please help!!!!!

[wakerider113]

hey guys, im about 4 months in my african cichlid tank. lately (past month and 1/2) my water has been turning a real bad green and my tank walls get covered in algea. i try and wipe of as much algea as possible and that partly seems to do the trick for a day or two but then it just comes back. its driving me crazy!!!! im running a penguin 170 bio wheel filter. i dont think its the filter but any suggestions? if u need any more info fust ask. thnx

 

[Devilishturtles]

Are you turning your lights off at night time? When was your last water change? How many fish and what size tank?

This will help

 

[wakerider113]

yes. on at 8:30 and off at 8:45. last water chang was 1.5 weeks ago. ive been doing them often but it doesnt help. its clear 4 a day then it green then next. 30 gl show- 2 peackock african cichlids, 1 scophi, 3 unidentified litlle white africans, 1 sae, 1 pleco, and 1 otis sinctus.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Test your water. Did you let your tank cycle before you added fish? You may just have really high nitrate levels in your water. That would be my guess.

When you do a water change, do you vaccum your gravel? How much of the water do you change?

 

[wakerider113]

i did let my tank cycle for close to 2 weeks before fish. im yet to test my nitrate levels. im am sort of new to this so what should it be about. i vac the sand every time and change about 10 gal.

 

[wakerider113]

jave u ever heard of algone..... http://www.algone.com/
if so does it work. is it worth 15 bucks and will i find it at my lfs?

 

[Menagerie]

[center:a87d6a8c59] Welcome to AA, wakerider113! [/center:a87d6a8c59]

i did let my tank cycle for close to 2 weeks before fish.

What did you use as an ammonia source? Letting a tank sit with the filter running will do nothing for the cycle. Once a tank is cycled, the ammonia and nitrites should be undectable. Most fish can tolerate nitrates up to 40ppm.

jave u ever heard of algone..... http://www.algone.com/
if so does it work. is it worth 15 bucks and will i find it at my lfs?

Do not add any chemicals to the tank, except dechlor. This is a cycling problem and it will go away over time.

What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, pH and temp)?
Cut back the feedings to once every other day. The fish will be fine--I have a tank of Africans and they are all fine with less food.

A word of caution~

30 gl show- 2 peackock african cichlids, 1 scophi, 3 unidentified litlle white africans, 1 sae, 1 pleco, and 1 otis sinctus.

You should try to id those white Africans soon. This could potentially be a bad mix of fish. The socolofi is Mbuna and the peacocks are Haps--these fish have a different ranking system and the peacocks may loose out when all the fish mature.

 

[mattrox]

Does the tank get any sunlight on it? If it gets reflectd light or even dappled sun light when the sun is low in the sky, algae can become more of a problem.

Maybe do water changes more often, say once a week. But to be sure test for nitrate. Try every other day after a water change to see how fast the nitrate is building up. If the nitrate levels are high you might need a big change initially to lower the levels, before going back to smaller changes.

Uneaten food is decomposed quickly, if it ends up in the filter, the filter can become a little 'nitrate factory' (even when the gravel and water seem clean).

 

[wakerider113]

do u think some extra carbon in my filter will help?

 

[Menagerie]

No. This will help~
Cut back the feedings to once every other day. The fish will be fine--I have a tank of Africans and they are all fine with less food.


What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temp)? If the nitrate level is high, that is fueling the algae growth.

 

[millipede]

im about 4 months in my african cichlid tank

IF it is a cycle problem it wouldn't be the just set my tank up type of cycle. I don't really have any real thoughts to offer but since some of you brought up cycle I just thought I'd mention that.

 

[Scottcenfla]

Menagerie is right on, it doesn't sound like you even had a stable cycle before fish were added to me, not a critical mistake, but one that can be corrected. There is no way beneficial bacteria will colonize without the proper input, hence fish waste, ie ammonia. For a 30 gallon, it almost sounds like you are on the borderline with as many fish as the tank will handle but it should be ok if you do some good regular water changes, at least a quarter volume a day for at least 4 or 5 days or untill the ammonia level drops. You may need to purchase a test kit which will help. Keep us posted, I hope this helps some.

 

[mattrox]

Just keeping the filter sponges rinsed in a bucket of aquarium water and making sure there is no gunk collecting there keeps it clean. Do it when you water change.

You do have to check your water as per Menagerie's advice. Otherwise you don't really know that you are trying to correct.

 

[BrianNY]

I've seen this pea soup algae in friends tanks. The thing is you're dealing with a plant that's a single cell. In order to erradicate it completely, every cell must be killed or the algae bloom will start all over again. Therefore you can't whittle away at it with water changes.

A diatom filter used over a several day period will take care of this. Since the algae is so dependant on light, I'm wondering if the total blackout method would work just as well. Any thoughts?

 

[wakerider113]

ok. thnx for all the help everyone. im sort of on a tight budget so i cant afford all of the test kits but i do know it is a chemical inbalance. i am now running duel penguin 170 filters. i went to all about fish and purchased some algone http://www.algone.com/ for like 10 bux. i no some of u said not to use any chemicals in the water but i have heard from alot of people how well it works. its supposed to balance out chemicals. before i put it in one of my filters i did a 1/4 water change. that helped alot and i hope it will get better from here. i also closed my curtains and drew my blinds. next paycheck i think i might get all of the test kits but no promises . ill keep u guys posted in a couple of days and ill tell u how the algone is working. if it doesnt work im going to tear the tank down and do a 60-70% water change or since i entered a drawing for some reef tank lighting, if i win that ill get into salt water .

 

[wakerider113]

do u guys think if i put a bunch of plants in the tank( as opposed to none) then the water might clear up faster?

 

[mattrox]

If you want plants you probably want to deal with the algae first. You could end up with algae growing on your plants and blocking light to them. Then you end up with dead plants.

Water changes will keep the nitrates down. That makes the algae more managable, but it is not a cure. Every water change rinse out the filter sponges gently in tank water.

Algae can be a big problem if you have sunlight on the tank. You might have to look at changing the placement of your tank. Also, check the number of hours your light is on. If you have no plants you don't really need a light on when you are not at home to look at and enjoy the tank?

Even if you eradicate the current bloom algae can still grow because spores float around it the air and end up in your water.

 

[Rocket2001]

ok. thnx for all the help everyone. im sort of on a tight budget so i cant afford all of the test kits but i do know it is a chemical inbalance. .

May I suggest a local pet store chain to help you with this...Petco and Petsmart offer free water testing as well as most smaller pet stores. Let them test your water once a week until you get your problem fixed..just beware of them trying to sell you everything they have on the shelf to"fix" your problem.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

Having your water tested at a Petstore is an excellent idea.
As Menagerie says, adding chems almost always delays cycling. Also, why not leave the lights off for a few days. Diatom filters are great, I wish I had one, but not cheap. Jeff

 

[J rider]

algae and test kit

When I set up my tank I bought a test kit that included pH, hardness, ammonia, nitrites and it only cost $30 and makes me feel like I am solving problems by keeping tabs on the levels. Won't break the bank and saves a lot of worrying.
I also have a problem with algae (brown) in my 6 week old 55. It has killed one of the plants and despite water changes weekly it just keeps growing. This can be a very frustrating thing to tackle. Especially when my water tests really well ;(.