A Bit Help Please

[venom2112]

ok, problem with tank, 120 ltr tank is always dirty! glass blackens, gravel gets black, live plant leaves blacken, i did a full change last week, cleaned it all , now the signs are there that its coming back, it just gets so dirty i am seriously thinking of giving up this hobby & just keeping my little betta tank, anyone advise before i call the ad trader!!! getting fed up now

 

[dthoffsett]

Sounds like the "black stuff" is algae, do you have your tank situated where it gets natual light?

What kind of lighting do you have and how long do you leave it on?

How many and what kind of plants do you have?

Have you ever tested for phosphate?

Don't give up, we'll see if we can figure it out.

 

[venom2112]

Sounds like the "black stuff" is algae, do you have your tank situated where it gets natual light?

What kind of lighting do you have and how long do you leave it on?

How many and what kind of plants do you have?

Have you ever tested for phosphate?

Don't give up, we'll see if we can figure it out.

thanks for swift reply, the lighting is 2 hood lights & there on about 10 hrs a day, its not really in natural light, no idea what the plants are, bought them at the shop when i was buying my betta, so fed up now, glass gets manky & it looks awful!

forgot to add, my shop does a full test for me whenever i go, i just take a sample & they test it for free, no probs at all water fine

 

[dthoffsett]

You might try breaking your lighting schedule up to disrupt the algae growth. Instead of having it on for 10 straight, try having it on a timer for 4 hours, off for 2 hours, then on for 4 more hours.

Also, when most shops test your water, they test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH, GH, and KH, they don't test for phosphates. High levels of phospate in your water can lead to a lot of algae growth. There are products you can add to your filter or directly to the water to remove the phosphate. I had the same problem you have, and in my case it was the phospate, I got a phosphate remover for my filter, and haven't had a problem since.

I'd try changing the lighting like I suggested, and check into the phosphate levels, give it a couple of weeks and see what happens.

 

[venom2112]

ok will do thanks for help

 

[Scunny]

in my 55litre community tank i had an out break of brown algae, and it looked horrible. That was a case of "dear god my tank looks awefull". I stuck with it though and its all cleared up now (apart from a little that im gonna scrape off tomorrow when i do my water change). IMO the tank looks great now and was well worth sticking with.

Dont give up...the guys on here will sort your problem out (they have done for all of mine )