Dawn Soap And Decorations

[awesomeoctopus]

Okay, I know this is an amateur mistake.

I have been dealing with a pretty nasty algae problem for over six months, doing water changes, taking out my decorations constantly and scrubbing the crud out of them, using an algae solution, installing a filter thingy under the rocks that pumps nutrients back up to the surface. (It claimed to help control algae)

I'M AT MY WITS END WITH IT!!!
So, I took out all my decorations, scrubbed my aquarium walls, shifted the rocks around, used the fish net to catch all the big derbis and threw my decorations in the sink with hot water and dawn to remove the algae.

How would I go about getting the soap residue off the decorations? Should I use a bleach/water solution afterwards, and let them sit in the sun for awhile? (I also live in Texas, our sun is pretty brutal)
Please help! I feel like an idiot that just got way to fed up and impatient, and I really need help!!! I don't want to kill off my fishies!!

 

[reefdiver]

I would recomend you run them in the dishwasher a couple of times and the let them dry in the sun. Next tume you have problems with algea use a bleach solution to clean them.

 

[awesomeoctopus]

I would recomend you run them in the dishwasher a couple of times and the let them dry in the sun. Next tume you have problems with algea use a bleach solution to clean them.

Thank you! Do you think I should do the bleach solution before I run them through though?

 

[reefdiver]

It would also help if you post your schedule for WC, lights, feeding and water parameters. This will help you understand qhat could have caused the algea.

 

[reefdiver]

It wouldnt hurt. It will help in killing any residual algea

 

[awesomeoctopus]

Oh sorry!

I have a ten gallon tank, I do a 10% water change every other week, (when I remember, sometimes I'm a little...absent minded.)

I feed them every night, I don't have a very well lit room, I also turn their over head light off during the day, and keep it on at night. The light is on anywhere from 8-12 hours.

I have 3 guppies, a tetra, and a mollie. I used to have a plecto, another mollie, and a a chinese something I can't remember what it was called, but it was some sort of algae eater. Not a plecto detertivore or anything, but actually only ate algae. They just slowly starting disapearing, and I'm wondering where they went? I never found their bodies anywhere. I'm not under feeding my fish so that they are eating each other, am I? I really don't understand where they keep disapearing to!

 

[reefdiver]

It is recomended to do a 50% water change. Your fish are all schooling fish that may dp better with more of there own kind. Lights i would say no more than 7 hours a day.

 

[reefdiver]

Fish like plecos and chinesse algea eaters tend to be good at hiding. You may want to rethink what you add to your tank as it is to small to have platy and mollies.

 

[awesomeoctopus]

Fish like plecos and chinesse algea eaters tend to be good at hiding. You may want to rethink what you add to your tank as it is to small to have platy and mollies.

Understood. I used to have more community fish but they have disapeared. I removed every single decoration and never found the chinese algae eater or plecto. ):

 

[shellieca]

I was having a small problem with algae in my 10g & I lessened the light time by an hour & so far that seems to have done the trick. Your tank sounds overstocked so be careful with your water parameters & definitely do 50% weekly water changes. The Chinese Algae Eaters need a minimum of 30g (I know yours has disappeared) in case you consider getting another one. I had 2 in a 10g until I did more research because the LFS employee didn't give me correct info. You might get an Apple (Mystery) snail, that'll help keep some algae under control.