Ongoing Fresh Water Algae Problem

[johnzapf]

I have had my 30 Gallon fresh water tank almost 4 years now. All has been good with plants and fish up till about 6 months ago. at that time I started having problems with this algae. Now all my plants are dead and I am none stop fighting this Algae. I don't know what kind of algae this is or how to get rid of it. See picture of how tank used to look. and now how it looks every two weeks, will clean today and in two weeks it will look like this again

Any ideas?
Thanks,
John

 

[Fresh2o]

You have Cyanobacteria or blue green algae (BGA). It is treatable with antibiotics. Most LFSs and big box stores (and online) carry API Erythromycin (EM). I have used this to successfully rid my tank of this nuisance.
When I had BGA, I had no idea what it was. I would siphon it out and within a week it would be back. This went on for a few months. Then I read about EM.
A few pointers:
1. Remove as much as possible priori to treating with EM
2. Do a big water change prior to treatment
3. Treat the entire 4-5 days are recommended in the instructions.
4. Hold off water changes until after day 9-10. On days 5-10, the EM will still be active in the tank and the BGA will continue to die off during this time.
5. One package should be enough for treating 20-30 gallons.

 

[johnzapf]

Thanks you so much.
I will try to find API Erythromycin (EM) today as I just did a very good cleaning "AGAIN", and big water change.

I will Let you know how it works out.
Thanks,
John

 

[Goldguru]

remember to sterilize everything that has been inside the tank,nets, scrubber,syphon hose etc.
Cyano will not die just from drying out,there will be spores on all tools.
It is Airborn.
you may also want to try some Food Grade NON calcined Diatomaceous earth.

FG DE is not pool filter sand,it is exoskeletons of diatoms,if your tank has strong flow the powder will cut the Cyano & it will die.
safe for all but invert's.
PFS is Calcined DE which means it has been exposed to HIGH heat & the exoskeletons are reformed into Crystaline Silica,which is harmfull to all.

2-4 grams of powder for tank your size per dose,wait 36hrs & dose again,you will see a noticable reduction in 48 hrs.
.
downside...your tank will be very cloudy for 6-10 hrs after the dose.

FG DE is Grams negative,which meens it will bond with Gram+ particles in the tank growing in size for filter capture.
Cyano has a Gram- exterior shell but is Gram+ inside.
so as the exterior shell is breached by a cut it's internal structure will seek gram- & be captured.

worked for me.

most will reply here saying DE requires to be inside a filter to rape the particles over the media,this is the purpose of a Vortex xl filter.

however while waiting for my new filter bag & dosed as above & it did the job only using good circulation.

 

[johnzapf]

Is that safe for other living plants? and how long would I have to remove my snails for?

John

 

[Goldguru]

Can diatomaceous earth affect birds, fish, or other wildlife?

Diatomaceous earth is practically non-toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. It is commonly encountered by birds and other wildlife, and it's not known to be harmful. However, no toxicity evaluations for wildlife were found. Agencies have stated that diatomaceous earth is unlikely to affect birds, fish, or other wildlife in a harmful way.

I would question how it affects inverts like shrimp.due to them being hard shelled with moving joints unlike snails.that was the reason for my NO inverts comment.

my tank contains MT snails which were not affected.

"Red Lake Diatomaceous Earth is completely safe to be used with all types of animals. Please note, this does not include reptiles or amphibians."

product I used (Canadian version)
Red Lake Diatomaceous Earth Canada

Red Lake Diatomaceous Earth US (US version)

you will note this is 65% silica (amorphous) & 35% Calcium Montmorillonite (also known as Calcium Bentonite)

reference
Diatomaceous Earth General Fact Sheet

https://nualgiaquarium.com/silica-in-your-aquarium/

there are more references @ the bottom of those links as well.

It cannot harm plants & you will get a calcium benefit for your plant uptake.

hope that helps you decide on your goal.

 

[Fresh2o]

Interesting with the DE. I've only used it with the micron sleeve in a Magnum canister filter.
How does one ensure that the DE gets to all of the affected sites?
I've read about the use of DE outside of the aquarium as a deterrent for ants.
I've used calcium montmorillonite clay as a supplement for the MTS in my shrimp tank and planted tank to boost the calcium levels.

 

[Goldguru]

How does one ensure that the DE gets to all of the affected sites?

the amounts I suggested will turn tank seriously cloudy(2-4 grams was approx 1/4-1/2 teaspoon).
barely able to see thru to the back of my 38g BF
good flow should be all thats required for it to come into contact with all surfaces in the tank?
I have a jeboa PW4 wave running @ level 4 when lites are on approx 10hrs after that it goes into nite mode,for filters I have a penguin 200 & whisper 40 & stage 3 air driven foam filter.

Remember this is NON Calcined DE.

After the 2nd dose (48+hrs in) my tank glass was completly clean,biofilm & all, I was worried I had killed off the filters BB & tested daily for a week & nothing changed there.
the filters however did require cleaning after 3 days all were overflowing.

I would guess it looked the same when you dosed your calcium mono,depending on how much you used & take about the same amount of time to clear.

 

[johnzapf]

Well its been a month. And still having problems with Algae.

What I have done so far. 4 weeks ago I got some Tetra Algae Control, broad spectrum algae control. First two weeks I treated 3 times. changing 50% of water each time before treatment. All signs of algae was gone. Now two weeks later its all coming back I have treated again now two times and its not doing anything this time. How do I completely get rid of this stuff?

If I take every thing out and boil it? Bleach it? I don't know but its becoming a full time job!

Guess I will order some Food Grade Natural Diatomaceous Earth, and try that. Just worried about all my snails as I have had them a long time.

Any good ideas that don't cost a lot?

John

 

[Bert2oo1]

You could try a black out. Turn the lights off for 3 days. Cover the tank so no light can get in at all. Dose excel daily. No ferts during the black out. Then do a 50% water change and make sure u clean everything. Boil your wood, clean all filter hoses and intake and outlet . Rinse all sponges and media (with tank water).

Biggest thing is though u need to find out what has triggered the problem in the first place. Could be lack of ferts or co2 or too much light?

Best way to combat algae I found was a lot of co2 and flow and I dropped my light intensity by 20%.

 

[johnzapf]

my co2 ran out and I didn't refill for 6 months, that is when it started.

also might be fertilizer? the eco complete is 3 years old, didn't know I should change?

John

 

[Bert2oo1]

my co2 ran out and I didn't refill for 6 months, that is when it started.

also might be fertilizer? the eco complete is 3 years old, didn't know I should change?

John

Ah yes definitely the co2. I think the substrate should be fine. (Not 100% on that though)

Try the black out and then reset the co2 up and get everything back to normal. Hopefully it should stay away. I'd start really low with your lighting and slowly increase it over a month or so.

 

[johnzapf]

Ok starting the black out now.

John

 

[Bert2oo1]

Ok starting the black out now.

John

Heres a link u may find helpful, http://www.barrreport.com/forum/bar...or-spirogyra-what-do-you-dose-during-blackout

Forgot to mention, drop an air stone in there for the full duration. Remember a blackout should only be a last resort

 

[johnzapf]

thanks, and there is an air stone always going 24/7
John

 

[Bert2oo1]

thanks, and there is an air stone always going 24/7
John

Make sure after the black out u don't use an air stone at all is it will off gas your co2. If injecting co2 air stones shouldn't be used at all. Use your filter to agitate the waters surface to generate o2 for the fish

The air stone could be the very reason all this started. If u are dosing ferts and your co2 is getting burned by your air stone it will bring on algae in a big way and fast.

Air stones should never be used in a planted tank unless using it to off gas co2 over night with DIY yeast co2 systems

 

[Goldguru]

DE wont bother snails i have a MTS population in the tank above & have not seen any problems with the population.
The Invert warning applies to shrimp & other invert's with Hinged body joints which the DE can pierced & lead to death by infection.(loss of body fluids on terestrial's)
most cat/dog flea powder is DE could be a cheap alt,just read the contents label closely,for additional products.(look for "Natural" powders)
It may not be certified food grade but it is understood that the pets are going to eat some of it by licking.

However the source of reoccurance must be determined as Bert points out or you will never overcome it.

 

[Fresh2o]

No need to change the EcoComplete. It is inert and will not breakdown.
Treat with erythromycin and it should eradicate the BGA completely. It should not come back unless it is reintroduced and if the conditions are conducive for it.
No issues with the fish, shrimp, or snails.

 

[johnzapf]

I have had the air going for a couple years now. when I first started the tank for a little over a year I didn't need the air stone, then fish started dying and I couldn't figure out why. since i added the air nothing has died.

Now that I think about it, I used to use a AquaClear filter and it had a good flo, dumping water in and stirring the tank. A couple years ago I switched over to a EHIM Professional 3, its a great filter with tons of media but has very low flow going back into the tank, doesn't stir as much, I think that was why I had to ad the air?

 

[Bert2oo1]

I have had the air going for a couple years now. when I first started the tank for a little over a year I didn't need the air stone, then fish started dying and I couldn't figure out why. since i added the air nothing has died.

Now that I think about it, I used to use a AquaClear filter and it had a good flo, dumping water in and stirring the tank. A couple years ago I switched over to a EHIM Professional 3, its a great filter with tons of media but has very low flow going back into the tank, doesn't stir as much, I think that was why I had to ad the air?

U should never have air with co2 or the co2 will have no benefit at all and bring on algae in a big way. To bring me o2 into the aquarium without using an Airstone u need to agitate the surface with your filter. Spray bars work the best