GH. Those couple of feedings with the cobalt flakes introduced some phosphate too, I'm sure.

I happen to have a fully cycled empty 1 gallon tank (I was experimenting with cycling) I hate to put him back in there but if it's just while I bleach this tank ... What little I've read so far suggests I take heavy duty antimicrobial action. I can get his current home bleached and cycled in a few days, I've got spare filter floss in my big tank.

 

[squirrilah fish]

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/apr08/cyanobacteria.htm

 

[trennamw]

So last month I cleaned the plants and decor. All was well for 3+ weeks then a few tiny spots popped up on the substrate and plastic plants. They didn't spread, but today I did a 100% water change and bleached the fake plants again.

I am still feeding just a few betta pellets twice a day, there's a nerite in there to go after diatoms (which also returned a little) and I don't really give it extra food. A few baby Pond snails (I pull them out if I see more than two or they get very big). Once in awhile betta doesn't eat a pellet and it sinks, the snails seem to have enough of whatever they need.

Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate <5, temp 78, fish food has zero phosphate.

What is the likely culprit? Does diatoms and cyano suggest phosphates? I haven't tested for that, this week isn't a good time to buy another test kit.

With water changes I add stress coat, and a low dose of cichlid salts and buffer to get GH and KH up to 3, my tap water is super soft.

The moss ball and 2 baby java ferns are fine, the ferns growing very slowly (also fine by me).

 

[trennamw]

And yes I had read that article before posting thanks!