algae problem

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redbellyPirahna4

Candiru
MFK Member
Mar 19, 2008
837
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in front of my cichla tank,IL
havent been on here for a while. the question i have is when i went on vacation for and had one of my relatives feed the fish but they left the light on on my 29gallon so for several days the light was on 130watt compact florescent normally i just have one bulb on but they turned both on and when i came back there is a thick algae on all of my amazon swords, what can i do to get rid of it? i have left it for 2 weeks because i was busy with work. i tried removing it with my hand but its still there now i switched the light back to a 30watt or 39watt not sure. heres a pic

IMAG0328.jpg
 
i tried taking some out but it just grows back. i will go to aquarium adventures tomorrow since they have 40% off fish right now and mayb pick up something that might help
 
thanks for the link
im gonna try to get as much off as i can by hand also i have one of those co2 things where u add sugar activator and water i will put that on tomorrow and i do have flourish excel so i guess i can give that a try. if they have a big enough algae eater i will buy one but they usually have tiny ones and if i got one of the tiny ones it will get eaten by my dat or pbass.
 
and THAT is why you use a $6 mechanical timer
 
Black Brush Algae! That's a nightmare to eradicate. I haven't had any serious outbreaks of that in years, but when I did ..... It SUCKED! I recommend that you do the following:

1. Remove all the Algae that you can. This includes trimming all the leaves off your plants. ( don't worry- they'll grow back )

2. Perform a MAJOR water change.

3. Dose the tank with plenty of IRON.

4. Buy some "True" SEMENSIS algae eaters. They are the only fish that is known to eat BBA

5. Watch the previously trimmed plants closely. As soon as they begin to sprout new leaves - dose the tank with an AMMONIUM based fertilizer. ( SEACHEM FLOURISH-NITROGEN)

I know it may seem counter-intautive, but BBA only seems to thrive in tanks where the plants have been starved for nutrients. You will see the BBA stopped in it's tracks when all of the higher order plants have their needs met and are growing well.

Good Luck.
 
O2surplus;4437240; said:
I know it may seem counter-intautive, but BBA only seems to thrive in tanks where the plants have been starved for nutrients.
Click to expand...

yeah, the same applies for all forms of algae. people have a difficult time grasping this concept. many think algae is caused by excess nutrients in the water, when in fact the lack of nutrients causes the plants to suffer which allows algae to take over. and at the end of the day this is driven by your lighting.

- too much light = increased demand for ferts/co2
- lack of ferts/co2 = unhealthy plants
- unhealthy plants = algae takeover
- reduce lighting/add more co2/add more ferts = healthy plants
- healthy plants = no algae
 
jcardona1;4437289;4437289 said:
yeah, the same applies for all forms of algae. people have a difficult time grasping this concept. many think algae is caused by excess nutrients in the water, when in fact the lack of nutrients causes the plants to suffer which allows algae to take over. and at the end of the day this is driven by your lighting.

- too much light = increased demand for ferts/co2
- lack of ferts/co2 = unhealthy plants
- unhealthy plants = algae takeover
- reduce lighting/add more co2/add more ferts = healthy plants
- healthy plants = no algae
Click to expand...
Not quite true. Certain types of algae can be present even with plants thriving, such as green spot algae. Many types can also show up, and take hold with an abundance of a nutrient, which is the same as lack of another nutrient. If one nutrient is lacking, the others are likely over abundant.
 
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