Need advice for an algea crew

[mandygvns]

I currently have a 16gal bow front tank it's been running for 6months and all levels are fine, no problem there but I do leave my light on (6hrs per day) and am starting to grow algea...I could do the simple thing and not leave the light on but well, I like it on! I have 6 corys 2 dwarf gurami's and 4albino tetras what should I get to clean up the algea without over crowding the tank and creating too much waste??

Oh also, i was cleaning my tank today and there is white funzzy stuff growing around my filter, I've cleaned it off but was curious what it was??

Thanks for the help!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

the preferred method of ridding algae from a tank is fixing the cause, simply putting a fish in to eat the algae is putting a "bandaid" on the problem. pretty much any fish that eats that algae is going to convert the algae in to poop. I would take a look at your tank and figure out what you are doing to cause the algae, as 6 hours with a light on should not be causing such issues... unless you have a big high powered multi-bulb fixture. Overfeeding, poor water parameters, sunlight are just a few reasons you could be having issues with algae...jmo

 

[happygirl65]

I would get some Ottos....they are cute, tiny, fun to watch and do a decent job of looking after algae.

As for the white fuzzy stuff, it is likely uneaten food that grew fungus....that happened to me with an algae tab one time. But it could also be a type of algae, it's hard to say.
Can you give us some more info on your tank?
How long has it been up and running?
Do you have any plants?
What is your feeding schedule?
How much light do you have over the tank (bulb wattage) that is likely your issue but more info is needed to know for sure?

 

[mandygvns]

Yeah I know I'm trying to go the easy way out of ridding the algea....I might be over feeding but I doubt it because there is never any food left over the minute I put it in it's gone, it might be from feeding the tablets to my catfish but the other fish have discovered them and they go quick as well...

My tank has been up and running smoothly for 6months I did have a small problem a couple of months ago but it was minor and it's all gone!

I have fake everything, my real plants stopped growing because they weren't getting enough light per watt.

I feed every morning some flakes, and or bloodworms I switch it up and then I split one pellet in half for the bottom feeders.

I beleive the light is a 19w and I keep it on for no more than 6-7hours a day depends on when I wake up!

Thanks again for all of your help

 

[ricardo48]

To be honest, to give you an accurate diagnosis we will need you to tell us


Water parameters ( ph/kh/gh/no3/no2/p04 etc )

Excess nutrients with lack of co2 and/or light will cause algae as will the opposite

No nutrients with light/co2

 

[BigJim]

It doesn't sound like you're overfeeding. If you found mold up by the filter, maybe something got stuck. If there was a lot of it, I'd think it wasn't just moldy food.

You're definitely not leaving the light on too long.

Water parameters would help, but unless you're willing to micromanage your tank, algae is just a fact of aquaria. I take a razor blade to my tank when the algae gets bad and it helps for a while.

 

[mandygvns]

My water parameters are
Nitrate-0
Nitrite-0
GH-75
KH-140
pH-7.6
Thats all I have for tests, and they never change!

So is my tank too crowded to add something to eat the algea? If not what kind of fish do you suggest..are snails good??

 

[ricardo48]

If your nitrates are near zero then these bottoming out can cause algae.

If your tank was overcrowded then I would expect to see your nitrates alot higher ( 10-30ppm )

I have a 14 gallon with almost 50% more fish than what you have and im not overcrowded. However im heavily planted to soak up nitrates and fish waste.

So I would say your not overcrowded. Time to get some Amano Shrimp and maybe some "Flying Foxes" if you cant find " True Siamese Algae Eaters"

 

[mandygvns]

Well it's not necessarily 0 but it's the strips so the color is light pink but not completely what's on the diagram so imbetween 0-20....It's good to know my tanks not crowded that always freaks me out! I wanted to have real plants but they were dying from lack of enough light so the man at the fish store said the only way I could have them is if I bough a glass top and a different light which is way too much money to spend!

Thanks for the advice....

I'm still concerned about the white slimy stuff that's growing around my filter I clean it but it comes back and I just cleaned my tank a couple of days ago and it's all cloudy now which never happens, so I did another water change and put a new catridge in the filter but what do you think the problem is?? All the paraments have stayed the same..

 

[supradupafast]

Hmm... I would get a Liquid test kit instead of using Strips. Not very Accurate.

 

[sieski]

I currently have a 16gal bow front tank it's been running for 6months and all levels are fine, no problem there but I do leave my light on (6hrs per day) and am starting to grow algea...I could do the simple thing and not leave the light on but well, I like it on! I have 6 corys 2 dwarf gurami's and 4albino tetras what should I get to clean up the algea without over crowding the tank and creating too much waste??

Oh also, i was cleaning my tank today and there is white funzzy stuff growing around my filter, I've cleaned it off but was curious what it was??

Thanks for the help!!

Bristle nose pleco would eat you out of algae