SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 This thread algae problem is driving me insane. So, another user said AlgaeFix (PondCare/Aq.Pharm) worked for this thread algae, so I went and got another bottle, made sure it was the right one, sweet as. Dosed it and all my fish (within 5 minutes) go to the surface, except the anabantoids who take a gulp and dive back under, even the GBAs were preferring to take a gulp from above. I added an air stone and they're ok, also water changes worked and so did moving them to another tank. So some questions, how does this product work? why is it depleating my oxygen levels (when I have plants pearling, and a spray bar disturbing the surface, using an air pump/stone solves the problem)? Will this product work at all with this grey/green thread algae? Will it make it more edible? (as my fish seem to be eating more and more of it now) Should I move all the fish in to alternative accomodation and hardcore double dose the algae fix? Fish that I have seen eating this grey/greenish thread algae, after algaefix, are: 6 Clown Loaches, 1 also has a thing for duckweed 5 teenage GBAs 1 young SAE Pair of adult Kribs Some of my angelfish But still it wont go away, I disconnected the CO2 for two days, and now my amazon swords have a layer, thankfully not thick enough to stop them pearling when I put the CO2 back on, but still. I'm also getting a lot of green spot algae on all sides, which needs scraping off every 2 weeks or so. At the front of the tank there is also small patches of this other algae which looks kind of bright nuclear green. 30% water changes weekly, and the water is crystal clear, filtration is a 1200LPH Jebo, and 7AM-9PM the CO2 filter runs which does 400L/hr. I've put in some duckweed again to help as I'd rather duckweed than thread algae if I have the choice. Its only this tank that has the problem, none of my other tanks have any form of algae problem other than brown algae (which is fine with me because fish eat it). Also my marble sword is throwing up yellow leaves, rest of the plants are fine though. Any ideas?? thoughts? opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Oh and I have been fighting the thread algae problem for about 2 months now at least. Also thought of taking some of the tubes out, but dont wanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Personally I wouldnt double dose anything :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Sounds like you've got excess nutrients, try cutting down your lighting hours to 10hrs per day and get some stem plants to use up the nutrients. If it's in balance you won't have any - easier said than done I know. The spotted hard green type algae is seemingly impossible to be without after a while. Regular cleaning means it doesn't set on too hard though. Nuclear green? lol that could be the dreaded blue-green algae. Erythromycin (presciption drug) kills that stuff really well. Otherwise big gravel cleans will do and blacking out the tank for a few days. Thread algae... yeah big pain. I don't think it's the 02 depletion but some kind of chemical in it. It's got on the side it's known to the state of California to cause cancer. :-? It does work well, but only temporarily for me. I found double dosing Flourish Excel worked on it permanently - thank goodness. Goodluck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yeah I thought excess nutrient, and I've added some stem plants to help suck it up, but then my swords are now bringing up yellow leaves? Also noticed some of my stem plants have curved their leaves up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/help-a ... 15798.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Awesome! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 i got a thread algae in my tank too. do we cut down the lighting hrs or increase? i thought we suppose to leave it as it is and let the stem plants suck up the excess nutrient. that is before stem plants got invaded by this algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yeah I want to know too. I've pulled out 2 of the 5 tubes to try and cut down lighting. I'm not reducing the lighting time though because I like looking at it, and umm thats kind of why its there and planted lol My swords are growing like crazy but the leaves are yellow with a green tint, so I added the regular (1mL per 200L) of Flourish (I dont normally put Flourish in btw, just because the leaves are yellow). This doesn't add nitrates or phosphates so I figured it wont help the algae. So I've reduced lighting, added trace elements, and I've got CO2 pouring in like a hose. Did I do good? Also in the morning my stem plant (sorry I dont know the name of it) looks normal, then after about an hour of the lights being on its curling up its leaves, did it this morning with only 3 tubes, these are T8 tubes I paid $7 for, its not like I'm running huge metal halides or anything, so what does the curling mean?? I'll do another AlgaeFix dose tomorrow. I've got some photos so I can show you what I'm moaning about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 yea....that wil be good. thread algae is such a pain in the ass, its started to spread like crazy. i have flouro and MH over on top may be this would have set off the algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 Just wanted to let you guys know I am finally winning the war. I woke up today to find my filter spray bar completely algae free :o So, the AlgaeFix worked, but I would like to note, do not overdose AlgaeFix by the slightest amount, if I used any more than literally 5mL/200L (and I'm talking like .5mL more) my fish started having trouble breathing hardcore. You also must make sure you have an air stone running. It was my Platys that were most affected. It took 3 doses, and I will do the 4th today (3 days between though) but am stoked to see the thread algae subside. It seems the AF weakened the algae, as the fish have been eating it like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rimbauer Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 I had a massive thread algae outbreak which meant I was clearing off the plants every 2-3 days. I found that dosing a small amount of trace nutrient mix and potassium absolutely slaughtered the thread algae. It turned reddish brown and fell apart in a couple of days (which in turn clogged the filter, but there's another story). I used off the shelf Trace Element mix and Sulphate of Potash (both powders) from the local garden centre, and dosed at the rate of 1/4 tsp of each dissolved in aquarium water per 100L of water, once a week. That rate made the water a bit hazy for a few hours, but the fish didn't complain. I now dose that every second water change and haven't seen a thread since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 Awesome, I'll certainly give that a try! Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rimbauer Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 I had noticed the same problems with swords yellowing, mainly crypts and melon swords, so I leafed through a few books which suggested Iron and Magnesium deficiency both caused yellowing of leaves. I now dose a similar amount of Iron Chloride (sold as moss remover at the garden centre) and Magnesium sulphate (Epsom Salts) every month or so. The plants are growing and pearling like mad, (1W/L 6500K, DIY CO2) and the only algae I have is a little green dot algae on the glass, which the Oto's and BN's keep well under control. One thing to watch, these two don't have an immediate effect on the water. They go in clear and cause a haze about 20mins later. I'd split the dose over several days until you see how it works. I ended up doing a water change to clear mine the first time (ever seen fish coughing?) I read several long articles which suggested potassium is one of the first macronutrients stripped out of a planted aquarium. In my experience, dosing it certainly stopped the algae growth, perked up the plants, and so far I've had flowers off my E. Osiris every year since. Certainly makes for a crowded tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thanks heaps, I'll let you know how it goes. I went and got - Sulphate of Potash, Sulphate of Iron, and Magnesium Sulphate. I'm hoping the Iron Sulphate will work alright, I couldn't find Iron Chloride. I'm using Flourish for trace elements, just didn't want to pay $20 for a small bottle of Flourish Iron when a whole bag of this stuff is $6! Will try it out tomorrow I work from home, so I can watch the fish in case something goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meesheelly Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 hey ive also noticed that algae fix kills duckweed and indian fern, a good thing in my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thanks heaps, I'll let you know how it goes. I went and got - Sulphate of Potash, Sulphate of Iron, and Magnesium Sulphate. I'm hoping the Iron Sulphate will work alright, I couldn't find Iron Chloride. I'm using Flourish for trace elements, just didn't want to pay $20 for a small bottle of Flourish Iron when a whole bag of this stuff is $6! Will try it out tomorrow I work from home, so I can watch the fish in case something goes wrong. Good on you Spiderweb! i am following this thread, you can now have a go at it and do let us know the results!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Cheers shiuh meesheelly - strangely AlgaeFix had 0 affect on duckweed and indian fern in my tank. I am definately using the correct product at the correct doseage, so I'm not sure what is making my setup such a freak Anyway, I split the dose (1/4tspn per 100L) over two days for my planted tank, and for another tank I gave a higher dose (1/3tspn per 100L) all at once. The latter setup went cloudy, but fish didn't mind at all. First setup stayed clear the whole time. All were pre-mixed in tank water with Flourish added for trace elements. Its only early days, but this is what I've noticed this morning: Thread Algae doesn't look great but its not dead yet. No improvement on sword leaves Stem plants spreading like crazy Stem plants producing much larger leaves Stem plants producing stems twice as thick as before Java Fern + Stems pearling as usual I think my swords really need some JBL balls, being rootfeeders. Hopefully this works though because you use soooo little and its like $6 a bag. I've also added it to two other small aquariums, one of which contains 3 week old danio fry, and no problems, so I'm confident its fish safe. I'll report any changes on the Java Moss thats in that tank if I see any. Thanks again to John Rimbauer for the suggestion. All tanks lit using standard 865 T8 6500K tubes. Main planted tank is 0.9W/L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 stem plants grow like crazy? thats good....i might give that a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rimbauer Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 I'm happy that my experiences can help! I spent months lurking here reading the various interesting posts, so I'm very glad to give something back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 So did you have any luck in the end fighting off the thread algae? Looks like ive got the same thing in a couple of my tanks now, yippi yet another thing to deal with :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I ended up completely stripping the tank down, and laying Daltons underneath. This has made my plants grow so quickly and with strong green growth the thread algae has no chance. I would never do a planted tank again without a fertilised substrate. I also intend to add PhosZorb to the filter because my algae problem was mostly red algae, which I'm told loves phosphates. The Sulphate of Potash made a strong effect on my marble sword, which is now 7 marble swords! I noticed it has sent out yet another runner, so if anybody wants a marble sword I have them coming out my behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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