Algae

[Scotty7]

Hi All!! This is my first post here and i have a question that is probably one of the hottest topics.....I have a 55 gallon tank mostly with African Ciclids, i did a water change (about 50%) recently and since then i have been getting quite a bit of algae. But here is my question....we have a water softener in our house with our own water pump, i had not realized our water softener had a blockage and was not functioning for a few months before i did the change before the one i mentioned and my tank was crystal clear and NO algae at all!! Does soft water tend to contribute to algae growth?
Thanks
Scott

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Scott and welcome to the forum

What sort of African cichlids do you keep, Rift Lake cichlids or river cichlids?
The Rift Lake cichlids like and need hard water with a high pH. If you have these types of fish, you don't want to use a water softener on their water.

If you have river cichlids from soft acid water, they need soft water but most water softeners use an ion exchange resin and swap the calcium for sodium. Sodium is bad for soft water fishes and can cause kidney damage.

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Rift Lake cichlids from Lake Victoria need a GH around 300ppm, fish from Lake Malawi need a GH around 350ppm, and fish from Lake Tanganyika need a GH around 400ppm.

If you have cichlids form soft water rivers, they usually come from water with a GH below 100ppm.

--------------------

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?

Do you have a light unit above the aquarium?
If yes, how long is it on for each day?

Do you have any live aquatic plants in the aquarium?
Do you add aquarium plant fertiliser to the aquarium?

--------------------

Soft water does not encourage algae, neither does hard water. Algae grows in any water where there is light and nutrients. If you have lots of live aquatic plants in the tank, they reduce the amount of algae that can grow. If you don't have any live plants in the tank, and the aquarium gets some light, then algae will grow.

Lots of nutrients also contribute to algae growth. This can normally be dealt with by doing big weekly water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate. Regular filter cleaning can also help reduce nutrients in the water.

 

[Scotty7]

Hi Scott and welcome to the forum

What sort of African cichlids do you keep, Rift Lake cichlids or river cichlids?
The Rift Lake cichlids like and need hard water with a high pH. If you have these types of fish, you don't want to use a water softener on their water.

If you have river cichlids from soft acid water, they need soft water but most water softeners use an ion exchange resin and swap the calcium for sodium. Sodium is bad for soft water fishes and can cause kidney damage.

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Rift Lake cichlids from Lake Victoria need a GH around 300ppm, fish from Lake Malawi need a GH around 350ppm, and fish from Lake Tanganyika need a GH around 400ppm.

If you have cichlids form soft water rivers, they usually come from water with a GH below 100ppm.

--------------------

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?

Do you have a light unit above the aquarium?
If yes, how long is it on for each day?

Do you have any live aquatic plants in the aquarium?
Do you add aquarium plant fertiliser to the aquarium?

--------------------

Soft water does not encourage algae, neither does hard water. Algae grows in any water where there is light and nutrients. If you have lots of live aquatic plants in the tank, they reduce the amount of algae that can grow. If you don't have any live plants in the tank, and the aquarium gets some light, then algae will grow.

Lots of nutrients also contribute to algae growth. This can normally be dealt with by doing big weekly water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate. Regular filter cleaning can also help reduce nutrients in the water.

Hi, and thanks for the reply (don't know if i'm replying correctly) but i am not sure of the type of ciclids i have, i just get them at PETCO, i know there are lemon ciclids, and firemouths that i know the names of, some i've had for years, i have had the same setup for years as well, it's just funny that the only time i had real clear water and no algae was when my house water softener was not working. i do a water change monthly and about 50% there is a light on for about 12 hours a day, no live plants. I will take a water sample to the pet shop to get it checked though, as i supply my own water from my own well.....Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

You should get your well water analysed by a professional water testing company at least once a year. This will identify any contaminants that might be getting into the ground water and potentially poisoning you, your family or your pets.

If there are unwanted nutrients in the ground water (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, etc), this will encourage algae to grow in your aquarium. These nutrients are often found in ground water in agricultural areas and is from fertiliser soaking into the ground water. Chemicals can also soak into the ground water and slowly poison anything that drinks that water.

--------------------

If you post pictures of the fish, or a picture showing the entire aquarium, we should be able to identify the fish you have.

If you have the aquarium light on for 12 hours a day and you don't have live plants, then algae will grow. You can either add some live plants or reduce the lighting time to 4-6 hours a day. Have the light come on in the afternoon and you can watch the fish when you are at home in the evening.

--------------------

TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.