Amen.....
I screwed up!
- Thread starter russianaquarium
- Start date
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nirbhao
Aquarium Advice Addict
Could have, would have, should have...
Do you have a sink in your room?
Do you have a sink in your room?
Jbar
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2017
- Messages
- 51
Scottishscales
Aquarium Advice Activist
If you do water changes during your blackout it defeats the purpose of the blackout. Blackout means no lights no opening the tank to change water, nothing. You let it sit for days with a tiny hole for fish food. If you let in any light some algae will survive and cause an additional bloom after youre like hey its kinda better. You are essentially starving the algae of its light (it's a particle sized plant essentially).
It may take more than one shot. Not everything works perfectly the first time around. You could do another blackout making it even darker this time and continue to change your water after the blackout to remove some of the dead algae. I had to use like 4 layers of cheap $1 black trash bags from the dollar store [same broke college kid here [emoji14] I couldn't afford a uv either] and make sure all the sides including the one against the wall and the bottom (mine was on a stand where the bottom was exposed) and I put a heavy beach towel (weighted on the corners to keep it out of the water) over the top so that when the lights were off I could barely see the bottom of the tank looking down and the towel was easily moved for quick fish feeding and air circulation.
The other suggestions of reducing daily light and fish food are also important. I had to do the same myself when my water looked like a glow stick. Less food to fish equals less nitrates being added and shorter cycles of light make it harder for algae to grow.
Adding carbon is a good filter for polishing your water and taking out medicines or chemicals and or smells but does absolutely nothing for algae, nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. Carbon is good for other purposes but won't help for this.
One thing you may want to do is check your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, etc) because your nitrates are probably wayyyy too high [often the cause of algae blooms]. Plants will help with the nitrate problem but they aren't an instant fix. They take time to establish in the tank and are wayyyy to much work for my personal taste.
Good luck with your tank and I hope you get everything sorted out. Once you get the algae blooms sorted out and under control you'll know how to better manage them for your tank. Everyone's tank is different and not one method works for everything. I am no expert nor am I claiming to be some fish posting pro on here either but I did quite a bit of research on here through multiple threads and my own posts looking for answers when I had my own algae bloom problem and the consensus was reduce light, fish food, and uv or blackout. I chose the cheap route and was prepared to do it a million times until green water be gone. ☺
It may take more than one shot. Not everything works perfectly the first time around. You could do another blackout making it even darker this time and continue to change your water after the blackout to remove some of the dead algae. I had to use like 4 layers of cheap $1 black trash bags from the dollar store [same broke college kid here [emoji14] I couldn't afford a uv either] and make sure all the sides including the one against the wall and the bottom (mine was on a stand where the bottom was exposed) and I put a heavy beach towel (weighted on the corners to keep it out of the water) over the top so that when the lights were off I could barely see the bottom of the tank looking down and the towel was easily moved for quick fish feeding and air circulation.
The other suggestions of reducing daily light and fish food are also important. I had to do the same myself when my water looked like a glow stick. Less food to fish equals less nitrates being added and shorter cycles of light make it harder for algae to grow.
Adding carbon is a good filter for polishing your water and taking out medicines or chemicals and or smells but does absolutely nothing for algae, nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. Carbon is good for other purposes but won't help for this.
One thing you may want to do is check your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, etc) because your nitrates are probably wayyyy too high [often the cause of algae blooms]. Plants will help with the nitrate problem but they aren't an instant fix. They take time to establish in the tank and are wayyyy to much work for my personal taste.
Good luck with your tank and I hope you get everything sorted out. Once you get the algae blooms sorted out and under control you'll know how to better manage them for your tank. Everyone's tank is different and not one method works for everything. I am no expert nor am I claiming to be some fish posting pro on here either but I did quite a bit of research on here through multiple threads and my own posts looking for answers when I had my own algae bloom problem and the consensus was reduce light, fish food, and uv or blackout. I chose the cheap route and was prepared to do it a million times until green water be gone. ☺
The camaro show
Aquarium Advice Activist
You need a uv stalilizer you gotta have money ready for stuff like this
flchamp89
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,387
I think this is becoming too difficult. Its green water and by the pictures not that severe.
OP stated he couldn't afford a UV. Ive managed to keep both fw and sw for 30 plus years without one. Yes it would work but it doesn't seem that its going to happen....fine.
Imo green water is the best kind of algae problem as it is free floating and easier to eradicate.
I would only use black out techniques as a last resort. Long before UV were available these issues we addressed with daily large wc, while eliminating long photo periods, excess feedings, and indirect sunlight. Poly type medias can be used to help as well.
Personally ive only had to deal with this twice many years ago in walstad type tanks. But ive helped others over the years.
This shouldn't be that hard. Remove more floating spores than whats being produced. Yes it could take 3 days or 3 weeks. But it worked in the 70s it will work in 2017. The algae hasnt changed....much
OP stated he couldn't afford a UV. Ive managed to keep both fw and sw for 30 plus years without one. Yes it would work but it doesn't seem that its going to happen....fine.
Imo green water is the best kind of algae problem as it is free floating and easier to eradicate.
I would only use black out techniques as a last resort. Long before UV were available these issues we addressed with daily large wc, while eliminating long photo periods, excess feedings, and indirect sunlight. Poly type medias can be used to help as well.
Personally ive only had to deal with this twice many years ago in walstad type tanks. But ive helped others over the years.
This shouldn't be that hard. Remove more floating spores than whats being produced. Yes it could take 3 days or 3 weeks. But it worked in the 70s it will work in 2017. The algae hasnt changed....much
Tyrsdottir
Aquarium Advice Regular
Okay, I've read the whole thread, and decided to come back to this comment.
The blackout didn't work because you let light in and maybe didn't have enough light blocked.
No biggie, I completely understand the error.
Probably would have done it myself when I was new to this stuff.
What you are saying you are doing now WILL work, but it will take time. Reducing the feeding to every other day is excellent. Reducing the light is also excellent. And you said you have only 9 fish in there now. This is all really good.
The only other thing you need to do is be patient, and let these changes do the work. This will take time.
The only other thing to say is that you were given a truly excellent link for algae types and how to treat them. I suggest you read that, and bookmark it too.
I bookmarked it myself.
I've seen a lot of articles on algae over the years, but that one may well be the best I've seen for freshwater.
Hang in there.
It's all a learning experience.
I've been keeping fish of many types for over a decade, and I will mess up and have to learn new things. ?
Tyrsdottir
Aquarium Advice Regular
Okay, I've read the whole thread, and decided to come back to this comment.
The blackout didn't work because you let light in and maybe didn't have enough light blocked.
No biggie, I completely understand the error.
Probably would have done it myself when I was new to this stuff.
What you are saying you are doing now WILL work, but it will take time. Reducing the feeding to every other day is excellent. Reducing the light is also excellent. And you said you have only 9 fish in there now. This is all really good.
The only other thing you need to do is be patient, and let these changes do the work. This will take time.
The only other thing to say is that you were given a truly excellent link for algae types and how to treat them. I suggest you read that, and bookmark it too.
I bookmarked it myself.
I've seen a lot of articles on algae over the years, but that one may well be the best I've seen for freshwater.
Hang in there.
It's all a learning experience.
I've been keeping fish of many types for over a decade, and I will mess up and have to learn new things. ?
OP
OP
russianaquarium
Aquarium Advice Freak
Alright so what I did was fill a 20 gallon with clean water from the 60 and completely dumbed out all the water and filled it all the way up again, when can I add fish and how many? Also the water I added was from the garden hose lol filled up that 60 in like 10 minutes, but the water was around 35 degrees ferenhight opps didnt think about the plants.. do you think they will be fine? Tank is at 76 now had 2 heaters running of full blast. Thanks for all the advice people, maybe one day when im rich i will buy a UV sterilizer, and i saw my mistake it wasn't 100% black out should have threw a blanket over it or something. Thanks guys
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
You exposed plants to 35° water? They will probably shock a bit. May melt..
OP
OP
russianaquarium
Aquarium Advice Freak
But won't die right? Ya because it would have took me about 4 hours to fill it up if it wasn't for the garden hose. Because then I would have to run up stairs to fill buckets and haul them downstairs to fill it up. 5 gallon buckets 60 gallon aquarium = 12 buckets oooh boy lol. Ya and my aquarium is in im room which is in the basement. Good from one side ( no direct sunlight and only a small window) but its cooler so heaters are running 24/7. at about 300 watts gets pretty expensive.
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
They probably will. Depending on the plant of course. They're alive thus sensitive to major changes. You should always do things gradually. You should set yourself up for success.
OP
OP
russianaquarium
Aquarium Advice Freak
Plants are crypt lutea, java fern, java moss, dwarf sag, amazon sword, anubias nana. What do you think? They all look fine right now lol its been almost 24 hours.
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
Time will tell. Crypts and swords can be a bit fussy
Tyrsdottir
Aquarium Advice Regular
Well, you're starting completely over now.
New cycle from the beginning, just like it's a brand new tank.
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not necessarily, same tank with new water. Filter and substrate the same I believe??
Tyrsdottir
Aquarium Advice Regular
True, but still a serious set back, which will probably take as long to fix as if he'd simply kept on with the low stock, reduced light, and every other day feeding.
And he may still experience some recurrence of bloom, since there's likely some algae still in the filters and substrate.
And now, if I have it right, he has an overstocked 20g, with algae bloom water in it.
What do you think will happen there?
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
Perhaps rabbit.. Perhaps...True, but still a serious set back, which will probably take as long to fix as if he'd simply kept on with the low stock, reduced light, and every other day feeding.
And he may still experience some recurrence of bloom, since there's likely some algae still in the filters and substrate.
And now, if I have it right, he has an overstocked 20g, with algae bloom water in it.
What do you think will happen there?
OP
OP
russianaquarium
Aquarium Advice Freak
Haha, alright ya the 20 isn't overstocked, it has 9 fish in it... and the 60 got a tiny bit of a white cloud? Is that bacteria starting to grow? New set up (or resetup) same sand, filter (but really well cleaned), and same dw and plants. Added the 3 angelfish today its been 3 days water temp is stabalized and i didn't want to risk loosing the angels cus I had fish jump out of the green water... angels are a regular striped angel, black angel, and platunum angel. So ya they weren't cheap.
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