Algae Problem

[Kathy Dixon]

I have a 160litre freshwater tank with undergravel filtration (two airstones) and two sponge filter pumps. I change 20% of the water per week and use Bioactive Tapsafe each time.

It is stocked with 6 zebra danios, 6 neon tetras, two dwarf gourami,1 serpae tetra, 1 platty, 5 amano shrimps and two shrimps that I inherited (4cm, brown with cream stripe down back that filter feed).Borneo sucker. No live plants.

There is an algae that I'm not sure about even after reading elsewhere in this site. It looks like a green blanket on the bottom of the tank and is slimey if handled. It is growing like stink.I try to remove it with water changes, but after a couple of days it is just as bad.It appeared after I treated the tank for hair algae which grew before I realised the tank was getting reflected sunlight at certain times of the day.The water is teeming with tiny fibres which don't look good for fish gills. No problems with deaths....yet. The shrimps aren't really interested and feed on other sorts of algae.If I clear a patch of stones they home in on it.

What am I doing wrong? I have added TetraAqua nitrate remover as advised by a local dealer who also told me to use Flourish excel organic carbon that is supposed to reduce phosphates. Nitrite levels very low.
Any ideas?

 

[smmetz]

hmm, if nothing else works, I suppose you can try the "darkness cure". I've never tried it, but read about people covering their tanks in blankets or towels to block out all light for 3-4 days. Desperate times call for desperate measures? Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion.

 

[Phoenixfish]

id be worried about the fish, can you temp rehome them?