Algae Infestation Problem

1638 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Hoppy, Mar 6, 2007

Justintoxicated

Discussion Starter · Feb 24, 2007

well it finaly happened to me. And I don't know why!

My Dwarf Puffers Planted tank has some serious algae problems.

The algae grows like cobwebs. It speads out and cover plants etc. The same stuff will also grow long green strands.

There is also some other algae that grows like spider webs as well in little fuzzy balls that I pull off the plants.

It seems to come off plants easy but it's impossible to get rid of all of it. I have been removing it by hand for over a month and within a day the amount has doubled or trippled. It started on my Moss and has complealy killed it off. I have no more creeping moss in that tank. (which had grown in beautifuly)

I tried dosing excel with absolutly no results.

Tank has DIY CO2 (untill I get my regulator built for my 15lb tank) but it is diffused well. The Algae and plants Pearl more than some of my other tanks!

I have 4 planted tanks and this is the only one with the issue. I pull the algae out and toss it in my cherry shimp tank and they seem to like it.

I'm thinking to remove everything, bleach the tank, and start over. I don't know what else to do anymore...

I dose macros and micro and have experimented with more or less of each and and it seems to have 0 impact on this algae. Sometimes the Algae is green and othertimes it is brown like it is dying, but if it's dying off it seems to spead even faster....

Please Help!

2.4 watts per gallon
Red Seas Diffuser
Dosing KNO3 to keep nitrate between 5-10ppm sometimes it goes a bit over.
Dosing Flourish accordingly (tried less)
Dosing Excel (with no effects)
Tried dosing iron for my red plants but stoped once the algae tookhold

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Justintoxicated

Discussion Starter · #2 · Mar 2, 2007

Please HELP, I tried overdosing the excel now, my plants are all still pearling in the afternoon, but the algae is continuing to spead out of controll.

I removed 1/2 my plants last week and it looks like I will have to do the same again this weekend.

I put in some Fissiden I ordered from Singapore (from Aquatic Magic) attached to the driftwood since all my moss died from excel treatments and algae infestation and in less than a week it is compleatly covered in this stringy algae and I will have to remove it as well (what a waste of shipping and expensive plant!)....It seems to start as brown algae then overnight it will cover my plants leaves like a spider web. It stops my Cambomba from openeing in the morning etc. It's all over my Ground cover as well, but I can luckily replace it once it grows back in my other tank next week.

I tried cutting the light back and it has not helped at all.

This algae must be from hell I don't have the problem in ANY of my other 3 planted tanks that are getting way more light.

I put some ghost shrimps int he the puffers and I have not sceen any agression towards them. I also added 2 more Ottos but they do not eat this stuff! Should I try adding amanos?

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Justintoxicated

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 2, 2007

On my way to work this is the best I can do.

Any way I can salvage my Fissidens?

I'm thinking to just stickit in one of my other tanks for a week and let the Cherry shrimp have at it.

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soh15

· #4 · Mar 2, 2007

How big is your tank and how much CO2 is getting in there. I had algae till I got my CO2 to 30 to 40ppm and KNO3 to 20 ppm. When I let KNO3 drop below 20ppm then BAM!!! Algae showed up in both my 3wpg tanks on the same day. Are you getting any growth on your plants or just Algae?

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Justintoxicated

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 3, 2007

soh15 said:
How big is your tank and how much CO2 is getting in there. I had algae till I got my CO2 to 30 to 40ppm and KNO3 to 20 ppm. When I let KNO3 drop below 20ppm then BAM!!! Algae showed up in both my 3wpg tanks on the same day. Are you getting any growth on your plants or just Algae?

I don't know the CO2 level because I can't determin it. However it's a 10 gallon tank and I'm using the same diffuser on my 24 gallon (Red Seas Reactor 500 Venturi). I have the same reactor on my 24 gallon tank pumping 1 bubble per second into it and it is enough to get my plants pearling as well but it's pressurized) This tank has only 2.4 watts per gallon and I have had the Nitrate over 20 ppm and way under and I'm getting this algae all over my plants (and only covering and suffocating them). It's stringy and Green or Fuzzy and Grey. When it's green it covers the plants like cobwebs and blocks light to them. When it's grey and fuzzy it's like little balls of algae all over everything.

I have less CO2 on my 20 gallon (only a micro bubble diffuser) and more light (over 3wpg), and I don't have these problems...

Thinking to tear down the whole tank and buy a bunch of fake plants. I'm stumped and agrivated.... Not like 3 other planted tanks arent enough, just that this one has always been my girlfriends favorite. It is a 10 gallon with 2.4 watts per hallon (single 24 watt PC) But I'm not going to spend hours removing algae every day...

Eventualy anyone would give up, especialy without knowing the cause. I think the Co2 is high enough because the plants are pearling....

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ringram

· #6 · Mar 3, 2007

Is that BGA(blue-green algae)? It's hard to tell. If it is, you'll need to physically remove it, clean the filter real good and probably raise No3 (often the cause).

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soh15

· #7 · Mar 3, 2007

It does sound like BGA, Here is a good thread on it.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/41293-blue-green-algae-taking-over.html?highlight=bga

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edacsac

· #8 · Mar 6, 2007

ringram said:
Is that BGA(blue-green algae)? It's hard to tell. If it is, you'll need to physically remove it, clean the filter real good and probably raise No3 (often the cause).

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I'm getting signs of BGA starting, but I thought cleaning the filter was bad as far as the "cycle" goes. I would really like to clean my filter and hoses (they're nasty), but I don't want to mess up anything thats going good.

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caymandiver75

· #9 · Mar 6, 2007

I had a bad algae issue before and resolved it 100% by double dosing Excel for 11 days in conjunction with reduction the lighting by a few hours a day. I am now using a diffuser, dosing regular amounts of Excel and I have consistent CO2 levels above 35 and it hasn't come back.

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Hoppy

· #10 · Mar 6, 2007

You have to dose phosphates too, and it doesn't look like you are. When you don't dose phosphates the plants can't use all of that nitrate and traces you are dosing. Plants need all of their basic foods available. Once they have that they should start growing faster, more healthy, and the algae should stop coming back when you clean it out.

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