Algae problems

6 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


cour002
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:49 pm

Algae problems

by cour002

I have a 20 gal freshwater plant tank and have moderate algae problems. Do any experienced tank owners have special tricks to control the algae in their tanks? The algae is a green slimy one that coats surfaces of rocks, plants, and sometimes the gravel. Thanks!


texasfishlover7598
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:27 pm

by texasfishlover7598

some kinds of fish are good at controling that or fresh water shrimp miight keep it under control


dizzcat
 
Posts: 648
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am

by dizzcat

How old is your tank? If its a bright green and slimy, its actually not an algae. When I first set up my small 10 gallon I had this stuff. It would come back within a day after cleaning the tank. Sometimes growing so fast it would get air bubbles under it! I read that it can show up due to an imbalance in the tank. Can't remember what its called or where I read that at the moment tho.

I got rid of it by cleaning out the tank really good once a week at least. I would remove everything and scrub it down. Also would scoop up any rock with it and throw it away. Eventually it went away.

Good luck! I hated that stuff!


Tmercier834747
 
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm

by Tmercier834747

There are a few natural ways to rid yourself, or at least control the growth of algae.

1) Japonica/Amano Shrimp. They are the all around best algae eaters I've seen/had experience with. They can develop an affinity for fish food and forget about the algae as adult shrimp though. You could probably house 8-10 of these shrimp in your tank regardless of current stocking (unless you're sure they'd be eaten) simply because shrimp release a ton less waste than any fish. They will also consume un-eaten food left by your fish on the bottom.

2) Otocinculus Cats. They're peaceful, they eat nothing but algae, and provided they have enough cover they're ignored by most predators due to their size and the fact that they're inconspicuous. 1-3 would be a good # for your 20gal. Unfortunately they can be kind've picky when it comes to some types of algae.

3) SAE's (true siamese algae eater). These would be better for an aggressive setup, and also unfortunately are hard to find, and are often mis-labeled at LFSs..

4) Lights. If you're limited on what you can add as far as livestock, try limiting how long your lights are on every day. If they're on 12 hours, cut back to 10, and if 10, cut back to 8. If you have live plants though 8 is the bare minimum.

5) CO2. CO2 supplementation will cause your plants to grow at a faster rate (as long as they're getting 2.5-3.5 watts per gallon) and take in more nutrients faster, thereby starving the algae. If for some reason there's still an excess of nutrients the algae may still grow at its normal rate.

6) Last but not least...Nutrient sucking plants. Heavily rooting plants like amazon sword and various lilys will take everything in from the substrate leaving nutrients in the water column. Try adding some plants like anarachis, floating water sprite, hornwort, moneywort, cabomba, or pennywort. These will take in a lot of nutrients from the water column and also hopefully starve your algae.


aaronnorth
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:49 pm

by aaronnorth

Take a look at this guide and ID which algae you have: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

Tmer is absolutely correct

Bteween otocinclus catfish and snails, I have absolutely no algae problems. These two species alone will wipe out most algae problems.

The cause of most algae problems arise from too high nitrate levels and too much lighting.

If you cut down on your lighting, and water test the nitrate - by not over-feeding, over-crowding, having live plants and a great filtration system - it is gunaranteed, you will not have an algae problem.

hope this helps

Algae problems

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