Algae Problem

[Jackie C]

I have green algae growing on the front of my 5 gal eclipse, and I can't clean it off. Since it's only on the front I thought the light had something to do with it so the light has been off for 4 weeks. It's not in direct sunlight. I have a 55 gal in the same room with no algae at all, and the 55 is closer to the window! The frustrating thing is that I can't clean it off. I've tried scraping and scrubbing with a teflon pad and it doesn't have any effect. In despiration I tried rubbing it with an Algone packet and it seemed to thin out a little but it grows right back. Any ideas? I'll try anything!

[Dave66]

What's in your tank, fish and decoration-wise, and when was the last time you changed the bulb in your hood? Also, how much and how often do you feed your fish? And even indirect sunlight coupled with high phosphates will give you algae like that.
Tell you what, if you can get ahold of a group of pond snails (Physa species), they'll eat that algae. Take them a while to get it totally clean, but they will do it.

Dave

[Jackie C]

The only fish in the tank now is Guppy fry. There is also some driftwood and hornwort. The driftwood has pretty tufts of green algae growing on it but I don't think it's related to the stuff on the sides of the tank. The tank was purchased new about 15 months ago and the bulb has been changed once but I don't remember exactly when. I'm thinking about completely breaking down the tank and getting rid of the driftwood and plants. Maybe if I soak the tank in some kind of algae remover I'll be able to clean the stuff off.

[TorqueWorks]

If your tank is Glass, there is a scraper that has a replaceable razor blade on it. That works great for the stubborn green stuff.:hmm3grin2orange:

[Alfcea]

... if you can get ahold of a group of pond snails (Physa species), they'll eat that algae. Take them a while to get it totally clean, but they will do it.
....... and then the problem will be to get rid of the millions of pond snails that will take over the tank!!

[TorqueWorks]

....... and then the problem will be to get rid of the millions of pond snails that will take over the tank!!

Amen to that!! borrowed a Koi from a friend to help with my infestation recently. Over night 99 percent of snails gone. :19:

[Dave66]

....... and then the problem will be to get rid of the millions of pond snails that will take over the tank!!

Only if the user overfeeds the fishes and is shoddy on tank maintenance will the snails reach plague proportions. And they are easy to trap out if feeding mistakes are made. Almost all freshwater tanks end up having snails.

Dave

[Gemstone]

Only if the user overfeeds the fishes and is shoddy on tank maintenance will the snails reach plague proportions. And they are easy to trap out if feeding mistakes are made. Almost all freshwater tanks end up having snails.

Dave


:hmm3grin2orange: This is so darn true!!!!....

[Mvjnz]

I have pond snails in all my tanks, but there's only a few of them. I see babies occasionally, but it's nowhere near 'overrun' with them. They don't bother me at all, but then I do like snails...

[CAllain]

Nerite snails will eat green spot algae, and won't breed in freshwater tanks, although they may lay eggs everywhere (don't worry, they won't hatch).

They may be a good option for you if you don't want to be overrun.