Aglae Formation On Tank Walls?help

[doomsays]

hi guys, i m having this tank for almost a year now. its a dimensions are as follows:
3x1.25x1.25
lighting: 40 watt daylight tube+ 20 watt cfl
filter: 2 gravel filters + 1 sponge filter
temperature : 25-26 degree C
ph: 6.8-7.2
i have put tropical fishes in this setup. there is no problems with the fishes, i mean none has died so far. and i feed them atleast twice a day. and i do 50% water change every week.
But i am facing a serious problem guys, no matter how much i clean my tank walls, algae like formation is buildup within 5 days of cleaning. in the beginning i had a lot of plants and was using DYE co2 dispenser. but latter as this problem grew i reduced plants n removed dispenser. now only fews plant exists in my tank. i tried cleaning entire tank n reinstalled it back, still i am having this problem!!
i tried covering tank from sun light n reduced lighting hours, yet nothing is happening. algae starts forming after few days. i am losing hope guys... pls suggest what shall i do??

 

[jennybugs]

Firstly don't panic Any healthy tank can form algae. It's best not to remove every trace of algae from a tank. I keep algae on the back wall of my tank...cleaning an aquarium too thoroughly makes it grow back faster!

Fish tanks shouldn't be in direct sunlight, so keeping away from windows and direct sunlight is a plus. Reducing your lighting to under 10-12 hours a day helps, any longer can promote algal growth.

Having algae eating fish can help combat this problem...otocinlcus for example. Amano shrimp also love to eat algae.

I'd also cut down on your feeding. Overfeeding can aggravate algae problems. I don't know what you stock in your tank, just wondering why you do a weekly 50% water change? If you have 'messy' fish then fair enough

This might be informative for you

 

[doomsays]

thanx jenny, i do these water changes to avoid algae growth. now that as u mentioned algae r good for tank, i will reduce my changes to may be 10-15%. also i m having a pair of baby oscar , with other tropical fishes. thats y i feed my fishes 2-3 times a day. and once in week i put some live food.

 

[jennybugs]

Oooh oscars! Cool! I'd still only feed twice a day, if that, personally and stick to 10% water changes every week

Any pics of your oscars?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

If you dont have live plants to worry about then try adding phosphate/nitrate removal media to your filter. This removes the food source for the algae and stops it growing so quick. Also adding plants will take away the food source for the algae (I would recommend some easy to grow floating plants as these are great at removing nitrate/phosphate from the water).

What kind of algae is it? Is it just the green dust algae? If so then the only method I have found to keep it down is just to get a magnetic algae scraper and give it a quick run over every other day.

 

[darkwolf29a]

From the math I'm doing, you have bigger problems than algae.

A 36in x 18in x 18in tank is, approximately, 50 gallons. 1 Oscar needs, at least, 55 gallons minimum. And then, after that it's an extra 25 per Oscar. I had one in a 55 and it wasn't enough room for him. I had to get a bigger tank for him.

Also, Oscars are known to make snacks out of anything they fit in their mouths. I love mine to death, but I wouldn't put him in with my other fish.

 

[jennybugs]

A 36in x 18in x 18in tank is, approximately, 50 gallons. 1 Oscar needs, at least, 55 gallons minimum. And then, after that it's an extra 25 per Oscar. I had one in a 55 and it wasn't enough room for him. I had to get a bigger tank for him.

Even if they're babies?
I was assuming doomsays would be rehoming them in a much larger tank at some time in the near future...if not, well done for raising that fact

 

[mark.w.jones]

Agreed, you are already heading for problems. Oscars produce a lot of waste for their size and their food will also add to waste in your tank. You are right to be doing 50% water changes as for the time being this is what is preventing your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels from being too high. Excess nutrients from waste will certainly contribute to algae growth. I would normally suggest live plants but know that oscars will usually make short work of digging them up. Not sure if there are some species of plant that may survive their interests. Anubias or java ferns tied to rocks or wood usually see off the most avid plant attackers. I personally feel your biggest problem is being overstocked with fish that will soon outgrow that tank. Attend to your stocking and the algae problems will certainly go away.

 

[doomsays]

thanx guys... i have kept only two plants of Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri) with no decor in my tank..
i have been changing my stock frequently. i started with gold fishes, then came sharks n tetras, then pacu , n now finally ended up only with baby oscar(2") n sharks(4"). theses oscars, are tiger oscar i suppose, and they are growing really faster.

 

[jennybugs]

Overstocking could be an aggravator of algae growth.