oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 does anyone have any ideas on how i can get rid of black and brown algae on my plants ? i have a golden algae eater and 3 bristlenoses in this tank so i think they keep the glass nice and clean - im not sure if you can see from the pics below but the tips of almost all of my plants are brown - on the glass i have only seen hard green spots and what looks like black beard that i scrub off when doing my water changes. I do weekly water changes of about 30% - granted my tank is overstocked but im looking and flogging off some of the swordtails on TM or they are going to be fed to some hungry severums and chocolate cichlids. i have my diy co2 working and bought a glass diffuser from ebay with a nice constant stream of micro bubbles. i am also getting some Flourish Excel to try and kill the blackbeard - does that get rid of brown algae or is that too much light or not enough light causing this ? this plant has what looks like furry black algae but doesnt look like that black beard stuff which is growing on the glass and my heater :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 I have a similar issue albeit pretty minor but often the end tips of my amazon sword have a bit of algae crap growing on it. Interested on the informed responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I usually dont advocate the use of chemicals, BUT! I had a similiar problem whereby i got a horrible black algae that covered EVERYTHING. not BB or stringy, just matted. I used a product made by API "aquarium pharmaceuticals" called "Algaefix". I dosed up the tank and over the next couple days it seemed to "lift off" the plants and i could easily scratch it off the leaves. I also Noticed the SAE would start eating it, and taking it off in lines! he couldn't do that before. Since then, the only algae I get are little green spots that I just rub off. The black stuff hasn't returned. I'm happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Hi Cricketman did you put the algaefix directly on the affected area or just mix it straight into the tank water ? Cheers Skip I usually dont advocate the use of chemicals, BUT! I had a similiar problem whereby i got a horrible black algae that covered EVERYTHING. not BB or stringy, just matted. I used a product made by API "aquarium pharmaceuticals" called "Algaefix". I dosed up the tank and over the next couple days it seemed to "lift off" the plants and i could easily scratch it off the leaves. I also Noticed the SAE would start eating it, and taking it off in lines! he couldn't do that before. Since then, the only algae I get are little green spots that I just rub off. The black stuff hasn't returned. I'm happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Triple dose the label rate of flourish exel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 that wont kill my fish will it Triple dose the label rate of flourish exel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 that wont kill my fish will it I have just done this in one of my planted tanks, I triple dosed for 5 days with no adverse effects on the fish, It killed all the algae and the plant growth really took off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 It will melt some plants though.... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I dosed a little too much on flourish excel and now i ended up with only 7 neon tetras instead on 21. They kept dying 1 or 2 a day until i realized it was the flourish. I haven't lost any more fish since i stopped using it. so try not to add toooo much :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Dosed to the tank water as per instructions on the bottle. Little bottle only cost bout 8 bux or summin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 i have that algae fix already so i might give that a try - i think in the past i had used this but not measured correctly and it killed fish so im going to under dose for now to make sure i dont kill anything - if this doesnt clear up the algae i will try the flourish excel which i should be getting in a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Good plan. And like I said, my SAE finished whatever was left over for me anyway, but I think the treatment made it easier for him to get into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 I have just done an overdose programme with Flourish excel (spot treating areas with the overdosage) and this is what I found - it has lowered the pH of the water (not a bad thing as it was getting to 7.6-7.8ish, but I think the fluctuations caused flashing), it dissolved almost all of my twisted val, it turned my supposedly dwarf sagittaria into 20cm long leaves, made my stargrass double in length over about a week and a half, at the same time I stripped the piece of wood and scrubbed all visible algae and since then so far no more staghorn and beard algae.... I imagine it will slowly come back as I still have some direct sunlight on the tank, and I must have killed some bacteria as the tank is just going through a mini cycle - not high numbers of anything but more than the next to zero levels they were at, should come right soon ....and finally I did upset the corydora. After a few days of overdosing mixed with normal dosing they were skulking around the bottom with clamped top fins. I did a couple of big water changes and they are happy again. I will go find you the link that someone posted for me to read up on first before you do the overdosing thing. ----------- here you go - a thread within a thread within a thread viewtopic.php?f=4&t=43475 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Get a siamese algae eater or 2, it'll be the best purchase you ever make They won't eat the little green circles on the glass tough, but all the stuff will disappear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 are siamese algae eaters the same as golden algae eaters ? Get a siamese algae eater or 2, it'll be the best purchase you ever make They won't eat the little green circles on the glass tough, but all the stuff will disappear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 nah. totally different. many places confuse SAE's and flying fox's so google them well before you go and buy some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 nah. totally different. many places confuse SAE's and flying fox's so google them well before you go and buy some. ok will do - i thought the golden algae eaters liked the brown stuff ? they seem to be keeping the glass clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Yeah, GAE's love the brown algae. 3 in my old african tank cleaned it pretty much over night. SAE's eat the greeny stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 cool - thanks for clearing that up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamkerrnz Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 I just spot treat with excel, and double dose. Also reduce the hours lights are on. (or turn them off for 24 hours after spot treating with flourish) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 thanks will give that a go after trying the algaefix to see if that helps at all I just spot treat with excel, and double dose. Also reduce the hours lights are on. (or turn them off for 24 hours after spot treating with flourish) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 They also eat black hair algae. Voracious appetites... SAEs are often sold as flying foxes. When buying them make sure that the black line is serrated a bit and goes right into the tail (not stopping before). Also make sure that their fins are clear and that there is NO light white line above the black line. Yeah, GAE's love the brown algae. 3 in my old african tank cleaned it pretty much over night. SAE's eat the greeny stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 sweet - thanks for that - will take a look at animates if i head down that way today They also eat black hair algae. Voracious appetites... SAEs are often sold as flying foxes. When buying them make sure that the black line is serrated a bit and goes right into the tail (not stopping before). Also make sure that their fins are clear and that there is NO light white line above the black line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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