need to get rid of my algae problem

[benji's_fish]

i have been having an algae problem for a few weeks, and am constantly doing water changes, and the algae wont go away. what do i need to do????

i heard of covering the tank for a few days does this work? i dont wanna waste 3 days if it doesnt work.

i have seen this stuff at wal mart. and says it will kill algae. will this stuff work?

i hate having my water green and i love being able to see my fish. what is the quickest way to get rid of this??

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

OK, first things first.
What size is your tank?
What kind of fish do you have?
How many fish do you have?
Any live plants?
Amount of lighting and length you leave the lights on?
How much water do you change each time?
What kind of algae do you have?

[Algenco]

and is the tank close to a window?

[benji's_fish]

55g 2 clown loaches, 2 tiger barbs, 1 redtail black shark, 1 sailfin pleco, 3 rosy barbs, 2 female bettas.

no live plants
pretty much when im awake the light is on, so i turn it on around 8 or 9 and turn it off around 1130.

i change about half the water at a time it seems like every 2-3 days.

the water is just green ive been told its algae, no long stringy long algae from the filter.

its in my basement, under a little 2'x3' window, and there is another window on the adjasent wall the same size.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Green water. Well, for starters, with no live plants, you have your lights on way too much. larger water changes won't hurt either. Here's is what Dave66 had to say for a solution


Floating algae (green water) is almost always an effect of overfeeding your fish. Wrong light spectrum or exposure to sunlight can intensify the problem.

The solution is simple; frequent partial water changes, a good gravel vacuum and a reevaluation of your feeding practices. All food should be consumed by your fish, no matter the size, in less than a minute. Some grazers, like catfish and herbivores, can be exempt from the one-minute rule.
Promptly clean up ANY excess.

If sunlight is also the problem, either move the tank or put up thick, dark curtains. If it is the old light that's intensifying the floating algae problem, change the bulbs.

There's a quaint method of clearing a tank of green water using Daphnia pulex, a filter-feeding organism roughly the size of a flea. A troupe of these creatures will clear a tank of green water in days and prosper at the job, meaning you'll have many more Daphnia than you started with. A more modern method is using a flocculent product in your filter. The particles from the product bind with the algae cells, making them heavier than water, causing them to sink to the bottom of the tank. But live Daphnia aren't easy to find in shops and the product to clear the water costs money. It's far simpler, not to mention basically free, to do the water changes, vacuum the substrate and not feed so much to cure the problem.

As an aside, never, ever use algae destroying tablets. The dead algae will decay, and you'll have more problems than you started with if you do. It's also unnatural for a tank not to have some algae.

[PostalPenguin]

Get a timer for your lights. I used to keep the lights on for longer than I should and the timer kept me from forgetting to turn them off. Perhaps get some live plants as well?

[benji's_fish]

so how long should i have the lights on?

how frequent is frequent?? and how much at a time?? more than half?

[btate617]

so how long should i have the lights on?

how frequent is frequent?? and how much at a time?? more than half?


Unless you have plants the lights are for your benefit not the fish. The light from the room is enough, although you probably enjoy the lights so you can see your fish better. If you keep them on for 14 hours try 8 hours see if it helps.

Brian

[kaybee]

so how long should i have the lights on?

With no live plants in the tank you could considerably reduce the duration to your viewing hours (down to 3-6hrs). 8am-11pm is excessive.

[Auratus001]

How much lighting do you have?

I would also say no more than 8 hours. In some of my tanks, I do two 4 hours on-time instead of a continuous 8 hours.

[benji's_fish]

since i am poor lol, i bought a simple 4' shop light and have it sitting on top of my tank. it holds 2 4' 32w flouresent bulbs. i figured the light wouldnt work unless both bulbs were in but i took one and it still worked with one in so now i only have one bulb in.

[ndntakeover]

i had a massive algae problem as well

i bought two algae eaters (chinese algae eaters i believe) and believe it or not
after doing a 10 percent water change and adding those algae eaters, ALL my algae disappeared within 5 days

try it.

[ndntakeover]

and as for lights

i have daylight lights (VERY BRIGHT). and they enhance the growth of my plants...

i leave my lights on from about 10am to about 9 or 10 pm and that is probably what caused the algae bloom. Nevertheless, I left the light timings the same even after adding the algae eaters.

worked for me : )

you can prevent massive algae blooms by adding more plants so they consume most of the nutrients before the algae can.

Also as someone else mentioned you could do the darkness method.
Since algae are single celled organisms, they cannot store energy from light and therefore need a constant supply of light. By covering the tank with a cloth making the tank in complete darkness for maybe 4 to 5 days, your plants and fish are very likely to survive the blackout. make sure you do not uncover the tank during this period because the algae will make use of any light that enters.

[Auratus001]

Not to discourage you, but I too had a heavy algae issue in one of the tank. After adding 2 SAEs and a bristlenose pleco, it didn't help. After one month, I had to blackout the tank to kill of all algae, then reduced the light duration significantly. Now I am ok.

Although it may work for some, adding fish to take care of too much algae often doesn't work in the long term. You need to think about what is causing it. Once that is fixed, then you can use fishes to control the amount of new algae formation.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Furthermore, if you decide to add fish to control your algae (which I don't recommend) then definitely do not get Chinese Algae eaters. Unfortunately most people who buy them in places like Walmart, PetSmart, and Petco, have absolutely no idea what they are really getting into. They are getting fish that will max out at 8" long, won't eat algae much after they are 5" long and once they hit 3-4" in length, they turn very nasty and will often kill smaller fish.

Understanding what is causing the algae is the first step to controling it. If you eliminate the cause of the algae, the algae will cease to grow.

Blackouts are not generally the best option either. If there is a lot of algae in the tank, it can really foul the water when it all ends up dead. You have the same problem when trying to use algacides of any kind.

[sharonm]

I had a terrible time one summer with green water algae. I got rid of it this way: 50 water change, total blackout, everything covered for 4 full days, then another 50% water change. You definitely have your lights on way too long but also, check how much you are feeding also. I only feed once a day and my fish are thriving. I have actually gone away for 5 day stints, no feeding what so ever and the fish were okay.

[ndntakeover]

if you fear the algae eaters will harm your other fish, return them after you're done

its as simple as that. major petstores will take back fish within a certain period of time

algae eaters such as the chinese WILL grow more than half a foot long and you should definitely keep that in mind if you intend on keeping them

blackouts are risky, but they are proven to work.

it is ultimately your call. its mostly trial and error anyway...whatever works best for you ; )

[ndntakeover]

the point of the methods ive mentioned is to remove the existing algae...i know what a pain in the neck they can be : P


after that you should control ur feeding method, lighting and do water changes regularly

the green algae which grows on your gravel and glass are not harmful... just not the best when you're trying to get a good look into your environmental cube! : )

[ndntakeover]

I had a terrible time one summer with green water algae. I got rid of it this way: 50 water change, total blackout, everything covered for 4 full days, then another 50% water change. You definitely have your lights on way too long but also, check how much you are feeding also. I only feed once a day and my fish are thriving. I have actually gone away for 5 day stints, no feeding what so ever and the fish were okay.

check your PM!

[Lady Hobbs]

I just got a couple light timers at Walmart for $4.95 each. Fish need time out for their sleeping cycle, too, and this makes sure the lights are not forgotten.

[Auratus001]

Blackouts do work and it does end up with messy water at the end, hence requiring large water changes. It should not be regularly used to control your algae problem. If you do end up deciding to kill all algae and start off again, I like this approach better than anything else I have tried so far. If you can gradually reduce algae over time, that's the best way but often that option doesn't exist when you are already overtaken by some form of algae.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

If you can gradually reduce algae over time, that's the best way but often that option doesn't exist when you are already overtaken by some form of algae.

That option always exists when you understand algae; how it works and what its root cause.

It's not that blackouts don't work, but they rank right up there with algacides for use. Why put your fish through those kind of water conditions at all when it is completely avoidable.

[Auratus001]

That option always exists when you understand algae; how it works and what its root cause.

It's not that blackouts don't work, but they rank right up there with algacides for use. Why put your fish through those kind of water conditions at all when it is completely avoidable.

I've never used algacides so I'm not in a position to compare the two methods.

When I had algae growing everywhere, and already reached over 1 inch, I ended up doing the blackout method. What kind of water condition are you talking about? Water parameters certainly didn't change at all.

[benji's_fish]

i have reduced the amount of time my light is on, i only have it on for a couple of hours a day. and i also have reduced the amount of food i give them i can start to tell that it is working along with my frequent water changes. :fish: :goldfish:

[Auratus001]

i have reduced the amount of time my light is on, i only have it on for a couple of hours a day. and i also have reduced the amount of food i give them i can start to tell that it is working along with my frequent water changes. :fish: :goldfish:

Good luck, that should make some difference. :ssmile: