Hair Algae Causing Ill Fish?!

[Griff]

Hi,

I'm having serious problems with outbreaks of hair algae and I'm starting to think that it's causing outbreaks of disease in my tank. I had a problem with hair algae previously but didn't think too much of it and managed to remove it by taking the contaminated ornamants out the tank and soaking in boiling water. Around the same time I had a problem with some black mollies that I had for about 4 months or so. These fish came down with slime disease and, despite treamtment, died. I thought initially that it was to do with my water pH (~6.4) as I had read that these fish like hard water conditions. Anyway to cut to the chase, I've had another outbreak of hair algae and again there's been a recurrence of slime disease which is currently affecting (killing) my siamese fighting fish and I think it's also upsetting my clown loach. I'm currently treating this with Interpet Anti Slime and Velvet.

My conditions are

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Tank size: 80litre
pH:6.4
ammonia:?
nitrite:40
nitrate:0
kH:0
gH:0
tank temp: 26

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes: generally 20-25 litres once a week

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: currently has InterPet Anti Slime/Velvet

Tank inhabitants: 2 albino cats, kissing gourami, dwarf gourami, siamese fighter, 3 siamese algae eaters, 2 swordtails (female), 3 guppies (male), 1 plec, 1 clown loach, 1 goldfish (yeah I know it's bad but I've had him for years and he seems happy enough)

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): dwarf gourami, the guppies and the plec

I'll be truly grateful for any advice you can give.

 

[xJake]

Hair algae isn't your problem. The problem is that your tank is extremely overstocked. You need at least a 6 ft tank to keep clown loaches and most plecs, and the goldfish alone needs his own 80L tank or larger. Get a second filter going on that tank to help handle the bioload and rehome the clown loach(es), the siamese algae eaters, the pleco, the kissing gourami and the goldfish. Also, start doing water changes everday until you get the large fish rehomed to keep the water quality at a decent level. The hair algae is only growing because your tank is overstocked and there are excess nutrients in the water from the huge bioload. Also, I assume that you mixed up nitrite and nitrate as test kits don't read that high on nitrite. Get us an ammonia reading.

 

[Griff]

Hi, you're right about the nitrate and nitrite readings being back to front. Are you sure about the tank being too small? I was under the impression an 80 litre tank would hold far more than I've actually got. Seems quite quiet in there.

 

[black angel]

The goldfish alone needs 20 gallons minimum to himself depending on size. They excrete 30% of their body waste each day and a plec can do the same.
I agree that your tank is overstocked.

 

[xJake]

Hi, you're right about the nitrate and nitrite readings being back to front. Are you sure about the tank being too small? I was under the impression an 80 litre tank would hold far more than I've actually got. Seems quite quiet in there.

I'm guessing that a salesman told you how many fish your tank could hold? Most salesman and advertising companies will tell you you can keep or show you pictures of tanks with far more many fish than can actually live happily and healthily in an aquarium of that size just to make some extra money.

Once you rehome your fish your stocking level should look like this:

2 albino cats, dwarf gourami, siamese fighter, 2 swordtails (female), 3 guppies (male)

That would still be overstocked so I would only suggest keeping the swordtails or guppies; one or the other, not both. Also, I would suggest rehoming the albino cory cats for 3 otocinclus catfish (they clean algae and they stay small).