Darn algae

[Lady Hobbs]

I'm getting algae in my planted 55 that has been doing so well. I have 4 chinese algae eaters in that tank that aren't doing beans as far as keeping things cleaned up. Since I moved the platies out, my tank has become a mess.

The only thing I am doing different is I ran out of yeast so my CO2 has not been on and of course moving the platies out since this is now a firemouth tank.

Could not having CO2 cause this mess? Lights are on 10 hours a day. Algae is only on the plants, not the glass. It's a tiny bit fuzzy looking and hope it's not the beginning of hair algae! Two large water changes this week of almost 75%.

[Dave66]

I'm getting algae in my planted 55 that has been doing so well. I have 4 chinese algae eaters in that tank that aren't doing beans as far as keeping things cleaned up. Since I moved the platies out, my tank has become a mess.

The only thing I am doing different is I ran out of yeast so my CO2 has not been on and of course moving the platies out since this is now a firemouth tank.

Could not having CO2 cause this mess? Lights are on 10 hours a day. Algae is only on the plants, not the glass. It's a tiny bit fuzzy looking and hope it's not the beginning of hair algae! Two large water changes this week of almost 75%.

Hobbsy,
CAEs don't do diddley as far as algae goes. They only gnaw at it when they are young. When they grow a bit, they prefer fish food and the body slime off other fish if they don't feel like they are getting enough flake. Take them back and trade them for SAEs. They'll do the job. I'd suggest Otocinclus or Paratocinclus to clean your leaves, but they wouldn't be a good idea with firemouths as they are just about bite sized to the Cichlids.
The Co2 helps vascular plants grow faster to outcompete algae for available nutrients, thus with no Co2, the algae has the upper hand as the plants aren't growing fast enough to outstrip it. I use pressurized Co2 at 30 to 35 ppm and still get just enough algae to keep my sucker-mouthed catfishes interested. All tanks have some algae tucked away in a corner or behind an ornament, and its no big deal.
All leaves, especially the plastic ones, get a biofilm of various critters (including nitrifying bacteria), that gives algae a chance to grow. Slow growers like Anubis have problems with algae on the leaves all the time.
So, if you start up another home brew of DIY Co2, the algae should diminish.

Dave

[Lady Hobbs]

I knew if you didn't rescue me that Algenco did. My two expert plant guru's here.

I could brain whoever told me to get these stupid Chinese algae eaters. Whoever that was, come over here and take your medicine!!
What good is an algae eater that only eats flake food!

I can't take them back. I got them at some store similar to WalMarts but it has decent fish but a department store nonetheless. I've had them now for 4 months and they must be doing well on flake food as they are now all around 5 inches............all 5 of them.

Bottom feeders are not my firemouths favorite thing, you know? They want no one even near their caves. I think I will have to get me some more platies (grrrrr) and get that co2 going again. I have 4 platies now and 2 look rather preggie. Maybe I will get a bunch of males and just use them for the aglae? Maybe I'm sitting here just talking to myself too. LOL

[gbbudd]

Theres no doubt the lack of co2 is the major contibuter to your agea bloom. bump the co2 as high as your fish can tolerate watch them carefuly if they start heading for the top of the tank back the c02 down. also cut way back on your feeding expecialy flake food i believe that flake is the WORST food you can use it always breaks up into tinny pieces to small for any fish only inverts can find it and help out.Change to pellets of some kind and feed more directly to your fish not just scattering it across the tank. i'd also stop the feedings but once every three days. sounds cruel but theres no dinner bells out in the wild. one other thing you could look at is instead of SAE's i have found flag fish to be far better at eating algea. heck i have had angels who ate more then SAE'S.good luck.

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks. Not sure what those fish are but will do some checking on them. I will get that co2 going again and get some Flourish Excel. It is now just a mess!

Been reading on them and they are killies? They are rather pretty.

[Lady Hobbs]

Look at my plants this morning. I did 3 big water changes this week (last one yesterday) have clean filters, and checked the phosphates. They are at 2.

This whole mess has been just since this week. aughhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And then there's my little 20 gallon planted, low lights, flake food, crummy filter, no co2 and just as clean as a bell.

[Dave66]

How long has that tank been established, Hobbsy? That looks like the ole nutrient see saw in a newer aquarium.

Dave

[Lady Hobbs]

I will go back to when and why this started. The more I sit and look and scrowl at this tank, the less I can believe that going without CO2 for one week has done this. It's not possible.

And you are right. This algae is just like the mess I had when my other tank had just cycled and the process was still very, very new. I can sit and watch this algae grow it's so fast and the glass is also now a mess and the plants are slimy.

Hobbs runs and checks her ammonia level..............and now she's back with.................sssssssssssshhhhhhhhhiiiiiiii ttttttttttttttttt

But now I know for certain! I just checked and my ammonia levels are .25 AND I just did another big water change 3 hours ago. This level was after that change!

I have been trying to remove my little fish from this tank so had dropped the water down to probably 75-80%. Added back enough ferts for a new tank start-out as instructed on the bottle when doing big water changes. Lights on about 10 hours per day.

Algae starts to grow. More water changes, more ferts, etc, etc. Filters cleaned. More algae.

I will bet you $10 bucks right now that this cycle was set back by me (apparently) forgetting to put the declorinator in on that first big water change. I mean, what else could it be? I was set back somehow. And then I changed the filter media which would have made it even worse.

I never considered checking the ammonia! Tank has been set up for quite some time..........tank up 2 years but planted only a few months ago.

It's a darned good thing I have done these water changes or might not have any fish! I would not be one bit surprised if the dechlorinator and fert bottle was sitting there and I put the ferts in twice and not the dechlorinator at all! Sounds like something smart I might do.

I am going to pull the filter floss from my canister and use that. At least it has established bacteria.