Doc Holiday Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 My tolerance for this smothering little slimy varmit has come to an end. Three days ago I spent half a day cleaning my newly established 5' tank because it was completley coated in an unsightly brown algae. And it has come back in avengence. I thought it may be due to insificient lighting so I am using the appropriate lighting and it seems to be thriving even more. To me the contributing factors could be: There are no plants in this tank ( exept for the brown slimy ones of course). There is no direct sunlight, but plenty of daylight (I do not want to have to move this tank because the floor is supported for it's weight and there aren't to many places it can go.) The substrate is from the Waimakareri river bed and there may be traces of minerals contributing to the the growth of Algae. The pores from the previous bloom need to be destroyed before trying to prevent it from coming back. I need as much input from you guys as possible on prevention, possible causes, cures etc... you name it I want to know!! There are over one million different species of algae, and I just want to kill ONE. So the war is on, the ALGAE has seen it's last days in my tank. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beblondie Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Have a link http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm whats your nitrAte level like-Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 I had that annoying ol' algae problem in my tank, Same scenario as yours, except taht my tank gets an hour or so of sunlight per day, and I dont have the same substrate. I fixed the problem by drastically increasing the amount of plants from 2 to 12, and the algae stopped growing completely. I have read thah some species of algae will burn itself out pretty quick in a new tank, and some other species wont go. Just increase the amount of plants in the tank, and they will leech the algae nurturing nutrients out of the water so the algae dies a painful death due to starvation :evil: :evil: Hope Ive helped breaka\/\/ay SALES REMOVED... Use correct section and edit your profile. Moderator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucid Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 I have always had a heavily planted tank Doc and never had a problem with brown algae, just the annoying green, from leaving it to long before cleaning, so I too would suggest planting the tank out, if it's possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Yeah and as a last resort use the commercial algae remover. I wont recommend it because I dont like the idea of a foreign chemical substance being in my tank with my most loved fishes. SALES REMOVED... Use correct section and edit your profile. Moderator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 My African tank is full of red algae - no plants to compete with. It looks nice so I leave it alone, just wiping it off the front glass so I can see the fishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holiday Posted July 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Planting the tank is the only solution that I can come up with!! the problem is the two fiesty oscars and the ever hungry siam tiger tend to tear them to shreads. Do you have any suggestions on what plants they are likley to leave alone?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beblondie Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Floating surface should work ,planted plants will not work the ossies wil uproot them-Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holiday Posted July 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 What about fixed plants like Java fern and Java Moss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 All you can do is give them a go and see. Some oscars are worse than others and you may find some plants (or their positions) will be left alone. Then again... :lol: I remembr one of our members having oscars and a tank with a large piece of driftwood, Java and vallis and the oscars weren't taking any notice of the plants. They were only half size fish at the time so perhaps they don't attack plants until they are older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbieBoy Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Try some Riccia fluitans - this small floater sucks out nutrients like nobody's business once it gets established. I had an Oscar tank some years ago with an inch thick covering of this plant on the surface; never saw any algae, fish seemed to find it calming too. Once established it grows exponentially and you'll end up scooping it out by the handful. And its a beautiful colour under good light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holiday Posted July 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Riccia Fluitans- note to self (must write that down) I haven't heard of that one before, is it easy to get a hold of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbieBoy Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 Riccia is pretty common; although I've never seen it for sale at a LFS. Its usually easier to get a starter piece from another hobbyist who might be prepared to mail some to you. I did get a bit through this list a little while ago from a very nice chap in Auckland but sadly, it didn't 'take' this time, I suspect there's a certain minimum amount needed for it to take off successfully and cover the water surface, it does like high light levels. Debbie from Redwood Aquatics suggested to me recently that they could get hold of some for me, as one of their customers apparently has some in a pond. You could perhaps contact them and see if they can obtain some extra... I suppose the best thing about Riccia is that your Oscars won't be able to touch it; it just floats back up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 I wonder if duckweed, Lemna minor, would work as well then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holiday Posted July 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 I read somewhere that if you raise the temperature of the water to over 30C then the spores of the algae would be killed off. Is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beblondie Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 never heard of that but temps that high won't be good for the fish i'd try the floating plants like those mentioed or as a last resort nitrazorb or phoszorb -Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Doc, 'ill be your huckleberry. Algae in freshwater. I've had freshwater tanks for a long time, and currently have a 4 footer (bow fronted) tank. The first thing thats important to remember is the Algae is a byproduct of another issue. Killing the alge will not fix the problem, and the algae will just come back. My heavly stocked and heavly planted tank has little or no alge, great plant growth and lots and lots of fish (way over stocked), its heavly fed, maybee as often as 3 times a day some days. I use 4 Canister filters. Lots of biologial filteration will help with the Redox of the water and help ensure there is little food for the alge to take hold. I use a deep gravel bed (5inch+), which helps with anerobic bacterria (reduce nitrate). I also reccomend using the correct lighting, 6000 - 6500k bulbs, and as many as you can fit. This will help promote green algae, which the bristle noses etc will eat. Thats my recepe for success. Whenever I start to notice any alge (brown diatom or that red/black furry stuff) I do a water change (40%ish) and another water change in a few weeks (40%). The algae will be gone by then and stay gone for months. Hope this helps. Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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