have algae bloom

[love cichlids]

In one of my tanks, my 55 gallon with the goldfish has an algae bloom(green water) I have been changing 30-40% every 4 days and keeping the light off. It has kept down the green water. Yesterday I left the light on all day thinking that I had almost got it under control, but noticed this morning that it is coming back. Is there anything that I am not doing. The filter is for a 75 gallon tank(biowheel) so they have good filtration. The ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are excellent. There is no live plants in the tank. I just moved them into the 55 gallon a month ago and used some of the water from the other tank, which i shouldn't have because that is when I was having trouble with the green water. Should I do larger or smaller, more often water changes to get this under control. The lights have been off in tank for almost 3 weeks, I thought this would help. I am confused on what to do next to get this under control. Any suggestions welcome, Thank you

 

[Jen]

I'd love to know the answer as I am combating the same problem.

 

[terrorist_124]

since you don't have any real plants,the algae dosn't have to compete for nutrients.

i suggest you put in a few real plants that will suck up the nutrients that algae needs to survive.
amazon sword will do the job.

 

[love cichlids]

this is a 55 gallon and does not have the proper lighting for plants. I do have a large healthy amazon sword in my community tank that is planted in a pot. I will try to put that in the tank but I will have to be careful because I don't want it to die.

 

[terrorist_124]

amazon sword are very hardy and do not need much light.

just make sure the temp of the t2 tanks are the same.

goodluck

 

[love cichlids]

now you tell me about the tempurature. I just put it in the tank and there is 5 degrees different in the 2 tanks. Will that harm the plant, i wouldn't think so but I don't know anything about that. Should I keep it in the tank now that I transferred it and keep an eye on the plant or take it out. I can't afford to buy any plants right now.

 

[terrorist_124]

no,5 degrees diff is very o.k.

keep it in the new tank

 

[rdd1952]

More than likely what you are dealing with is single cell algae so obviously, there aren't any fish that can eat it. You might want to try a UV Sterilizer. I had a very similar problem in both my 29 gallon and 75 gallon tanks. Here is a link I posted about a week ago in the Chit Chat section with photos of the day by day progress.

 

[love cichlids]

I had to take out the plant because the fish were eating it, grrrrr. As soon as I can I will by a uv sterilizer. I have a biowheel filter, now how does the uv sterilizer hook up, have no idea. And does the uv sterilizer help with string algae, I have this problem in my 20 gallon. The only tank with no problems is my 30 gallon.

 

[rdd1952]

UV Sterilizers work by "sterilizing" the water as it passes by the light in the system. Basically, it kills any bacteria in the water. You have to have a source to move the water through the system, either have it connected to a cannister filter or hooked directly to a power head. I wasn't 100% sold on how they would work when I bought mine so instead of cutting the hoses to my Fluval filters and connecting it that way. I used a power head.

It worked perfectly on both tanks I treated with it. One cleared up in a little over 24 hours and the other was clear in about 4 or 5 days. I haven't had it running on the first one in at least a month and the water is still crystal clear. By running it off a power head rather than in line on the filters, you have the option to move it to another tank if the need arises.

As for the string/hair algae, it won't help you there. It will only kill what passes through it. On the positive side, it will also kill ich (or any other disease bacteria)that may be in your tank since those are generally free floating in the water. Needless to say, I was ecstatic with the results I got from mine.

 

[love cichlids]

what can help me with hair algae, i have been cleaning off the glass and ornaments every day and changing water every 4-5 days, i can't think of anything else to do

 

[Rubicon]

Having past algae problems, I've licked 'em with two things. A UV filter, and filter media called Green X Phosphate remover. Try the remover stuff in one of your filters. This stuff should clear up your water in less than a week. I swear by it, and so do the local fish guru's I deal with.

 

[love cichlids]

i will try the Green X Phosphate remover since I don't have enough for a uv filter. Especially in my goldfish tank have a problem of green water. I was so frustrated I changed 100% water(I know this is not usually a good thing to do but didn't know what else to do) now it is getting cloudy. Not sure if the algae problem is coming back, I think so. My 20 gallon is doing ok I think I have the problem of stringy algae under control. My GSP is happy and ate well yesterday. Only bought her on Sunday.

 

[itZme]

Ok, hope I don't get flamed for this but I have resorted to chemicals to win the battle of green water. I had a 5 gal near a door in our house that got some sunlight during the day. The light that hit it was coming through a screened porch and then through the sheer curtains on the doors so it is definitely not direct sunlight but still enough to make the algae bloom and cloud up the water (think pea soup).

I asked around at a couple LFS and they said water changes were the answer. While reading online I found that the problem with combating this with water changes was that the tap water contained the same algae that the aquarium water had, they had just not bloomed yet. So water changes actually end up fueling the fire so to speak.

I decided to move that tank since I always had problems with the algae and placed it in the bedroom where it gets about half of the sunlight it used to get. It continued to have the same problem. Well, with my MTS problem kicking in I found that the old spot in the dining area would be perfect for adding another tank

So, I set up the really cool column that I have there. It is about 6 feet tall and holds almost 20 us gal. It became green within a week or so and I was back to the algae battle. The other 5 gal in the bedroom continued to bloom also.

I read about different chemicals online and debated with myself dfor days about introducing anything into my tanks. Then I made an informed decision to add Algae-Fix to the tanks and see what happens.

I thought the $6.99 for 1,200 gallons of treatment was priced right and brought it home from the LFS. I added the 28 drops to the 20 gal and then added 7 drops to the 5 gal. After feeding the other tanks around here I walked out into the kitchen and looked at the 20 gal and it was clearer already! (like 15 minutes)

I took a before pic and an hour later took another pic because it was hard to believe. They are both below if you want to see. I used the stuff as recommended (every 3 days) for about 2 weeks then stopped to see what would happen. It has been about 3 months and I haven't had any blooms since then. I am wondering if my local water supply has changed since we are into summer now and it maybe doesn't contain as much of the algae now.

Either way, I would recommend this stuff unless you have any crustaceans in the tank. I did have some apple snails and they were not affected by this. So, on one hand I had to resort to a chemical but on the other hand it seems to have CURED the problem and not just temporarily restrained it. I wouldn't have minded adding 24 drops every water change anyway since it was so reasonably priced. Your 55 will need a teaspoon to treat it.

Hope that helps.
-- itZme

 

[Sime]

itZme - it might be worth treating the root of the problem next time, but i know how you feel - it's easy to resort to chemicals.

I've had great luck doing the 3 day blackout methods for all kinds of algae, even green water.

maybe worth a try if it comes back?