Algae. I am defeated.
- Thread starter Brooklynella
- Start date
I have a dual tube 48" fixture with stock bulbs. It is a decent amount of light but i've tried leaving the tank dark for days on end.
Water temp is high right now; 80-85 depending on how hot it is outside (I keep the heater set at 78)
I've diatomed, removed half the water, changed the filters and added phosphate remover & algicide all at the same time. within 5 days, it's back to being green.
Cliff: why are you sure this is not cyanobactria?
Water temp is high right now; 80-85 depending on how hot it is outside (I keep the heater set at 78)
I've diatomed, removed half the water, changed the filters and added phosphate remover & algicide all at the same time. within 5 days, it's back to being green.
Cliff: why are you sure this is not cyanobactria?
If it is cyano, an algicide won't kill it. Try total darkness for a week - not just lights off, total darkness (cover tank with blankets, etc), since cyano is photosynthetic, plus keep up with or step up water changes and run the diatom filter and/or uv, and be sure to run good filtration and airstones since this stuff can take out your fish when there is a mass die off. Reduce feeding too. You can also try erythromycin, but it will kill your biofilter and may increase antibiotic resistance in fish pathogens.
Try total darkness for a week - not just lights off, total darkness (cover tank with blankets, etc), since cyano is photosynthetic, plus keep up with or step up water changes and run the diatom filter and/or uv, and be sure to run good filtration and airstones since this stuff can take out your fish when there is a mass die off. Reduce feeding too. You can also try erythromycin, but it will kill your biofilter and may increase antibiotic resistance in fish pathogens.Brooklynella;4325687; said:I have a dual tube 48" fixture with stock bulbs. It is a decent amount of light but i've tried leaving the tank dark for days on end.
Water temp is high right now; 80-85 depending on how hot it is outside (I keep the heater set at 78)
I've diatomed, removed half the water, changed the filters and added phosphate remover & algicide all at the same time. within 5 days, it's back to being green.
Cliff: why are you sure this is not cyanobactria?
In my experiance, I was able to see blue coloring in it. If you don't see any shades of blue, likely not cyanobactrie. I would be worth your time to find some pics of cyanobactria on the internet just to make sure tho. Also, I tried everything that all the posters here had suggested and it only got worse. As you said it is a green algae (not blue) I would continue to take the advice given here and stay the course. Give those suggestion some time and effort first.
it's not cyano because you said you have green water. cyano is a blue-green slime that grows on along your substrate, usually near the front of the glass
OP: Running the diatom for 8 hours until the tank "looks" clean seems pointless. Some 'algae' will remain, and it will come back. Do you have a pic of the tank for ID?
Green water is suspended, it doesn't attach to plants and substrate like he's describing. It sounds like both green water and cyano or a hair algae. Cyano isn't always blue-green either... it's a whole phylum of countless species.
Green water is suspended, it doesn't attach to plants and substrate like he's describing. It sounds like both green water and cyano or a hair algae. Cyano isn't always blue-green either... it's a whole phylum of countless species.
It looks like cyano to me, if you leave even the tinyest bit it will be back in a day or two. Does the tank or your filter media have a strong earthy oder? If it's cyano tetracycalene will kill it. No algea eater will eat it. Once you have it under control. Try floating some fast growing plants like Cabomba or Water Sprite they soak up nitrites and nitrates like a sponge and out compete true algea for the available nutriants in the water. Two 48" blubs is 64 watts so your just under 1 watt per gallon and if they are stock lights they are probebly about 4500-5000K reddish, you could also replace them with one 6700K and one 10000K add a pleco and you should be set. I'm not an expert but this is what I have done and it worked for me.
macclellan;4326205; said:
I posted a pic and will post another when teh tank goes bad again.
Diatom is hardly pointless; it's removing particle debris from the water one micron at a time. That's a plethora of disease, fungal spores, ALGAE, etc. Once it's collected in the filter it's out of the tank.
could be your water containing run off from farming and other things.
try using ro water and if that helps you can kill it off my blocking every single mm of light with black bags for a week to get ride of most of the stuff.
sounds like your water though.
try using ro water and if that helps you can kill it off my blocking every single mm of light with black bags for a week to get ride of most of the stuff.
sounds like your water though.
