Algae Taking Over My Tank!

[eggy]

a green string like algae is taking over my tank and i am in need some advice on what type it is and how to get rid of it
I think it's beacuse
the iron levels are to high, if so what is a good deioniser.






i will apreciate your help.

 

[21rm]

im not sure bout the iron, but what fish are in your tank. Any algae eating fish or snails?

 

[eggy]

the fish i keep in that tank are 1 chinise algea eater about 6 snails 3 zebra danios and 2 platys, even if i try to scrape it of with my nails it hardly comes of it's driving me crazy!!!

 

[21rm]

the fish i keep in that tank are 1 chinise algea eater about 6 snails 3 zebra danios and 2 platys, even if i try to scrape it of with my nails it hardly comes of it's driving me crazy!!!

k well thats alot in terms of algae eaters. 6 snail is alot.
how long do ya leave your lightin on for, and wat type of lightin do u use??
from time to time i need to set up a tank which has no built in light, and so i use a desk lamp to light it. but this has one of them eco friendly flouresent bulbs, and algae grows like mad on that side of the tank. the algae actually get really long and even with scrapin it still grows, however my snails and fish usually sort it. also wats the temperature of ur tank? high temp can make it grow more quickly

 

[21rm]

the fish i keep in that tank are 1 chinise algea eater about 6 snails 3 zebra danios and 2 platys, even if i try to scrape it of with my nails it hardly comes of it's driving me crazy!!!

k well thats alot in terms of algae eaters. 6 snail is alot.
how long do ya leave your lightin on for, and wat type of lightin do u use??
from time to time i need to set up a tank which has no built in light, and so i use a desk lamp to light it. but this has one of them eco friendly flouresent bulbs, and algae grows like mad on that side of the tank. the algae actually get really long and even with scrapin it still grows, however my snails and fish usually sort it. also wats the temperature of ur tank? high temp can make it grow more quickly

after re-reading your first post, and where u said bout the algae been stringy, thats exactly the same as ive had.
its the lighting that your using, cos as i said in earlier post there the algae was only round the side of the tank where the llight was.

 

[eggy]

out of my tanks i own the one with the algae problem is the only one with a 40 watt lamp wich is NOT fluresent. I think maybe the sun is taking effect since it is not far away from a window as well but that can be fixed with some chaep curtins. my temp is 20c to 25c (sorry if you can't under stand celsiuis cuase I'm a boy from DOWN UNDER).

WELL HAVE YOU FOUND A WAY TO GET RID OF IT

 

[21rm]

not really lol. And Sorry, i meant to say that the lamp i use in that tank isnt flouresent so thats obvious the prob for both of us.
and ur temp isn't too high, so i cant imagine thats effectin it. Im in Ireland, so we use the celcius here too, <<thats the only irish lookin thin i could see there lol

looking at my tank now theres none of the algae, and yet i cant figure out how exactly its fully gone. sayin that, it'll prob be bak tomorrow ere lol
i think plenty of scrappin, snails, and less lightin will help. if ur tank is near a window, would it be possible for you to leave the light off a bit more??

 

[eggy]

GOOD CUASE I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A THING IN FAHRENHEIT
And i have already tried turning the light of.



what fish did you keep when you had your algae problem?

 

[21rm]

hey eggy, soz i went to bed earlier and forgot to wb. but thanks for what u said in the overstocked topic.
a plec is really good for the algae, however i think the only way of completely stoppin it would prob be to change the lighting. i know tho that a pleco can get really big dependin on the species, so that woud also be a prob. Ive seen topics today actually bout smaller sized pleco species that might be suitble for your tank. But i think changin the lightin is the first step, no point gettin fish just to solve algae problems, removing the initial cause is best

Ive a turtle tank as well, and every now and again i take the turtles out and unleash my team of cleaners in there (the pleco, apple snails, and corys, i used to add my black red tailed shark as well before he died)

 

[pippoodle]

i use apple snails , cherry shrimp and amano shrimp as my algae clearers and they do a good job

if you are having a real prob with algae only have the light on for a few hours
if you are at work during the day when the sun is high cover the tank with a dark thick towel or blanket to stop the natural light comming in
while you are not there it does not matter if the tank is covered

also if you want to clean the tank while the fish are still in get an old credit / payment card , rinse it with boiling water then use this to scrape the tough algae off your tank

good luck

Sarah x

 

[Truck]

have you got plants? and what are your lighing specs? and do you dose fertilisers?

 

[pippoodle]

i was just going to ask if you had plants but truck beat me to it

 

[Truck]

lol

 

[eggy]

i have purple waffle and some kind of algae and NO fertilisers at all.




21rm has a simple way to get rid of it and it's working so far.........

 

[Truck]

yes but do you have plants? how often are you doing water changes? as excess nitrate is the biggest cause of algae.

what the hell is a purple waffle?