Nasty tank

[jc102]

Hey guys,

I have two 5 gallon tanks (each with one betta, a whisper filter, small heater, and decor) that each have some algae growing. One tank has a lot of algae on the decorations and a small smudge on the glass.

The other tank has it growing on the decor and also a rainbow colored oily substance on the water's surface. It also has a foul odor (not your normal "tank" smell). This tank is rainbow themed, so there is a small rainbow castle and multi-colored pebbles and rocks.

For the first tank, should I just wipe away the algae that's on the side of the tank and take out the decor and rinse them off? The second tank seems like it may need more work done. Maybe a large water change?

The tanks are cycled, so I don't want to throw that off. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Floop123]

Take your finger and rub away the algae on the plants. If that doesn't work, try an algae pad to scrub away the algae. As for the aquarium glass, I suggest taking a scraper or cleaning cloth and scrub away the algae. Let it fall to the bottom of the tank. Take a gravel vacuum(if you have one, if not, you should probably buy one) and suck up that nasty algae. What kind of lighting do you use? If your tank is in direct sunlight, take it away( as sunlight causes algae growth) and try to invest in artificial lighting. My only guess about the rainbow oily substance is that part of the decorations "rubbed" off. I hope somebody else can answer more about the oily substance. Good luck removing the algae!






Floop123

 

[jc102]

Thanks for the advice! I do have a gravel vac so I am going to try that and see if it helps. As far as lighting, I am using the LED lighting that came with the hood. There are two lights, so it's not a whole lot. The tanks aren't near any windows either.

 

[Floop123]

Ok, I found this on the web: "Algae needs three things to survive water, sunlight, and nutrients." Phosphorus and nitrogen are two nutrients probably building up in the tank. Do you use water conditioner? That can help algae stop growing.


Floop123

 

[Floop123]

Also, what tank size do you have?