green algae bloom

[LilysDad]

I have a 55Gal tank with 80 watts of florescent for 10 hrs a day. The nitrites are 00 and ph is 82. There is val. and myriophyllum. I had a bad bloom last year and it has started again. Barley extract doesn't do anything. Does the ph make a diff.? The tank only has 2 med sized angels + snails. I try not to over feed.

[smaug]

A green algae bloom can be caused by many things,excess nutrients are one of them.You mention your trites being 0 how about your nitrates?Does the tank get any direct sunlight?Yes ,higher ph will aggravate,not cause an algae bloom.Check your nitrates ,if you can check your phosphates as well,they are a huge food for all algaes.Any number higher then 1 for phos is bad news.Nitrates should be kept below 20 if at all possible.Start off doing a blackout of your tank for 2 days at least,no light at all.Do big water changes of at least 20% a day for a week.Clean all surfaces of algae and get a good gravel vac done at the end of it all.Good luck.

[mitcore]

i would think about either adding some bristle nose sucker fish ( common pleco)
and some siamease flying foxes, both are very good algae cleaners,
your lighting is part of the reason that you are having this, you should have the tank light on for 8hr a day, other wise you do grow algae,
and what smaug was saying about the sunlight would be correct
my question is how close to the window is the tank?
getting extra light would be making it worse

[LilysDad]

The tank gets no sunlight. I have a 75gal that has 160 watts of the same flourescents on for more hrs. Same gravel, same water,etc. No algae bloom. Incidenly, there is nothing for the pleco to eat. Just green water.

[smaug]

you can easily have 2 different tanks using the same water source and have 2 different sets of conditions.We cant help you without knowing what all your water parameters are.

[LilysDad]

Sorry, I don't have a nitrate test in my kit. Won't the 00 nitrites translate into 00 nitrates? Other than 00 Ammonia and ph8.2 what parameters do you want?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

No, your nitrites should be 0 all the time. Unless your tank is heavily planted there is nothing to complete the cycle and remove the nitrates. The only way they will be removed is through regular water changes. Ammonia and nitrite both have a bacteria that breaks them down, whoever there is no bacteria in a FW tank that breaks down the nitrate. However if you have 0 nitrates in your tank would probably be seeing a cyanobacteria outbreak.

[Blue Ram]

I would either add a bristlenose pleco or an otocinclus. They are both fantastic algae eaters.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=19036

This link may give some good information on the otocinclus. Good Luck!

[smaug]

Sorry, I don't have a nitrate test in my kit. Won't the 00 nitrites translate into 00 nitrates? Other than 00 Ammonia and ph8.2 what parameters do you want?
phosphate and nitrate are a big problem ,those numbers are important.And as was mentioned earlier. a high ph is a prob as well.

[LilysDad]

Incidenly, there is nothing for the pleco to eat. Just green water.[/QUOTE]

I'll have to get a nitrate test kit. I suppose I'll have to go back to using RO water as well. I am using tap water for the convinience, but if it doesn't work, "oh, well".

[Algenco]

you could have high phosphates in the tap water. Water companies add it if there are any old iron pipes in the system