Algae Again!

millie1 · Feb 21, 2009

eugh its everywhere!! all over my heater.filter/tank etc... surpeised its not on ym fis too

my tank lights are on now about 6 hours a day - i have live plants etc... fish are not ill - stats are fine

i have 2 small plec things in my tank currently which are useless imo.....

what can i do to get riddof the algae???

do i take the live plants out???

help!?

Truck · Feb 21, 2009

what colour algae?

what is the total wattage of the lighting? and are the tubes an inch on diameter or less?

tank size?

millie1 · Feb 21, 2009

30w

tank is around 190 litres

brown algae

dont understand about the tubes.... you mean filter? its external so the tubes are about an inch.....

bitteraspects · Feb 21, 2009

if you have the money, id suggest a uv sterilizer.

how often are you currently cleaning your tank?

Truck · Feb 21, 2009

a UV steriliser will kill any living organism even the good stuff and is not needed,

is it a new tank?

can you get an ammonia reading?

by tubes i mean the lights

how often are you doing WC?

millie1 · Feb 21, 2009

ahhh lol!

yeah abut an inch then,,,,

ammonia - i will be able to ina bit,,,,

i water change weekly... soemtimes every 8 days....(rarely)

tanks been set up since last sept i think...

bitteraspects · Feb 21, 2009

a uv sterilizer can be the most beneficial thing you add to your aquarium. i runt them on just about all of mine.
contrary to the above comment, it does not "kill any living organism" in your tank, but rather the floating particles suspended in the water and pass through the system. benificial bacteria in your filter and substrate will not be harmed. but on the same note, any algae on the tank and decor, in turn, will not be harmed, so you will still need to clean the tank.

millie1 said:
ahhh lol!

yeah abut an inch then,,,,

ammonia - i will be able to ina bit,,,,

i water change weekly... soemtimes every 8 days....(rarely)

tanks been set up since last sept i think...

when you do your weekly WC do you vacuum the gravel and wipe down the inside of the tank?

Truck · Feb 21, 2009

millie1 said:
ahhh lol!

yeah abut an inch then,,,,

ammonia - i will be able to ina bit,,,,

i water change weekly... soemtimes every 8 days....(rarely)

tanks been set up since last sept i think...

there is no need for a UV steriliser so dont buy one, there is no point,
with proper maintenance you can get an algae free, tank, the silicon in the tank could still be leaking sillicates, into the water which may be causing the brown algae, and if it is this it will go away on its own shortly.

need ammonia reading really

bitteraspects · Feb 21, 2009

bahahahaha. there is absolutely a point, or the product wouldnt be on the market. id highly suggest you both read up a little on the benefits on a UV sterilizer. apparently it will be new information to you, and very useful information at that.

happy reading

Truck · Feb 21, 2009

Therefore algae spores and parasites that are free flowing (not that are already attached to plants or fish) are killed off as they pass through.

this would only really kill algae in the water, so would not get rid of brown algae whatsoever, so it would be a waste of money, ive never ran a UV sterilizer, because theyre expensive, and a waste of time in freshwater tank, they are not needed at all. algae can easily be gotten rid of with a bit of patience instead of reverting to a UV sterilizer that isnt going to solve the problem

bitteraspects · Feb 21, 2009

maybe read and learn first, then add your 2 cents.

once the tank is clean all spores in the water will be killed or stunted enough that they cant reproduce, so once the tank is clean, thats it. not to mention the disease prevention aspects of a UV sterilizer.

as i stated initially, if you have the money, it will be one of the best additionsd you can ever make to your tank, however,, as you have mentioned that you can not afford one, then i completely understand not having it, but that does not discredit the benefits of the unit. the onlt 2 real downfalls are the price (if you cant afford it), and the fact that once its on the tank, you pretty much have to leave it on the tank. but at that point, why would you remove it.

anyway. im sure there are tons of enlightening articles out there for you to read for your own benefit. even if you can afford one, its still good information to have.

millie1 · Feb 21, 2009

water change - no i dont wipe the insiide of my tank..... obsiously i now need to lol!!

im waterchanging today n wiping the tank down - will get an ammonia reading then...

so - how do i get rid of this mingin algae then -regardless of the reading in my tank?(for now lol)!

Truck · Feb 21, 2009

just clean it away

bitteraspects said:
maybe read and learn first, then add your 2 cents.

once the tank is clean all spores in the water will be killed or stunted enough that they cant reproduce, so once the tank is clean, thats it. not to mention the disease prevention aspects of a UV sterilizer.

as i stated initially, if you have the money, it will be one of the best additionsd you can ever make to your tank, however,, as you have mentioned that you can not afford one, then i completely understand not having it, but that does not discredit the benefits of the unit. the onlt 2 real downfalls are the price (if you cant afford it), and the fact that once its on the tank, you pretty much have to leave it on the tank. but at that point, why would you remove it.

anyway. im sure there are tons of enlightening articles out there for you to read for your own benefit. even if you can afford one, its still good information to have.

ive read all the pros and cons of these, and theyre equally balanced, if i wanted one i would buy one but there is no point! my tank doesnt have green water so it would be of no use to me, besides killing parasites etc. but then again, i have never had a disease that is notable

bitteraspects · Feb 21, 2009

millie1 said:
water change - no i dont wipe the insiide of my tank..... obsiously i now need to lol!!

im waterchanging today n wiping the tank down - will get an ammonia reading then...

so - how do i get rid of this mingin algae then -regardless of the reading in my tank?(for now lol)!

just make sure to keep the tank clean. gravel vac and wipe the glass during the WC. while some think its not necessary, its not harmful. and youre already cleaning the tank, so why not take the extra few minutes.
a clean tank is a happy tank.

aaronnorth · Feb 21, 2009

bitteraspects said:
maybe read and learn first, then add your 2 cents.

once the tank is clean all spores in the water will be killed or stunted enough that they cant reproduce, so once the tank is clean, thats it. not to mention the disease prevention aspects of a UV sterilizer.

as i stated initially, if you have the money, it will be one of the best additionsd you can ever make to your tank, however,, as you have mentioned that you can not afford one, then i completely understand not having it, but that does not discredit the benefits of the unit. the onlt 2 real downfalls are the price (if you cant afford it), and the fact that once its on the tank, you pretty much have to leave it on the tank. but at that point, why would you remove it.

anyway. im sure there are tons of enlightening articles out there for you to read for your own benefit. even if you can afford one, its still good information to have.

UV sterilisers are only affective againts free floating particles as you know - so therefore only green water is cleared up by a UV steriliser. Diatoms are attached to various surfaces so it will not affect it at all so in a sense yes it will be a waste of money. Even if you wipe the glass clean you can do a 50% water change and that will remove a lot od the particles along with the filter, if you are still not satisfied then do another 50% water change the next day - this is what i do when i disturb my substrate, i do 50% water changes for at least 3days after i have disturbed it t make sure any ammonia is removed (ammonia causes algae) - uch cheaper and just as effective!
Water changes helps to lessen the chance of diseases as they remove toxins from the water etc, so aslong as you keep up with maintenenace you should face any problems.
The only time i would buy a UV steriliser is when i had marines, or other expensive fish - for the "general" community fish i seriously wouldnt bother.
My 2 cents

Thanks, Aaron