Hello all!
I've got a lightly planted 10 gallon aquarium, low-tech, with 4 neon tetras (plan to add 2-3 more once my algae problems are addressed). Parameters are 0 ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, and pH is very high for neons (7.6) according to API kit (only very recently purchased after I suspected the test strips I had been using before were too inaccurate).
The green water first showed up after I added the plants to the already established aquarium. I am guessing the initial algae bloom was due to the disturbed substrate? Since then, I've tried a number of things to reduce it: Daily 50% water changes, reduced feeding, reduced lighting, 3-day total blackout, and chemical algae killers as a very last resort, in various combinations. The tank clears briefly after a large intervention, but within a week becomes so green that I can't even see my fish. At this point, I've been struggling with this for months and I'm getting a bit frustrated. Is there anything else I can try to fix this thing? Diatom filters are out of my price range, and it seems like a UV filter/sterilizer would only be a temporary fix. I also have Flourish C02 and fertilizer, but I've never used them because I wasn't sure if they would encourage algae growth.
Any help is appreciated!
I've got a lightly planted 10 gallon aquarium, low-tech, with 4 neon tetras (plan to add 2-3 more once my algae problems are addressed). Parameters are 0 ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, and pH is very high for neons (7.6) according to API kit (only very recently purchased after I suspected the test strips I had been using before were too inaccurate).
The green water first showed up after I added the plants to the already established aquarium. I am guessing the initial algae bloom was due to the disturbed substrate? Since then, I've tried a number of things to reduce it: Daily 50% water changes, reduced feeding, reduced lighting, 3-day total blackout, and chemical algae killers as a very last resort, in various combinations. The tank clears briefly after a large intervention, but within a week becomes so green that I can't even see my fish. At this point, I've been struggling with this for months and I'm getting a bit frustrated. Is there anything else I can try to fix this thing? Diatom filters are out of my price range, and it seems like a UV filter/sterilizer would only be a temporary fix. I also have Flourish C02 and fertilizer, but I've never used them because I wasn't sure if they would encourage algae growth.
Any help is appreciated!
