Eat the algae dammit

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 13:12

Ok so my planted tank has quite a bit of algae growing in it but none of the herbivores will eat it(ottos,red fin dwarf pl*cos,clown pl*cos,baby royal,mango).I have even moved a bristlenose in from my big tank and he wont touch it.Its a dark green type of algae that coats my plants and some of the glass.Thing is it comes off really easy, I can just sort of rub it off the plants with my fingers.

So do you think they dont like it or something?If I drop in a bit of zuccini they are all over it and its gone within hours so theres nothing up with thier appitite.

I can get a pic of the algae if that helps...

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Aug 2003, 13:26

Sounds like you have cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) instead. Fish won't touch that stuff.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » 10 Aug 2003, 13:31

Your best bet is to remove it by hand and do this at the first sign of it, I was given a tank with a major problem with this type of algae in fact they gave me the tank because they couldnt stand it.
I wiped the decorations and glass daily and it was in the gravel too so I vacuumed the gravel everyday, I also cut way down on food for awhile and kept the tank light off alot after about a month it went away and never came back.
goodluck,
Connie

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 13:38

High phosphate might be the problem initially so you might want to test youâ??re water before you start cleaning up the tank.
Also a diatom filter could help clear it up a bit.

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 14:19

Ok 2 things

1. How do I test for phosphate?

2. What is a diatom filter and where can I get one?

Thanks

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 14:28

1 Get Phosphate test kit from most LFS.

2 A diatom filter is a very fine floss filter that traps small particles from you're water (algae=diatom), which should be available at you're LFS.
Or just use floss in a filter itâ??s the same stuff.

Good Luck.

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 15:02

Ok I have more questions,

How do I get high phosphates and what can I do about it(apart from the diatom filter).

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 15:13

It could come from several places I suspect Tap Water maybe, but rotting plants /active carbon /fish food and such all can cause high Phosphate.

Phos-Zorb is a good product for lowering Phosphate but there many other ways.

Post by **Shane** » 10 Aug 2003, 15:23

T,
You can also kill this stuff with a single treatment of BINOX from Jungle products. I do not like to medicate unless I really have to, but Cyanobacteria is very hard to get rid of.
-Shane

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 17:35

I'm not sure I can get that in the UK but I'll have a look in the lfs.

One more thing, would it be safe for me to keep the tank lights off for say a week to try and starve the stuff?Would my fish/plants suffer any ill effects?

Cheers

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 17:54

Turning the light of for a week will be ok.

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 18:06

"Kent Poly-Ox Red Slime Remover" that should do it .

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 20:13

DeLBoD wrote:"Kent Poly-Ox Red Slime Remover" that should do it .

Cool I'll see if they have any of that in the lfs too, it wont harm my fish will it?I have some irriplaceable ones in there.

Heres a few pics of the green slimy stuff(theres usually a bit more on the glass but I wipe it off).

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 20:55

Personaly I have never used the stuff . http://www.kentmarine.com/po.html
Looking at youâ??re pictures I can see where you have cleaned up and also where there is no algae under the plants where there is less light, siphon off the rest of that algae for a start (gently).
Does the tank get sunlight?

T · Post by T » 10 Aug 2003, 22:09

Yeah it is quite near a window, but this has only happened over the last month or so.But the tank has been set up for over a year and there were never any strange algae problems before.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » 10 Aug 2003, 22:11

yep same algae I had read my post above as it worked well, using the least amount of chemicals in the tank is better unless it is a health issue and the green algae really isnt going to hurt anything though it does need oxygen.
Connie

DeLBoD · Post by **DeLBoD** » 10 Aug 2003, 22:14

Well possibly the chemicals that have made this happen would take a year or so to build up and are being powered by the sun as it were.
Just a theory ,try shading the tank from the external light.

HayWire · Post by **HayWire** » 11 Aug 2003, 12:05

T just to let you know there is a fish ou tthere that i think does a better job then any otto or bushy/bristlenose. it is called Giraridinus metallicus (metallic livebarer for short). i have been breeding these for a few years and there tank is in a south window in direct sunlight. they eat any type of algae and are not picky about anyting else for food either, and i have yet to have one touch any of my plants in my other tanks. i get a pretty penny for these guys due to the appatite for elgae, and they are a great alternative to any chemicals.

theres my 2 cents...lol good luck

Post by **Barbie** » 11 Aug 2003, 18:36

Cyanobacteria was just discussed on another thread. I had been battling it in a small tank that I set up here, just after I moved. I'd never had a problem with it before, so I did some serious reading on the subject. Treating it without removing the cause, will just cause you more problem with it in the end. Its a common problem in planted tanks because people want minimal surface disturbance, to keep from losing CO2, and cyanobacteria thrives best in low current, zero nitrate environments, like you get in well planted aquariums. I added a powerhead that blew down the face of the glass, and the cyanobacteria was gone within a few days. This added quite a bit of surface disturbance, but I'm going to leave it that way until I am sure the cyanobacteria is gone, and then slowly try changing the flow direction to find a happy medium. Hope that helps.

Turning the lights off for a week won't do a lick of good, IMO, if there is any ambient room light. I tried it. I also treated the tank with maracin. It went away, and came back a week later. The current and adding fertilizers have made a big change in my tank. You might go ahead and do a search on cyanobacteria and planted aquaria. I found volumes of useful information that way.

Barbie

T · Post by T » 11 Aug 2003, 19:21

Ok when I say planted aquarium I really mean it used to be.I got sick of replacing the CO2 and decided just to let it go and the vallis grew fine(although the amazon swords look a bit straggly).Anyhoo I have enough surface agitation now so I dont see that being a cause.

Oh and I dont know about those livebearers, I got a couple of ones called amecca splendens to eat some hair algae I had(the guy said they ate all kinds of algae) but they left the algae alone and spent their time attacking the other fish.Anyway the ottos sorted out the hair algae in no time

I will take your advice barbie and do some searches and see what I come up with, thanks!

HayWire · Post by **HayWire** » 12 Aug 2003, 23:45

LOL well all livebearers will do some grazeing on different types of algae. but i stand with what i say on these. the babies do a better job with very small type bacteria and micro-organizems. lol they clear out the tank atlest once a week to every two weeks and i have to do a water change just to cause another bloom of bacteris and algae. sorry that you got miss informed from about the splendens.

larantrow · Post by **larantrow** » 13 Aug 2003, 17:12

If you use the meds or do a black out won't the toxins released as the BGA dies kill the fish? I'm fighting blue algea myself.

If what I learned this week is true be sure to do some major water changes when this stuff starts to die. I've been told it forms in over fed tanks or tanks where plants are dying with still water. Some one said that hornwort and riccia both help to stop it from forming.

T · Post by T » 13 Aug 2003, 19:51

Well so far so good, I have kept the lights off since monday and the algae is dissapearing rapidly.Also what seems to be left looks like its being eaten by the ottos.I have not had a chance to get to the lfs but hopefully I will get there on friday.I done a 10% waterchange yesterday as the tank water was looking a bit green but the fish didnt seem to be affected.Also I think the lack of light is making my usually fussy mango pl*co a bit more secure.He DOMINATED a slice of zuccini the other day and almost ate the lot.