Dirty Tank Problem

nelson72

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I have a 50 litre tank with 8 neon tetras and 4 zebra danios

im having to clean it out every fortnight the gravel,glass,filter,ornaments become covered in what looks like green algae
I was told it may be over feeding so I fed sparingly and it has not improved. The tank is not in direct sun light.

please help
 
You should be cleaning your tank weekly, bi weekly is apparently not enough.
A clean tank is a happy tank :hyper:
 
BGA!!! Yuk.

How new is your setup?

Hot tip - tape up the sides of your substrate, do not let light (esp sun light) hit the sides of the substrate where it meets the tank walls.

Failing that, BGA can be beaten with a 3-day black out using a couple of bin liners, but if you don't tackle the 'imbalances' that caused the 'algae' in the first place it will come back. Also, because BGA is indeed a bacteria, it can be killed using an antibacterial such as Maracyn (safe for filter bacteria). I have tried out both methods and both work, the most effective seemed to be the Maracyn....

Use of a UV sterilizer can also be very effective against some types of algae.

Andy
 
I also use UV sterilizers on almost all my tanks. Its great for algae and combating diseases, however, due to the price of a good uv unit, its not in the budget for a lot of people on such small tank.
 
Don't really know how big the tank is. If ya can look into getting a bristlenose pleco, they are great algae eaters.
 
^ Don't think they'll go for stinky old BGA?

Internal UV filters are quite cheap (adds clutter to the tank but may be worth it). True external UV is bloody expensive!

Andy
 
Internal uv's are just about useless ime. No sense wasting money on one.
 
OP just says green algae. Start simple....is direct sunlight falling on the tank at any time and/or are your lights on for more than 6-8 hours?
 
Indeed. I'm asking myslef why did I assume BGA now? I must be getting confused with another thread.

Ignore me... the wife does.

Andy
 
Indeed. I'm asking myslef why did I assume BGA now? I must be getting confused with another thread.

Ignore me... the wife does.

Andy


:lol: wish mine would sometimes!

Anyway, the op asks a question to which there are replies which are not as yet answered before we move to a more involved remedy which could be like a sledge hammer to crack a nut sort of thing ;)
 

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