Pink algae?

caitie
caitie Member Posts: 3
edited February 2017 in Tropical / Freshwater Fish
Hi, over the last couple of days a thin layer of pink algae like stuff has grown on the glass of mybtank and on the fiilter. Was wondering if anyone knew what it is and what I can do? Im worried its cyanobacteria. I moved my tank a week ago so dont know if that makes a difference. Also i just purchased a new fish so could I have introduced something to my tank from the pet shop, their tanks seemed spotless?

Comments

  • Heintz.G
    Heintz.G Moderator Posts: 1,367
    Hi Caitie and welcome, well I never knew that BGA could come in pink how wrong was I Lol. I had BGA in one of my tanks and found doing frequent small water changes, not overfeeding and keeping the Nitrate level at around 5ppm seemed to get rid of it.

    Here's a some info I came across on the net.

    Red Slime Algae

    The reddish pink algae you are seeing may be either bad (cyanobacteria) or good (coraline algae) depending on its texture. Coraline algae often forms in areas of high light and is very hard to remove without the use of a razor blade. It can be pink, purple or red in color and grows in circular patches with the patches expanding as it forms, and is a good algae to have growing. Although sometimes it will grow in spots that is undesirable and needs to be scraped off every once in a while.
     If the algae is more slimy in texture and comes off in sheets or strands when you scrape it then you may just have some cyanobacteria or red slime algae forming. This is common to see towards the bottom of the tank and grows especially well in areas of low water movement. Having this grow around the edge of your gravel is normal and simply needs to be cleaned off when it starts to get noticeable. The only time that red slime algae is bad is when it grows out of control and starts smothering other inhabitants of the tank.
    Red slime algae grows in water with a high nutrient load. Most of the waste products produced by the inhabitants of your tank are more dense then the water and form along the bottom increasing the chance for this algae to grow in these areas. There is also less of a water flow towards the bottom and sometimes simply placing a powerhead down near the bottom can keep this algae from growing in a system.

    I had BGA in one of my tanks and found doing frequent small water changes, not overfeeding and keeping the Nitrate level at around 5ppm seemed to get rid of it
    Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes & dreams.
  • caitie
    caitie Member Posts: 3
    thanks I'll try that. It's just weird because it comes off easily but its not like a slime or in sheets so that's why I was a bit confused
  • Heintz.G
    Heintz.G Moderator Posts: 1,367
    The only place it grew in sheets in my tank was on the driftwood and the Anubias, on the sand and even the glass was in spots like your tank. Mine was light green not pink, and I was really tempted to let it grow all over the sand, I liked the colour of it.
    Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes & dreams.
  • Mooo
    Mooo Moderator Posts: 7,653
    edited February 2017
    Hi & welcome
    If you seen the amount of algae I let grow in my tanks ;) lol It's good tucker most of it.. if it aint,
    they don't eat it :D
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