Algae problem
luigi
Member Posts: 561
What is the best way to get rid of algae in an aquarium?
Comments
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Depends on the algae, but generally...Turn the lights off an hour sooner, check phosphorus levels..feed less, & or Get a Bristlenose
"I'm a Doug Addict" 
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Moo I have green hair algae on some of my plants , do I need some shrimp? :-/
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Would like to get some bristlenose, but I have black moors, ranchu in one tank and orandas in another. All coldwater fish. I have done some research on Chinese Algae Eaters and found that they become aggressive when they get older. Also due to black moors being slow swimmers and have poor sight, the Chinese Algae Easter might suck on their bodies and possibility suck their eye out.
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Hi Errol
I have been told by several people that Red Cherry Shrimp are good algae eaters. They do not damage plants, but it depends on what fish you have in your tank. Red Cherry Shrimp grow to about 2 to 3 cam. If you have large fish in your tank, they might eat the shrimp. -
Errol contact Dave Wilson at aquagreen.com.au and get some Darwin algae shrimp..They do eat it
Luigi, the goldies will eat the shrimp in a heart beat sorry... "I'm a Doug Addict" -
THANKS ..... 3:-O will do.
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remember that most shrimp are tropical too. glass shrimp are your best bet for cold water.
Dealing with algae is an issue that people are often confused about and tend to go after the symptom, not the cause. If you have steak knife in your leg in sure taking pain killers will help but as long as that knife is there you will be in pain and it will one day lead to greater issues. It is the same with algae. Find out what is causing it and then you will be able to fix it once and for all. 99% percent of algae issues come back to too much light or too high nutrients. lights should run for 8-10 hrs a day max. any more than that and you are is for algae. -
"I'm a Doug Addict"
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Doug I am guilty as charged too much light, UV required but I like a bit for B/N's.
Take the pain killers first and worry about the knife later ???????? -
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No they don't Moo, but i am quilty of leaving the light too long, was trying to work out a happy medium algue for B/n with no hair maybe some shrimp like I said painkillers first,
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**** Algae****
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algae growth = tank out of balance. I prefer to keep my tanks in balance and feed my fish algae wafers and veges. makes things so much easier in the long run
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Yes Doug I think your right, been reading up and the thought of algae scrubers and the parafanalia is a bit over the top for me. When I finally get my new tank sorted I think I'll go down the uv road and yes I'll keep an eye on paramaters ie Light and nutrients, just liked Rainbows ,B.n's and shrimp together? And all happy.
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Hi Bob
By using a UV sterilizer would it also get rid of good bacteria?
Regards,
Luigi -
Hi Luigi,
A UV steriliser will only work on the Life-forms in the water column which pass through the steriliser. This includes all bacteria, microbes and free-floating algae spores. It will not have an impact on your bacterial colonies that are in your filtration systems nor will it have an impact on the algae which is growing on the glass of your tank or on plants.
For your size tank you would need a min 36 watt UV steriliser, anything less is not going to give you a kill rate which will effectively reduce bacteria, microbes or free-floating algae. A think having a decent UV sterilise would be of use to you in reducing the harmful bacteria which may lodge on/in the "wen" of your Orandas.
Regards,
Bob -
Hi Bob
Can you recommend a brand of UV sterilizer?
Regards,
Luigi -
Hi Luigi,
I have used a "laguna" 39 watt system which I used for approx 12 months. I found it impossible to clean/replace the UV globe. I have not used anything since preferring to rely on regular water changes and vaccing the gravel to control contaminants. I have minimal algae growing on plants or sides of the tank.
Regards,
Bob -
will Darwin algae shrimp eat BBA, since taking out my SAE the BBA has come back. I will not put another in as this is my breading tank? hhmmm what to do?
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No they won't ..
You can squirt a small amount of Seachem Excel directly on it..it goes red and dies within days..Do a small area daily till you have irradicated it, & work out why it comes in the first place..I know in my C02 tank when the mixture is loosing strength, the BBA can try to attack..but once my C02 levels are refreshed, It disappears..;;)
As I understand it..BBA comes from an imbalance of your tanks C02 levels, Doug do you concur ? :-? "I'm a Doug Addict" -
Hi Mooo
What is BBA?
Luigi -
luigi,
BBA is short for "black beard algae"
Mooo,
my tank has plants on wood and rock and normal small aquarium rocks for the bottom, I dont use any type of ferts...Im thinking over feeding may be the prob... there is no sunshine that reaches this tank any more, maybe I could try not turning on the light?? would that help, -
BBA comes from imballances within the CO2 levels in your tank as well as elevated phosphates. Swinging CO2 is always an issue in fish tanks and there is not too much you can do about it. dropping your phosphates are easy to drop
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If your C02 is swinging , so will your pH :-S "I'm a Doug Addict"
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indeed, adding buffers to your water will help it a bit depending on your water. Most CO2 swings come when fresh water is added. Tap water is loaded with CO2. My water stands overnight in a barrel outside before going into my tanks. If its tap water (which i sometimes use for the added hardness) then this allows time for the CO2 to bubble out of the water.
Do you use any sort of pH down type chemical? -
I do have a pH down chemical, but don't tend to use it unless necessary. When doing water changes I put in prime, but don't seem to have high pH (that is for my fish type) what is phosphates and how does one drop them...lol I soo know nothing...
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im not technical minded with the science of it all, but did find this link
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006040107463 -
Megs ...It isn't rocket science, Basically, If you over feed or you have excess rotten plant matter or the water is under filtered, ie more waste than the bacterias in the filter can convert, Or all of the above, You will see phosphates rise, causing algae to thrive..It is an ingredient in those powdered buffers, I do not recommend them at all.. :-q
"I'm a Doug Addict" -
I agree mooo, I dont like to use chemicals, things can go wrong very quickly!!
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Here is a pic of some algae, I think, as I cannot identify it... it is only on the black silicone rubber in the tank? can any one help?
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That's Not algae...Can it be rubbed off? It Just looks like the discolorations the silicone gets ..I wouldn't be too bothered by that Megs ;;)
Your plants look great if any algae were to appear..the glass and the plants are the first places usually..
Starting to think you are a worry wart Megs.. :-\" "I'm a Doug Addict" -
I know Mooo, I freak out over the little stuff...Its just I know so little, and I really am having fun doing this "hobby" for lack of a better word.
The stuff rubs of, and dosn't hurt the fish. In that tank its just the BBA on the rock, the rest of the tank looks great.
thanks for putting my mind at rest Mooo -
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Hi All,
Would a phosphate pad help in reducing algae?
Regards,
Luigi -
sure would. Phosphate is one of the things that fuels algae. But just make sure that it is an issue.
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Hi Doug
Are all phosphate pads the same?
Luigi -
nope, some specifically target phosphate while others are more general in nature. some can be recharged while others are a once off.
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Hi Doug
Which ones are rechargable?
I have use google without success.
I found one that is called Phosban which claims that it can be left in aquarium for a few months.
Luigi -
hmm I used some , was like a greenish fibre pad, didn't make a bit of difference...I was overfeeding /:) "I'm a Doug Addict"
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things like Zorb pouches are rechargeable. However, i will say as i always have, treat the cause, not the symptom. only long term answer is to fix the cause. So much of modern society is quick fix, instant gratificaton and trying to avoid work. Do the work, you will be amazed work sets you free.
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What causes phosphates? To my knowledge I feed my fish small amounts twice day. My oranda tank had 12 orandas and on the weekend I lost the smallest one in the tank. I used to do weekely water changes and now am doing water changes twice week.
Am I missing out on something?
Regards,
Luigi -
Has anyone used Phosban?
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tap water or rain water can come loaded with phosphates. it concentrates in your tank til it causes issues. check your tap water and rain water (if you use it) too see where it is coming from.
i've used phosvec in the past with some success. though in the end i replaced my gravel as that was causing all the issues. -
I use river sand in my oranda tanks. Would that have phosphates?
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Nope, no aquarium sand or gravel comes laced with phosphates. It leached into my gravel over time and was then leaching out
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In my oranda tank I am having a losing battle with algae. I don't have a light over the tank, but it's getting natural light from one side of the romm and behind the tank. Could that be the cause?
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natural light is very powerful stuff. It promotes algae growth like nothing else. Consider all the effort that people put into lighting marine tanks, huge metal halides and similar and they are still not as strong as natural light. what are the levels of the different nutrients in your tank?
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how do you test level of nutrients in a tank?
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test kits?
