Algea Problem

[busterbrit]

I'm getting a slow build up of Algea on the walls and now looks like my plants. It is making it look ugly just when I was trying to get my wife to allow for a nicer/larger tank.

It is a bright green algea.

It is a biorb so it scratches easily and I'm nervous about cleaning it.

What is the best way to clean off the algea?

Should I get a sucker fish? Is there one that can fit in a 60l tank? I have RCS but they never go on the sides to eat.

Thanks!!!

 

[scotty]

for what i have heard about biorbs,i would invest in a new tank.

 

[MrPandaram]

chinese gold algae eaters.

two of them keep my 300l tank total free of algae. and my tank is in dirat sun light.

 

[busterbrit]

for what i have heard about biorbs,i would invest in a new tank.

That doesn't really help. Someone gave it to me for free and it was the only way I could get started. It has actually done a good job and my levels are always perfect. The only thing I don't like it is is hare to view the fish at times. I've heard people have a hard time with algea no matter what the tank...correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Assaye]

I'm getting a slow build up of Algea on the walls and now looks like my plants. It is making it look ugly just when I was trying to get my wife to allow for a nicer/larger tank.

It is a bright green algea.

It is a biorb so it scratches easily and I'm nervous about cleaning it.

What is the best way to clean off the algea?

Should I get a sucker fish? Is there one that can fit in a 60l tank? I have RCS but they never go on the sides to eat.

Thanks!!!

You can get very soft tank cleaning pads from your LFS or internet. The one I have is a quick drying cloth that uses micro-fibres to remove algae. It doesn't scratch my acrylic and plastic tanks so you Biorb will be fine. Biorb also sell dedicated magnetic cleaners which should be fine.

Algae is caused, primarily, by excess ammonia and light. The ammonia doesn't even need to be at detectable levels. Basically, if you don't have enough plants and bacteria in the tank to keep the ammonia at zero and to outcompete the algae for food, the algae will bloom. You can combat the problem in the lon term sense by testing regularly for ammonia in the tank, keeping the tank understocked (so under 1 inch of fish per gallon) and by carefully controlling the light (8-10 hours MAX).

As for sucker fish - otocinclus may be a nice idea, assuming you don't have too many fish already. The problem with bottom feeders and suckerfish is that the substrate for the Biorb is large pebbles and these fish need very small particles of gravel or sand to be happy and behave normally. These guys need to be kept in groups so you'd need to find space for 4-6 of them and they are shy, fragile fish that need to be added to mature tanks unless you really know what you are doing.

Most other suckerfish and algae eaters would rapidly outgrow your little tank and cause major problems.



There is an excellent resource in the Planted Tank section of the forum about different kinds of algae.

 

[busterbrit]

thanks for the advise.

The tank is understocked. I could add one or two but not a group of 4-6. Would they be fine with 1-2 and they they need the small rocks or would they be fine with the driftwood, anubious and center piece?

Ammonia is always at zero. Maybe to much light since its in the kithen but not near windows. But I was told the light in the biorb is not good so I didn't think that would be a problem.

I water change once a week.

i will go get the cloth you were talking about and trying that.

Thanks!

 

[waterdrop]

Oh, I think the light is a much bigger deal than you think. Many planted members start off a tank at only 4 hours of light a day and only very, very gradually increase that after they are comfortable they are not getting algae. It could easily be that you are exposing the tank to too many hours a day of light, however, be careful, if you want to make a lighting change downward in total hours, do it only very gradually.

I also think that some good hard work on the tank walls once you get that special cloth will do wonders. The very first step of my weekly gravel-clean-water-change is to clean all the inside glass surfaces, regardless of whether it looks like there's anything on them.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[busterbrit]

Oh, I think the light is a much bigger deal than you think. Many planted members start off a tank at only 4 hours of light a day and only very, very gradually increase that after they are comfortable they are not getting algae. It could easily be that you are exposing the tank to too many hours a day of light, however, be careful, if you want to make a lighting change downward in total hours, do it only very gradually.

I also think that some good hard work on the tank walls once you get that special cloth will do wonders. The very first step of my weekly gravel-clean-water-change is to clean all the inside glass surfaces, regardless of whether it looks like there's anything on them.

~~waterdrop~~

Thanks. Yeah right now the algea comes off with just my finger. so hopefully it will be easy to clean off.

 

[Assaye]

thanks for the advise.

The tank is understocked. I could add one or two but not a group of 4-6. Would they be fine with 1-2 and they they need the small rocks or would they be fine with the driftwood, anubious and center piece?

Ammonia is always at zero. Maybe to much light since its in the kithen but not near windows. But I was told the light in the biorb is not good so I didn't think that would be a problem.

I water change once a week.

i will go get the cloth you were talking about and trying that.

Thanks!

The thing about the big rocks in the Biorb is that small bottom feeders can get stuck under them =( Otos also need a group to be happy and healthy.

As I said, you'd probably get one home and find it doesn't eat the right algae anyway, lol.

 

[drobbyb]

Agree with waterdrop and Assaye.

Put your lights on a timer that way you don't forget to turn them on and off at the proper times