Hey

[Sammii]

Hiya guys! as you can probably tell i am new to this forum, i signed up as i became a tropical fish keeper around a month ago, but i have currently developed an issue....

Ok, it appears i have been attacked by an algae bloom of some description, green water...
its a 28l tank, dimensions are something like 38x something... sorry not very informative but i dont have a tape measure to hand and i simply cannot remember.


i changed my plant in my tank its not a real one but a fake one, cleaned it properly, since having the algae bloom i have reduced the light in the tank, to 8 hours in the evening, and reduced their feed to a couple of flakes ( i have 3 guppies, 4 neon tetras and 6 other fish i havent got a clue what they were as they were given to me)

i have been doing 10% water changes every two days to see if that cures the problem, but after a week or so it hasnt changed much and it seems to be getting worse.

i have an undergravel filter and an air pump...

thank you guys and girlies (sorry for the long essay)

Sammii

 

[nosoup4you]

We will need the results of your water tests in Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates as well as a description of your regular maintenance. Gravel vac? Water change? How often?

 

[Sammii]

to be very honest, i know im going to get shot for this, but i have never tested my water..... (hides) LOL!

regular maintenance.. okay... well i've done as it says by the book, 10% water change every week, including gravel cleaning!

but lately ive been doing 10% every couple of days to get the bloom to disappear!

 

[nosoup4you]

We will need water stats to find out if it is contributing to the bloom but as a treatment a full tank blackout (covering all sides with a thick blanket or cardboard and tape to completely eliminate light from getting in) for a few days is the best. if your water stats are off though it may quickly reappear after the blackout period is over. Most LFS sell water test kits and if they don't, they will test it for a fee or sometimes even free. I do 30-50% water changes on all of my tanks weekly.

 

[fatheadminnow]

-FHM

 

[Sammii]

thanks for the welcome, so, with regards to the blackout i need to turn the light off of course and just cover the whole tank with a blanket? should i still feed my fish daily? and also with the new plant shall i take that out as well? as i think that may have caused an issue somewhere and i changed it and thats when the bloom started really?

thanks

 

[nosoup4you]

I wouldn't worry about feeding the fish. Fish can go weeks without food. I doubt that the new plant was the cause unless you started dosing ferts or something with the addition of the plant.

You will get better results if you tape some cardboard to the outside. It won't let as much light through as something like a blanket.