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ugh algae!

2K views 30 replies 12 participants last post by  FloridaBettas239 
#1 ·
Hey guys. I had a breakout of brown and green algae in my tank so I did a full water change. It hasnt even been a week and already the green algae is back. I have a heated, filtered tank with 2 amazon sword plants. I have my lioght set to a timer to be on 8 hrs a day. I also use flourish excell and I still get algae. Can anyone help??
 
#3 ·
How big is the tank, how old are the light bulbs? any direct sunlight?
If your light bulbs are older than 6 month old you may need to change them and increase the photo period to 10-12 hours-the better the growth of the plants to out compete the algae, you may need to tweak this as time passes- you may need to add root tabs for the sword plants, also adding floating plants or stem plants can help use the nutrient in the water column to out compete the algae.
 
#5 ·
What are the "w" and "k" rating on the bulbs, also try not to disturb the root tab and get them in the water column this can cause an algae bloom too.
It may just be a photo period issue to balance things out, I would increase it to 10h to start.
I stay on a 12h a day photo period on my planted tanks so I get active growth to out compete algae
 
#6 ·
When I had this problem, The tetra care program said to cut the light's back on the tank to 5 hours a day. Make sure no sun light is shining on the tank. When you cut the light back do a 50% water change and then cut the light to 5 hours, for a week or two. Clean the tank with one of them blue scrub pads. You want to clean everything, do a 50% change and cut the light back to 5...

When i asked the guy at pet smart about it he said, yes that they have to do it some times to keep things under control
 
#7 ·
In a non-planted tank-yes-reduces lights, however, in planted tanks you have to balance things, lights help the plant grow and active plant growth can out compete the algae and adding stem and floating plants can also help for a long term fix- short term fix, manual removal and water change.
 
#8 ·
I dont no what kind of plant's you have? My 55 is filled with java fern, Anubias, and a little dwarf hair grass.. Anyway I had 2 new fish the next day they had ick. So the medication I bought said the lights had to be off no more than 5 hours a day. It was that quick cure,, never use that again... Anyway after only having my lights on for 4.5 hours a day and having to crank the heat up. but having the lights cut back like that for a week, didnt hurt nothing I turned them back to 12 on 12 off and there was a couple leaves that looked a little yellow on them but nothing was wrong nothing died.
You can go on google and read stories of people throwing some java fern in a bag and then throwing it in there closet because something happen with there tank. like 3 or 6 months later they went and got the brown dried up java fern cut everything off. besides the root balb, they put it in a 5 gallon bucket with water and a light and the thing grew back. Them plants are tougher then you thing. Unless its a hard to take care of, always need co2 and stuff..
 
#11 ·
You need to get one of them blue scrub pad's that are made for aquarium's, Take everything out, wash it really good, scrub the tank with that blue pad, then wait for everything to settle to the bottom, take and siphon from the bottom sucking up all the nasty stuff untill you get like 50% of the water out, Put everything back in the tank, and fill it back up. Now you can buy stuff like, "No more algae" made by jungle and cut the light's back to 5 hour's a day. Then start doing your week water changes 25% and everytime add a little "No more algae".. This will fix the problem, Then if you want to keep your algae in control buy a bushy nose pleco, they only get six inches so its not a big deal for your 10 gallon. And there called one of the best pleco's at cleaning a tank. You can research it.. I have one in my 10 gallon and he does a great job...
Even when I cut my light's back it kept coming back that's when I used the "no more algae" and it was gone, then I got a pleco..
 
#14 ·
Well it still hasnt gotten any better. I checked the filter today only to find that it was covered in algae. I was using algae fix for the past week with no change. Im thinking maybe the filter being covered in algae was the reason why?? I changed it and am hoping for the best.
 
#17 ·
Can you post a pic?

Google- cyanobacteria and make sure that this is not your problem...this is not an algae but a bacteria and requires different treatment than most algae...especially since algaefix is not effective.....
^^Yep. I was just going to ask this myself - - - are you sure you don't have a cyanobacterial outbreak? To me, cyano is much more tricky to get rid of than algae.

I had a piece of moss-covered driftwood that started to grow cyano in a dead-zone. I removed the driftwood from my tank. I blasted the driftwood with a combo of hydrogen peroxide spot-treatments, darkness, highly-oxygenated/agitated water, and erythromycin over 7-10 days. Uggh.
 
#18 ·
I looked it up and I still think its algae. I have some pics below. Today I woke up to find one of my Bettas dead. Can algae kill them? I clean it when I can but ive been busy with work lately so now im worried about my other fish dieing... Even when I do clean it, the next day it is back and full force. I only have my light on for about 5 hrs a day now and its still bad.
 

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#19 ·
You need to balance the lights and nutrients for stronger plant growth to out compete the algae
With sword plants they are slow grower, by adding some stem plants and/or floating plants and a longer photo period that may help to out compete nutrient and light with the algae.

Algae-cide-has been know to kill some fish and plants-I would be careful in its use

It is hard to tell-but on this algae-is it growing in sheet and does it have a smell to it or is it hard to rub off the walls and decorations?

I would clean the algae off, make a large water change, increase the photo period to 10h, add some stem plants and floating plants, and increase the water flow
 
#20 · (Edited)
I dont know what growing in sheet means. It doesnt smell and it is easy to clean off. Im getting to the point where I might go back to fake plants. I never had this issue with them. I dont know where id put more plants. As it is I feel like the tank is too cramped in my current setup.


Upon looking closer at my tank, not only is my betta dead but so is my catfish and algae eater. I am so frustrated!
 
#21 ·
You need to get some type of "No more algae" kind of medication stuff. You need to do a 50% water change, take everything you can out and clean it really good. Then fill it back up and add the No more algae, and add that, plus cut the light's back to 5 hour's a day. The main and most important thing to coral is light, so I know your not going to hurt your plant's. If you ask the saltwater guy's they cut there light's back to 5 hour's a day and the coral don't die, which is a lot harder to take care of then your plant's. So cut the light's back to 5 hour's, and it wouldn't hurt to get some of them little chinnese algae eatters that don't get but like 2 '' or get a bushy nose that only get 6'' and put him in one section. That algae will be gone quick like.
Another thing is what all are you adding to your tank? When your doing water change's what do you add? This can cause problem's......
 
#22 ·
There is a guy with a business that cleans really nasty green pool's on house's that people just left because the market droped. And this guy uses 13 inch sucker fish to clean the pool's then he will come back remove the fish and finish cleaning and add chlorine.. You get a 6 inch sucker and 2 day's that tank will be clean, Also is your tank by a window or anything where it gets some sun light??
 
#23 ·
You need to get some type of "No more algae" kind of medication stuff. You need to do a 50% water change, take everything you can out and clean it really good. Then fill it back up and add the No more algae, and add that, plus cut the light's back to 5 hour's a day. The main and most important thing to coral is light, so I know your not going to hurt your plant's. If you ask the saltwater guy's they cut there light's back to 5 hour's a day and the coral don't die, which is a lot harder to take care of then your plant's. So cut the light's back to 5 hour's, and it wouldn't hurt to get some of them little chinnese algae eatters that don't get but like 2 '' or get a bushy nose that only get 6'' and put him in one section. That algae will be gone quick like.
Another thing is what all are you adding to your tank? When your doing water change's what do you add? This can cause problem's......

I am not using any more medication. I used algaecide and woke up to one of my bettas dead, a catfish dead, and an algae eater dead. Used that crap for a week and the algae just got worse. I cleaned the tank fully and within the day it was green all over again. I have the light down to 5 hours a day and still the same nonsense.
 
#24 ·
The stuff I used is called " No more algae" made by jungle I think and it didn't effect any bettas or any of my fish I have used it in tropical tank and my divided betta tank without a problem...
I dont know if it is this bad take everything out Put fish in bowl's and start over from scrach, then it's a new beginning for you sorry I couldn't help........
 
#26 ·
Along this same subject, I have a brown substance growing in my stank, similiar tot he pictures above, just brown. Is this simply brown algea? Also, there seems to be some sort of white 'fuzz' ontop of the areas covered by brown algea. Right now there are multiple objects in my tank that have some of this brown algea on it, but only my cavern has it the worst, along with the fuzz. Reason for concern?
 
#27 ·
Try getting some hornwort or floating plants as OFL suggested. They grow quickly, block some light, and will soak up nutrients hopefully deterring the algae growth. Hornwort you can float if you'd like so you won't have to put it down below and take up more space.
 
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