Help with Algae in Aquarium

[bghouse]

I have a small 6 gallon Eclipse system tank with a couple of fake plant, 2 rocks, gravel and a dwarf gourami, a bamboo shrimp and a gold-banded pleco. I just recently added the pleco (last week) because of the algae in the tank. It's on the walls, but also on the plants, on the bubble wand, and the rocks too I think. The whole tank seems a little yellow-ish green.

I really want to get this clean so my friends have a good environment again. Am I going to have to break the tank down and clean everything? The pleco doesn't seem to be doing much, and each day the fake green plants turn a little more brown.

Any advice would be helpfull - I really want my friends to have a clean tank again!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Is the algae brown? Or green? If it's brown..it's not exactly algae, but diatoms. These are common in all new tanks basically. I'm taking it that your tank was not cycled? What are you water parameters? (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, etc.?)

Diatoms will go away eventually, after sufficient bacteria is set in your tank. Just make sure your levels are safe. I suggest, if you haven't already, that you read the AA article on the Nitrogen Cycle, and serach for a page on diatoms, to get some more info on them.

Good luck

 

[TankGirl]

This is tight quarters for the pleco and the gourami, so you will really have to stay on top of water quality, which is the root of the problem if the water is not clear.

Take DT's advice (if you aren't already familiar with it) and test your water, since the addition of the pleco means dramatically more waste product in the tank, and that is what algae is using for fuel. Assuming the tank is cycled and you have no ammonia or nitrite then I'll bet your nitrate is high, which can be relieved by water changes. I once solved an algae problem in a small tank like that by doing a very small water change every day for about a week or 10 days. Then I was very careful about feeding and not overstocking, and was religious about weekly or semi-weekly water changes, and not leaving the light on too long.

Good luck!

 

[bghouse]

Okay - the algae looking stuff seems to be brown on the green plants, but a littl more greenish on the tank.
I did a fishless cycle on the tank for 29 days before adding any fish. I've been checking my water pretty regularly and doing an approx 25% water change every week. This started prior to putting the pleco in, when I only had the gourami and the shrimp.
I have started feeding the gourami about 1/3 of a pea about every week and a half. Mostly to combat the constipation problem, which I luckily found on this board. Could that have started this cycle?
My ammonia and nitrites are fine, I need to still check the nitrates - although I haven't yet seen them above 20ppm. But I'll check everything again today.
Thanks so much!