Algae bloom in fish tank?

A

aatherabbi

New member
i have used this product before, safely, in up to double the recommended amount. the danger lies in that you will have so much dead algae in the water after using it, that the nitrate/nitrite levels can soar unexpectedly.

just make sure you do the water changes just like it says on the bottle.

also it should be noted it isnt safe for scaleless fish or invertebrates.
 
First of all take the 'algae destroyer' back, chemicals rarely work.

How long do you leave the light on for during the day? A photoperiod that is too long coupled with any exposure to direct sunlight will result in algae. The lighting only really needs to be on for about 5-6 hours.

Most types of 'nuisance algae' also require nutrients to survive, and this doesn't just apply to nitrate. High levels of phosphate will contribute to algae. However in a well planted aquarium nutrients won't be a problem as the plants will use the nutrients before the algae can take hold, especially if you have any fast-growing stem species such as Hygrophila.

I would recommend cutting out the food for a few days and test your tapwater for nitrate and phosphate. If both are present in appreciable levels then they will only add to the aquarium's nutrient load whenever you carry out a water change. Finally how many fish do you have in the tank?
 
I have a 150 gallon freshwater aquarium that is currently green. There is no algae on the decorations or glass. My plecostomus (think that's the right spelling) takes care of that. I clean the tank about once a month and I had missed a cleaning when the problems started. I changed about 50% of the water and then the next day I changed 50% again. I could at least see the back of the tank then. That was a few weeks ago and the problem isn't any better. I don't overfeed the fish, although I may have been doing so when the algae bloom occured. I don't think light is the problem because the window supplies barely any light to the tank and I only leave the light on during the day. I have tried leaving the light off for several days in an attempt to kill the algae, but it didn't work. I was told that I had overcleaned the tank, but that doesn't make sense when the bloom happened after I had neglected cleaning it. I usually just vaccum the gravel, change 25% of the water (if that much), and change the carbon once a month. The water conditions are perfect, apart a slightly elevated nitrate level which is always present. Not nitrites (which I know are really bad), nitrates. The ph is about 7 and the temperature is 80. The tank is not overstocked at all. I bought a product called algae destroyer advanced, but I'm worried it might kill my fish. Is algae destroyer safe, will it work for this, and if it won't how do I get rid of the algae bloom?
I have one 4-5 inch angelfish not including fins, one 4" red-tailed shark, one 5" plecostomus, 6 bloodfin tetras, 5 pristella tetras, and one dwarf gourami. I used to have 3 gold barbs, but they died. They were very swollen and their scales were sticking out. They died within a few days of showing symptoms. None of the other fish have gotten sick. I thought it was dropsy, but could the bacteria have killed them? I usually leave the light on for 10-12 hours a day. I didn't know I was leaving it on that long until I counted the hours. The nitrates are at about 10 mg/L.
 
Green water is caused by a bacteria, not an algae, so regular algae treatments typically don't work. The slight increase in nitrates is definitely a symptom. It's usually caused by excess light. In some cases leaving the light off for a few days works, but since you've tried that, I would suggest doing a complete black-out.

Turn the light off completely, and then wrap the tank in black garbage bags or black construction paper, until you can't see into the tank at all. Seriously, not at all, not even a little corner to be able to peek into and drop food into. Adding food will only help the bacteria live. Your fish won't starve, don't worry. Leave your tank like that for two weeks.

After you take the black-out away, leave the light off for another day, then go back to your regular lighting schedule (no more than 8 hours/day, preferably less since you're right next to a window). Cut feeding your fish in half.

Hope this helps!
 
Green water is caused by a bacteria, not an algae, so regular algae treatments typically don't work. The slight increase in nitrates is definitely a symptom. It's usually caused by excess light. In some cases leaving the light off for a few days works, but since you've tried that, I would suggest doing a complete black-out.

Turn the light off completely, and then wrap the tank in black garbage bags or black construction paper, until you can't see into the tank at all. Seriously, not at all, not even a little corner to be able to peek into and drop food into. Adding food will only help the bacteria live. Your fish won't starve, don't worry. Leave your tank like that for two weeks.

After you take the black-out away, leave the light off for another day, then go back to your regular lighting schedule (no more than 8 hours/day, preferably less since you're right next to a window). Cut feeding your fish in half.

Hope this helps!
 
Stop using the aquarium light altogether for now. The fish can see fine through the ambient room lighting and unless you have live plants it won't cause any them.

Make sure the tank is not getting direct sunlight because this can be a real issue. Even short amounts of direct sunlight is not good. If it does, block off the window so it doesn't, then if you need a light on for the fish, turn on the room light.

Do more water changes. Partial water changes harm neither the fish nor the cycle. I would be doing water changes of 25% every other day for a bit to help clear things out without 'overcleaning'.

Once per month is not enough to keep a tank clean and healthy for the long term, I know, I've had long term tanks and keep them for years at a time without issues.. If you want a nice tank for good, start doing weekly partial water changes and it's also important to vacuum the gravel too, or waste builds and builds and starts to degrade water quality quicker and quicker. In my world monthly servicing is lazy fish keeping.

Also you should be squeezing out the filter media every month to prevent it from clogging up with waste, which will makes the filter much less effective over time.

When you say you don't overfeed, it means there is no food left over after feeding because you feed the fish rather than the tank, and you don't stuff the fish to the gills all the time right, you just give them a few bites of food.

I would never, ever use algaecides or any other toxin in my water. It might not kill your fish, but it could, and it's never good for them or the tank. Products like this are a lazy way to cover a problem but does not fix it at its source.

Try to exercise some patience and keep all this in mind and see if you can't fix the problem in a more natural way. Make sure the tank is not overstocked, and remember this has nothing do with counting inches of fish.

Good luck.
 
First of all take the 'algae destroyer' back, chemicals rarely work.

How long do you leave the light on for during the day? A photoperiod that is too long coupled with any exposure to direct sunlight will result in algae. The lighting only really needs to be on for about 5-6 hours.

Most types of 'nuisance algae' also require nutrients to survive, and this doesn't just apply to nitrate. High levels of phosphate will contribute to algae. However in a well planted aquarium nutrients won't be a problem as the plants will use the nutrients before the algae can take hold, especially if you have any fast-growing stem species such as Hygrophila.

I would recommend cutting out the food for a few days and test your tapwater for nitrate and phosphate. If both are present in appreciable levels then they will only add to the aquarium's nutrient load whenever you carry out a water change. Finally how many fish do you have in the tank?
 
Back
Top