I have a 10gal fully cycled tank with 4 female guppies (and one lucky darn fry), and 5 ghost shrimp. 0 amm, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate, temp is about 78F. I am starting to see algae growth on the substrate and some of the plastic plants. My cleaning is not getting it all out. Does anyone have suggestions before this algae gets out of hand. I leave for work about 5am and get him about 5pm, the lights are on from 5am until about 9:30pm. Do I need to turn the lights off earlier and just not enjoy my fishies when I get home from work to reduce the algae?
Algae Question...
- Thread starter akkitten
- Start date
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ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah I would recommend youbto turn the lights for around 10 hours per day.
Maybe you can turn the light on around 11AM, and off around 9:30PM.
Maybe you can turn the light on around 11AM, and off around 9:30PM.
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
Most of the people feed their fish once a day, for large fish as Oscar or cichilds some people feed twice a day.
I suggest to feed your fish as soon as you get back to home, once a day, and a timer is the best to turn the lights on.
I suggest to feed your fish as soon as you get back to home, once a day, and a timer is the best to turn the lights on.
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I was feeding once a day, 'but the container said..." sigh...I should have known better.
I will get a timer this weekend. It will work for a few months anyway until we get to summer and have 22 hours a daylight, I'm afraid I will still have to deal with the algae issue.
Those guppies are going to be mortified to be fed once a day.
I will get a timer this weekend. It will work for a few months anyway until we get to summer and have 22 hours a daylight, I'm afraid I will still have to deal with the algae issue.
Those guppies are going to be mortified to be fed once a day.
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
I know, maybe somebody will suggest you to add an algae eater, like a snail, I heard that snails are great to clean the glass but I don't know if they are good cleaners of the plants and ornaments
Good luck, so right now how many hours of light in a day do you have there in Alaska?
Good luck, so right now how many hours of light in a day do you have there in Alaska?
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I ran into the same problem. I wanted my lights on before I went to work and when I got home, but that meant leaving them on for 16 hours or so. I set my timer so my lights are on 5:30AM-9:00AM and 3:00PM-9:30PM.
I feed my fish once a day, in the morning, shortly after the lights come on. Fish are fantastic beggars. My fish always flock to the front of the tank when I walk up because they think they're getting fed. They go back to normal after a minute or so when they figure out they're not getting food.
If your tank isn't near a window, excess daylight shouldn't be a problem. If it is near a window, invest in a shade.
I feed my fish once a day, in the morning, shortly after the lights come on. Fish are fantastic beggars. My fish always flock to the front of the tank when I walk up because they think they're getting fed. They go back to normal after a minute or so when they figure out they're not getting food.
If your tank isn't near a window, excess daylight shouldn't be a problem. If it is near a window, invest in a shade.
ejar: Right now we have about 9 1/2 hours of daylight, by solstice the end of June, we will have almost 20 hours and it won't really get dark for the other 4.
Bigjim: That is a wonderful idea! I will look at getting a timer this weekend. I have one question on once a day feeding tho, I recently added two guppies from the lfs and got a bonus fry in the bag! Will feeding once a day be okay for the fry? I have no idea how the little bugger made it through the gambit of female guppies and ghost shrimp, but he did!
Bigjim: That is a wonderful idea! I will look at getting a timer this weekend. I have one question on once a day feeding tho, I recently added two guppies from the lfs and got a bonus fry in the bag! Will feeding once a day be okay for the fry? I have no idea how the little bugger made it through the gambit of female guppies and ghost shrimp, but he did!
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
I don't have experience with fry, but I have read that they need more than once a day feeding, some people mentioned up to 5 times per day, but I'm not sure.
Maybe BigJim can help you here.
Thanks for your answer regarding light time in Alaska, sounds amazing 20 hours of light during June!!!!
Maybe BigJim can help you here.
Thanks for your answer regarding light time in Alaska, sounds amazing 20 hours of light during June!!!!
happygirl65
Aquarium Advice Addict
Definitely invest in a light timer and feed them when you get home from work. If you overfeed the excess food will promote algae growth as well as the increased light...is the tank getting any direct sunlight? This will make a difference as well.
Snails can be good to help with algae but can quickly become a pest in my experience...unless you get the larger mystery snails, they are pretty neat.
Your best bet though is always to find the root of a problem, not just add something to try and take care of it. The light is the most likely source but it also depends on the type of algae. Reducing the lighting will help no matter what...but if it's BGA, you will need to increase your flow and make sure there are no stagnant areas in your tank.
What does the algae look like? Is it growing on the glass? Does it flake off easily, is it brown, green, hairy...some more details will help.
Snails can be good to help with algae but can quickly become a pest in my experience...unless you get the larger mystery snails, they are pretty neat.
Your best bet though is always to find the root of a problem, not just add something to try and take care of it. The light is the most likely source but it also depends on the type of algae. Reducing the lighting will help no matter what...but if it's BGA, you will need to increase your flow and make sure there are no stagnant areas in your tank.
What does the algae look like? Is it growing on the glass? Does it flake off easily, is it brown, green, hairy...some more details will help.
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
How serious are you about keeping the fry? I have guppies that breed constantly, so I don't bother to catch the fry and I feed the tank once a day. I'm sure the adults eat some of the fry when they're tiny.
I've read that feeding five times a day will cause the fry to grow the fastest, but that's a lot of work.
I've read that feeding five times a day will cause the fry to grow the fastest, but that's a lot of work.
Happygirl: the alge on the bottom is green and kinda fuzzy, my white substrate now has green tinge to it. There appears to be a small amount on the glass in front of where it is growing as well. There are some brown edges on my plastic plants but I saw one of the ghost shrimp munching on it today. I will go to home depot and get a timer for the lights. Perhaps I should just wait until the algae gets a little deeper and get an oto? After having my garden infected with slugs last year the thought of putting a snail in my aquarium willing kinda creeps me out. What does BGA look like?
Bigjim: Well the fry would be cool to keep, he ended up in the bag accidently when I bought 2 new guppies the other day. The fry managed to live through the car ride home (1.5 hrs) and has lasted for 4 days in the tank. If that littles one has survived this long I hate to be the one to take him out now. I am 'trying' not to have babies in the tank with a 'no boys' rule. So knowing my luck, the little fry is a boy.
I am 'trying' not to have babies in the tank with a 'no boys' rule. So knowing my luck, the little fry is a boy.
ezy33
Aquarium Advice Addict
IMO fresh water fish only need the ambient light in the room. I would only light the tank while I'm home to view the fish. Unless you have live plants turn off the lights. A timer would be use full if you don't want to bother with turning the lights off and on. I use timers on all my SW tanks to keep a natural rhythm.
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
BGA
I think that BGA means blue green algae, I read that is more like a bacteria that grows in lake, ponds and low moving waters.
You can search it in the web, here is a link:
http://http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/bluegreenalgae/
I hope that yours is a common algae and not this thing called BGA, buy I'm not an expert on algae.
Good luck
I think that BGA means blue green algae, I read that is more like a bacteria that grows in lake, ponds and low moving waters.
You can search it in the web, here is a link:
http://http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/bluegreenalgae/
I hope that yours is a common algae and not this thing called BGA, buy I'm not an expert on algae.
Good luck
