Bad algae

[Suunsu]

I have a real bad algae problem. I have tried to use a aquarium algaecide and it cleared us a little, along with 50% water change every day for 3 days. And tonight it came roaring back. I have about 35 cichlids, 5 large and the rest about a inch and a half. Can I out the in to a 20gal new tank for a day or two, so I can clean the entire system. I have canister filter with uv light. I'd like to strip the entire tank for a good cleaning. What do you all think?



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[jmessineo1]

if you strip the whole aquarium for a deep clean, be careful as you can lose your bene bacteria

 

[jonclark96]

Sounds like you have too much food for the algae in your tank. I'd cut back on feeding, lighting, or both to see if that helps.

 

[xny89]

+1 on food and light

 

[Localzoo]

Increase filtering too that might help.
But light and food are factors


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[Suunsu]

But do you think that I can put the fish I have into a new 20gal tank for two days?


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[JLW]

Hey Richard,

Algae is caused by a combination of two problems, and is symptomatic of the problem, not actually the problem itself (in the same way that your "CHECK ENGINE" light means something is wrong with the car. The problem isn't that the light is on, the problem is that your gas cap needs tightened. THat'll be $249.99).

The first is that there is too much light on the tank, which is pretty easily remedied, and I don't suspect the case. Either way, cutting back on the light will help with the algae, but doesn't address the bigger problem.

Algae need nutrients to grow, and those nutrients have to come from somewhere. There are four possibilities. First, check your tap water and ensure that there aren't a lot of nitrates and phosphates in your tap. More likely is that you're often overfeeding the tank. Third, you may have a stockpile of nutrients somewhere which a cleaning isn't removing -- are you remembering to lift your decorations and vacuum under them? Did you get that big dead fish that crawled wayyyy up inside of the hollow castle? Etc. Lastly, you may have a case of too much fish and too little tank -- without knowing the size of your main tank (which I hope isn't also a 20-gallon!), that's hard to say. But 35 cichlids could be too many.

Finally, when you use a UV filter, you are killing a lot of the bacteria and algae that live in the water column. The ones that live on the tank walls, decorations, etc., are unaffected -- and have less competition for the nutrients.

 

[HoleyRockofTex]

I think a couple of Bristlenose pleco might also help with your problem. Along with what everyone else has mentioned.

 

[Suunsu]

Thanks for the info. My tank is a 150, But I think that is was a combination of food and light. I'll be more careful next time.


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[Jt731]

Couple things from my experiences with algae:
1. Get a better scraper. Getting one called the "flipper" versus the white mag ones at pet shops was huge
2. Id the algae. Will definitely help, and if it's something like green dust or green spot you may have to let it go for a while before you scrape.
3. +1 for moving the light higher
4. Depending on flow rate/wattage of your canister (aquatic or sun sun?) you may not even be able to get water clarification. I have a tmc vectron on one of my tanks with a flow rate that gives true level 2 sterilization and I still get algae in the tank

If it's green on the wall then I'd go look at Tom Barr's website and what he and some of his followers figured out. Brown on the wall is very likely just the tank hasn't been established long enough. Also, if you put salts etc... You may have an excess of potassium in the water which feeds the algae.

 

[zackcrack00]

Try juvenile bristlenose plecos. They're great for cleaning up algae and keeping it that way. 2-3" size seems to be when they're at their peak.


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[mchambers]

Check this page out for advice. A lot depends on the kind of algae you have:

http://www.guitarfish.org/algae

 

[neut]

Some algae actually does well in low light, or does better in a specific lighting spectrum, meaning bulb condition can be a factor, so lighting as an issue isn't always that straightforward. But basically, nutrients, competition for nutrients (plants) and how conditions in your tank favor the algae or favor the competition, lighting, and algae eaters are key factors to what you see in your tank.

Here's another reference-- Skeptical Aquarist-- Algae: light control.

Same site, more links regarding algae control here.

 

[hollyfish2000]

BBA is killed by overdosing on Excel. If its on things like rocks or wood, you can pull it out, dip it i a containter of Excel and return to the tank. The algae will turn red and die, which I find extremely satisfying. You can also double dose the tank, which works as well.

 

[mchambers]

BBA

BBA is killed by overdosing on Excel. If its on things like rocks or wood, you can pull it out, dip it in a container of Excel and return to the tank. The algae will turn red and die, which I find extremely satisfying. You can also double dose the tank, which works as well.

If it is BBA, hydrogen peroxide will do the same, and is cheaper and easier to find.

 

[Andrewtfw]

If it is BBA, hydrogen peroxide will do the same, and is cheaper and easier to find.

Can you dose hydrogen peroxide? I've seen videos where the water level is dropped and then exposed plants are sprayed with peroxide, but can it be dosed like excel?

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[mchambers]

Supposedly, yes. 2 ml per gallon. I take the recommended amount, put it in a syringe, turn off the filters, and inject the H2O2 on the BBA.

There have been reports of fish kills on the Internet, but I haven't had that. It will kill some mosses and similar plants. Of course, Excel can do the same.