Algae? Fuzz? Dust? How Do I Get Rid Of It And Where Did It Come From?

[Dakota789]

I have a 2 week old 10 gallon, no fish, still cycling...I have live plants in the tank and out of nowhere, they have this gray-ish dust looking stuff on the leaves, it's also on the rocks on the bottom.

I wiggled the leave and for the most part it came off, minus the longer hair like pieces BUT it just made the water cloudy and when it settled, it did so right back on the leaves and rocks...

Any idea what it is, how I can get rid of it and also how I can prevent it from returning again?

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[Colin_T]

I would just use a gravel cleaner and suck it out.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Is your tank exposed to any natural sunlight?

How many plants and what kind do you have in your tank?

Also, what is the size of you light for your aquarium (wattage)?

If your tank is exposed to natural sunlight, than the plants you have in there probably wont be enough to absorb all the nutrients given off by natural sunlight, an in conclusion, algae grows to absorb the extra nutrients.

Also, if you have too much light (2+WPG (watts per gallon)) for your aquarium given off by you hood, and not enough Co2 in the water, your plants will not be able to perform photosynthesis properly and your plants will become unhealthy, and unhealthy plants leads to algae growth.

-FHM

 

[Amunet]

Sounds like debris from something. Did you make sure to clean the substrate really well?
I'd do as someone suggested and just do a water change to get it out.

 

[aaronnorth]

it may be rhizoclonium. Check the algae guide in my sig for an ID.

 

[Dakota789]

it may be rhizoclonium. Check the algae guide in my sig for an ID.

It's definately that 'fuzz' algae... wow, thanks for having that under your sig... VERY HELPFUL!!

I can't remember the wattage of my bulb, it definately doesn't get direct sunlight at all, I mean it get's really bright in my apartment but it is in a cubby of sorts so no sun can get in.

I can't use the gravel vac on the plants though, they are live plants and I don't want to break the leaves or anything.

It's weird because the 'algae' that collects on the rocks is more 'powdery' looking and comes right off with a touch, the one on the plants looks like hair and it's more attached to the leaves.

I'm sure it has something to do with my levels being so crazy too because I'm just starting out...

I have ammonia and a high level on nitrates in my TAP water so my cycle didn't even start off good lol... the guy at the pet store told me to get CYCLE (it's just like bio spira) and it will jump start the cycle and help get things leveled out...he I'm sure that caused the algae outbreak....maybe???

He also told me to get PRIME which is weird because CYCLE puts the bad stuff in to start the cycle and prime takes it out...

 

[fatheadminnow]

it may be rhizoclonium. Check the algae guide in my sig for an ID.

It's definately that 'fuzz' algae... wow, thanks for having that under your sig... VERY HELPFUL!!

I can't remember the wattage of my bulb, it definately doesn't get direct sunlight at all, I mean it get's really bright in my apartment but it is in a cubby of sorts so no sun can get in.

I can't use the gravel vac on the plants though, they are live plants and I don't want to break the leaves or anything.

It's weird because the 'algae' that collects on the rocks is more 'powdery' looking and comes right off with a touch, the one on the plants looks like hair and it's more attached to the leaves.

I'm sure it has something to do with my levels being so crazy too because I'm just starting out...

I have ammonia and a high level on nitrates in my TAP water so my cycle didn't even start off good lol... the guy at the pet store told me to get CYCLE (it's just like bio spira) and it will jump start the cycle and help get things leveled out...he I'm sure that caused the algae outbreak....maybe???

He also told me to get PRIME which is weird because CYCLE puts the bad stuff in to start the cycle and prime takes it out...

Prime is a good water conditioner that should be added to your water every time you do a water change.

As far as cycle goes, I do not know much about it just because I never used it. But like every shelved (non-refrigerated) product, it is most likely a gimmick and does not do much. I mean, how can a product contain "Live" bacteria if it is on the shelf? When a product like that is refrigerated, it slows the bacterias metabolism down, that way they can live in a "dormant" state in there for up to a year!

Just my thought, but I believe Cycle will do nothing, and if it does anything it will be very minuet.

-FHM

 

[Dave Spencer]

You are cycling a tank with plants in!

It never gets mentioned here, but light + ammonia = algae.

Either cycle in the dark without plants, or join a planted tank forum where you can get advice on how to start a planted tank without adding toxins.

The advantage for you could be getting fish in there sooner than you think.

Dave.

 

[Dakota789]

You are cycling a tank with plants in!

It never gets mentioned here, but light + ammonia = algae.

Either cycle in the dark without plants, or join a planted tank forum where you can get advice on how to start a planted tank without adding toxins.

The advantage for you could be getting fish in there sooner than you think.

Dave.

I didn't know it was bad to have plants in there during the cycle? It doesn't say anything about NOT having plants when you read about the nitrogen cycle... and it says that you should try to get something from an established tank to help your cycle, I figured plants were a good way to go... Why is it bad?

I DID read about planted tanks and it says this:

"There are several reasons for wanting real living plants in your aquarium. To start with, plants can help the environment in the tank by removing the nitrates from the water as well as oxygenation, help to reduce algae growth and they look good as well."

and when talking about setting up the planted tank it says:

"Now for the plants. Add them just as you planned, leaving room for growth, of course. When you have finished putting the plants in place, move a couple around until you have roughly what you're looking for. Add a little plant food and a little fish food and get the cycle underway. You can't just add the fish to a new tank, it has to do the nitrogen cycle first"

But you say the opposite...I'm lost!!!

It's confusing when some websites tell you ONE thing and then other sites tell you another that is why I figured I would get some opinions by asking on here.

At this point, it's a little late, the plants have been in the tank for 2 weeks, whether it's a good or bad thing... they seem to be doing good and are brightly colored and one is even sprouting a new leaf.

I just wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions for how to get rid of the algae or how I can prevent it from re-occuring.

I'm not in a hurry to get fish, I would much rather make sure everything in the tank is perfect, no matter how long it takes.

 

[Amunet]

It's absolutely fine to have plants in a cycling tank. Not sure why someone would say otherwise.
The only problem that might arise from having plants in the tank is the brown algae that will show up ALL over the place. It's a pain trying to clean it off tank walls so more of a pain trying to get it off of plants.
But that usually fixes itself once the tank has been running for a while.

As far as preventing algae... pfft.. wish I knew lol. I am the algae queen! O_O

 

[fatheadminnow]

Since you are cycling a tank, you are having access ammonia present in your tank.

Algae needs two thing to appear/grow, Ammonia and Light .

If you have both of those, and you do since you are doing a fishless cycle; you are adding a lot of ammonia every now and then, you will most likely get algae growth.

What is the most likely the cause of your algae growth is you have a lot of ammonia present in your tank from adding it for the fishless cycle, and the light that is in on your tank is giving off an "X" amount of light(energy) that your live plants can only use so much(which explains why your plants are doing so well, they are getting all the light they want), and the access light that is not being used up by your live plants, is being used up by the growth of algae in your tank.

Once your tank is fully cycled, you are going to have a lower level of ammonia present in your tank. The ammonia that is present in your tank (trace amounts that is non-detectable with by your test kit) is going to be used up a by your live plants.

When this happens, the algae should clear up because you are taking away one of the sources algae needs to live/thrive.

After the cycle is complete, you could also add more plants to "absorb"/use up more of the "un-used" light(energy). Or something like that...lol.

This will help to even further prevent algae growth.

Remember...unhealthy plants = a very high potential for algae growth.

-FHM

 

[Dakota789]

Okay cool! Thank you guys sooo much for your ideas/thoughts! I will just let it ride out and see how it goes for now, I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't going to cause a large amount of long term damage to the tank!

I was thinking of trying to brush some of the hair like algae off the leaves by hand then do a quick water change with the gravel vac... to see if I can suck some of it out lol.... you know you are all SO jealous of me haha I get to play with algae tonight! woohoo


Thanks for your help! I REALLY appreciate it!!!!

 

[waterdrop]

Be especially gentle when trying to clean algae off of plant leaves, they can tear easily. Its not an easy job but sometimes it works and it pays to be persistent.

In my opinion you are absolutely on the right track to just plow right on through and not to let these issues worry you as a beginner. There are way too many issues to learn completely as a beginner and tanks go through a lot of fairly dramatic changes during the first year. The water chemistry can be very volatile during the first months.

If you stick around the forums and keep learning about the various different tracks of the hobby you will eventually see where Dave is coming from. He and the other planted tank experts are masters at getting beautiful planted tanks up and going and many of us have hopes of learning to do what they do someday. They are able to give plants the right conditions from the outset such that the plants take off quickly and start having significant growth. All that growth can help with two things in particular. First, a big forest of plants that are growing will usually use up the very nutrients that the algae is trying to use and help keep the algae at bay. Secondly, the plants can work alongside the beginning filter bacteria to create an environment much more conducive to fish-in cycling, as long as appropriately small numbers of fish are used.

The real trick, as I see it (and I'm a beginner, so you have to take my comments with a grain of salt) is that coaxing plants to be healthy and have strong growth right from the beginning in a new tank is a skill that (again, in my opinion) that is even harder to master, perhaps considerably harder to master, than proper fishless cycling and classical community tank startup techniques. The very choice of the plants themselves, the soils or substrates themselves, the choices of carbon sources and scheduling of fertilizers is a daunting thing for beginners. It can be done I think, and I think the planted guys on our forum have shown themselves to be among the best out there at making lots of things clear for beginners. But its still my opinion at this point that its an easier path for the average beginner to perform their first tropical startup learning about the nitrogen cycle and performing a fishless cycle. I could change on this someday. Anyway I think Dakota falls into this.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Dave Spencer]

I agree with what you are saying WD. I guess the point I am making is this....if you are carrying out a fishless cycle, do it in the dark. No light means no algae. Why not have a blanket over the tank throughout the cycle and start stocking with a pristine tank? Then the plants can be added too. Adding ammonia is just asking for algae trouble when light is added to the equation.

I visit and moderate on a few planted forums, but I never see as much algae as I do on this site.

Having a healthy mass of plants and bypassing the cycle process actually isn`t all that diificult, even for a beginner. This was how my very first tank was started up.

Dave.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, I've got no problem with that. I think fishless cycling with covering blankets would be fine. Probably best of all would be a "mature media" boosted fishless cycle with a covering blinder that went really fast and then you could get the plant mass in there and get going.

Perhaps the reason the planted tank hobby has been growing faster in recent years is that its really going to become the better path to fulfillment in the tropical fresh water world. There seem to be a growing number of beginners here who willingly take on the challange and I have some faith that our internet forums will help beginners tackle the various things to learn about getting planted tanks going successfully.

~~waterdrop~~