Algae problem??
- Thread starter maxwellag
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
kathleen55
Aquarium Advice Freak
get either a few mystery snails, ghost shrimp, or otos (which stay small) i think the shrimp have the least bioload but im not completely sure. oh and youll also need an algae scraper because they can only help not fully take care of it. hope i helped
dollabill420
Aquarium Advice Freak
List all specs and test readings ppl will be able to help better, it's usually excess nutrients and light out of balance is the most common problem, I've heard hardwater doing it also
tarpon
Aquarium Advice Addict
A good algae scrubber...for the glass at least
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Algae growth can be attributed to 2 things generally. Too much light and/or excess nutrients in the tank.
So...
How long do you light the tank per day?
What are your water parameters?
Too much light is usually easy to address unless it gets sunlight. Reduce the time you leave the lights on, or shade the tank.
The excess nutrients are related to tank maintenance and stocking. A good regimen of regular PWC and vacuuming the substrate can aid this. Also a good running biofilter in the filter. An overcrowded tank will produce more nutrients than the biofilter can easily handle. These can be nitrates or phosphates.
Once in the tank, there will be a little more work involved to remove it, depending on the kind of algae present. Softer algae can be wiped or scraped off the glass and decor. Harder algae will need to be scraped or scrubbed off. Any algae that is cleaned will need to be removed from the tank, but some can remain if there are fish present who will eat it. There are also chemical solutions to remove algae, but I would steer clear of those unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes decor may need to be given a bleach dip, then scrubbed, cleaned and thoroughly rinsed.
So in summation, if you want to keep algae in check you have several options:
1) A healthy population of live plants will out-compete the algae for the available nutrients.
2) Algae eating fish, shrimp or snails will help keep it off of the decor and glass.
3) An external aquaponics setup will do the same job as plants in the aquarium.
4) Regular tank maintenance, PWC and a functioning, healthy biofilter are absolute requirements here.
5) Controlling the amount of light that the tank receives daily.
6) Chemical options... a last resort.
Hopefully this helps!
So...
How long do you light the tank per day?
What are your water parameters?
Too much light is usually easy to address unless it gets sunlight. Reduce the time you leave the lights on, or shade the tank.
The excess nutrients are related to tank maintenance and stocking. A good regimen of regular PWC and vacuuming the substrate can aid this. Also a good running biofilter in the filter. An overcrowded tank will produce more nutrients than the biofilter can easily handle. These can be nitrates or phosphates.
Once in the tank, there will be a little more work involved to remove it, depending on the kind of algae present. Softer algae can be wiped or scraped off the glass and decor. Harder algae will need to be scraped or scrubbed off. Any algae that is cleaned will need to be removed from the tank, but some can remain if there are fish present who will eat it. There are also chemical solutions to remove algae, but I would steer clear of those unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes decor may need to be given a bleach dip, then scrubbed, cleaned and thoroughly rinsed.
So in summation, if you want to keep algae in check you have several options:
1) A healthy population of live plants will out-compete the algae for the available nutrients.
2) Algae eating fish, shrimp or snails will help keep it off of the decor and glass.
3) An external aquaponics setup will do the same job as plants in the aquarium.
4) Regular tank maintenance, PWC and a functioning, healthy biofilter are absolute requirements here.
5) Controlling the amount of light that the tank receives daily.
6) Chemical options... a last resort.
Hopefully this helps!
tarpon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Shadowraven said:
+3,000
My light is on a little longer than 12 hours a day. Is that too much? Also I used to put in some plant food liquid each month, but I stopped because I only have one plant that is alive in there right now. It is anacharis.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
maxwellag said:
Looks like BA from what I can see. Here's a link that has a lot of good info on many algaes, covering both cause and cures. I can tell you that H2O2 works great on getting rid of BA.
http://gwapa.org/wordpress/articles/algae-in-the-planted-aquarium/
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Brown Algae. Follow the link he provided and all will be explained grasshopper!
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
maxwellag said:
BA=Brown Algae, AKA Diatoms.
Click the link and it'll tell you all about it.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Brown Algae. Follow the link he provided and all will be explained grasshopper!
@Mr. Limpet - Your eyes are better than mine buddy. I could barely make that out. The pictures were too small for me.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Shadowraven said:
My phones screen is super high-rez and at the very least, it gives him a starting point even if I am wrong
.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
maxwellag said:
Yep, try 4on/4off/4on for a week or so and see if it helps with the algae and your plants should be fine. Fish don't care about lights on the tank (per se) if there's ambient light in the room during the day.
Edit: If you don't have one already, I'd suggest a timer for your lights. I have one on each of my 4 tanks and consider them an intregal part of my system.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I would normally suggest 8 to 10 hours of light per day on average. A timer is a good idea. I would set the lights to come on in the morning when the sun has lit up the interior of the house somewhat. That way the lights coming on suddenly in the tank won't frighten/stress the fish as much.
Mr. Limpets idea to start is good if you are trying to cut back its growth, but it would be better to just remove the algae right away if you can.
Mr. Limpets idea to start is good if you are trying to cut back its growth, but it would be better to just remove the algae right away if you can.
