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Please help folks. I have a 48"x12"x12" freshwater set-up with two power heads of unknown variety (due to second hand purchase) operating a UG filter, a fluval 204 external filter. The tank contains only trace elements of nitrate, and ammonia and nitrite are 0. The tank is maintained at 76 degrees and has light provided by a low output 42" tube for 11 hrs a day.

Inhabitants include, 2 zebra plecs, 1 bristlnose plec, 12 neon tetras, 3 algae eating prawns.
Plants include 4 amazon swords.

Can anyone suggest what i might do to stop the continous growth of green hair like algae which constantly seems to grow out of control and seems to engulf the plants/decor? The livestock and plants seem to be quite healthy but visually the tank becomes very unsightly.

PS. The tank has had King British green algae control added for the last 6 weeks in accordance with the manufacturers stated dose but to no avail.

Thanks in advance for any assistance

any chance of a picture of the Algae, sounds like a strange request but you described a few different types of algae there. My best guess is Blanketweed. the fastest way to get rid of this algae is to remove everything with a trace of the stuff on and keep up lots of water changes for at least 4-6 weeks twicw a week 30% changes.

Can you recommend a way to get it off the plants or will they have to go/be replaced? cheers

If you're careful you can bleach them to get rid of incumbent algae. A 5 pph solution of household bleach works quite well (1 part bleach to 19 water). Leave them in the bucket of bleach solution no more than a few minutes. We have destroyed quite a few plants by letting them sit for too long, but have also been successful at killing the algae the majority of the time.

Rusty

Now that you mention it Magnum the algae does look similar to that type found in some ponds. The reason i say this is there is lot of loating green particles on the surface of the water when the hood is opened resembling a pond surface. I can only assume that this might be seeds or similar????

I think i'll look at removing the plants and replacing them. Rusty the thought did cross my mind to bleach them but my worry is not the plants, its putting them back in a tank that contains zebras after having been soaked in bleach. As long as their rinsed properly it would be ok but i never like takign a risk when it comes to the H.Zebra.

Assuming it is blanket weed would such things as barley straw in the filter do anything to help cure it or is this a myth?

get some Hemiloricaria they're always out and about munching the stuff that grows in one of my tanks. even a couple of them should keep in right down once you have scrubbed the excess off.

also, floating water lettuce Pistia stratioides will soak up excess nitrates and phospates, (which is usually the limiting factor to algal growth) as well as shading the tank from too much direct light. and they look really nice too, and provide great cover for the fish.#

can't recommend them enough.

Assuming it is blanket weed would such things as barley straw in the filter do anything to help cure it or is this a myth?

a long time ago i did try this method to no avail i'm afraid.

although i have used intercell blanket XL and that is the only one to work quite well. algae eating shrimp also eat blanketweed and many other forms of algae.