Hello everyone and happy new year 2015 to all of you.
It's been a few weeks that I started noticing some algae on my tank (on rocks, some leaves and the driftwood) (pics below)
I have a 7.5 Gal Mr.Aqua bowfront.
* Fish: betta, 4 rasboras, a bunch of MTS, 3 otocinclus, 2 amano shrimp
* Plants: anubias, ludwigia, starting some Baby dwarf tears, fissidens, and two I got but not sure what they are (sword blades looking one and the one next to the rock)
* Injected CO2.
* NO3: ~10 - 20ppm
I got the Otos and amano shrimp very recently but none seem to be attracted to it or munching on it.
Additionally, I have that black sponge pre-filter so the betta does not get stuck on it.
I have had that since the beginning (~9mo)
I just rinse it on every water change (about every week) and I rinse the filter media (carbon, biomax and filter sponge) about every other month.
What would you suggest to clear it and prevent spreading?
Perhaps improvements to my cleaning process?
Just give the algae cleaners some time, and they'll go to work with awesome results. I had a big hair algae outbreak in my 45 gallon long tank, went and got 6 Amano shrimp, and with a week my tank was algae free!!!
@Jim: question? Are you referring to Flourish Excel? This is liquid organic carbon right?
Isn't that food for the plans?
Just wondering if you know why it works and could share that with me so I can learn.
Black brush algae, like you have on your rock, has always been difficult for me to eliminate, other than by removing the rock entirely. I think you will need to remove it and kill the BBA with hydrogen peroxide, Excel, or bleach, then clean it thoroughly and replace it in tank. Do this weekly or every other week, and you may be able to keep it under control. But, a little bit of BBA in a tank usually means a lot of BBA eventually.
drain the tank for a big water change, take dropper of perox and go apply one drop to each microtuft, let sit in the air a couple mins, refill and take update photographs in a week when its cleaned.
when they come back, repeat! so very effective.
in the meantime one can tweak and adjust ferts and gas for the long term controls
what determines if any tank, fw or marine, is overtaken by any predictable foe, is whether or not that foe is purposefully farmed in the tank and allowed to increase biomass.
algae invasions in tanks exist because the primary mode of control is indirect (do X to your water)
i made sure no tank of mine w ever have algae regardless of any param because I cheated it clean and burned anything i didnt like. then in time it stops coming back, thats how it works for me anyway.
Its important that any changes you make has to be small and only change / adjust one thing at a time. Example is lower the photo period 1 hour. Then you would wait and watch for a few week or two before changing anything else
I have a guess, my setup is manual, and I was out for vacation for a week, so, no lights.
After that I did a big water change to reduce the NO3s.
I have performed a couple big water changes after that, the NO3s seem to be pretty stable too.
Then, this December break, I also was out of town, so it was the same story again.
I'm wondering if the lack of light and CO2 during those periods was what affected it.
And these last 3 days I have overcompensated the light by running it about 12 hrs a day.
Bad decision? (I'm trying to resuscitate a potted Baby dwarf tears)
@Brandon: did you mean, drain the whole tank? That would be quite tough for I have no other tank to put the fish on.
Would it be ok if I take the stones out and do the Peroxide treatment you mentioned?
Yes, yes and more yes. You can't simply go away like that and expect things to be perfect.
A planted tank is balanced on a fine line, and major changes are never good. Its hard to monitor what's going on if your adjusting too many variables at once.
Getting on a regular routine is far better. Aim for 6-8 hours photo period. Weekly WC of 50%, a light dosing of ferts per week, cleaning debris / dead plant matter daily or every other day (30 seconds at most) and don't overfeed. Do this for a like 3 weeks and see where you at and how the algae is doing.
Keep in mind manual removal of algae you have now is important. So using peroxide on bba is a must. Pulling any hair algae cutting of dying leaves etc. There is always lots that can be done to help your cause.
Since you have co2 you need to get it stabilized and consistent. That's a make or break kind of thing.
Hope this helps, any questions ask.
Bump: As for provide treatment, get a spray bottle. Fill it. Turn off filters and power heads. Spray directly on algae. Wait for 5 min and then turn back on filters.
Do this daily. Little bit of algae at a time. Start left to right and front to back. Can't hurt your fish this way. Doing the whole tank at once is not suggested. Again you can't tackle something like this in 2 days. It takes months and months to achieve perfect balance.
@Philipraposo1982: thank you for your input; I'm having an issue understanding how to do the peroxide on the rocks with BBA.
Do I take out the rock from the tank and clean it over a couple days? Do I somehow clean it while inside the tank where all the fish and plants are? Is it safe for the fish and plants?
Anything you can remove that isn't going to have a nagetive effect and is easy you can. Spray peroxide right on it and leave it to dry naturally. The algae will die. Then rinse and put back.
This is my fist tank and I'm definitely learning and going through the pains of being a noob ^_^
I definitely messed up with the sudden big swings in light and water changes after my trips.
I payed more close attention and I can see more spot algae on plants and rocks, the otos seem to be working on that one, but I'm noticing some fast long hair algae growing on the blixia (I think that's its name, the sword looking one)
For Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) treatment you can buy a syringe at Walgreens or other drug stores that has measurement markings on the side. Look up Walgreens Syringe on the internet. For my bba problem I apply up to 1ml per gallon under water on the affected areas including plants. I turn off my filters and power heads, apply peroxide, wait 15 minutes then turn them back on. If possible I remove my driftwood to treat outside the tank and do not put them back in until the bba is gone. My fish and plants do not seem to be affected but I am not sure of the affects on shrimp, snails and fish such as clown loaches. You can test at lower doses to insure your live stock is not affected and do more internet research.
Exactly what will the Excel do? Is Excel harmful to Red Cherry Shrimp? I have some hair algae starting up, just wondering if this would head it off at the pass.
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