Hi I’m new to this forum but need help. I’ve had my tank for one year and recently I lost a few fish over a period of time…a vampire plec a normal plec and today a yellow Algae eater. I do a 20% clean every week but now I’ve also got 3 types of algae. Please can someone tell me wots going on with my tank? The algae is brown and another is black fur and the other which I’m concerned about it like a Luminus green which is on the stones and glass. Please Allan someone help me.
Need help
- Thread starter Claudie
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Hello. Here's what I do. A 20 percent water change isn't enough. You still leave 80 percent of the pollutants in the tank. A tank up to 30 gallons really needs two 50 percent water changes per week. Tanks larger, need half the water changed every week. You can't miss a water change or toxins will build up and you could lose a fish. But, you need to work up to this point gradually. Change a little more water each water change until you get to 50 percent. Success in this hobby is really that simple. Nothing in the hobby is more important than keeping the water clear of the constantly dissolving waste.
As for algae, there are many different types and most will grow in water with as little as 10 parts per million (ppm) nitrogen. Nitrogen comes from dissolving fish and plant waste. So, this is the reason you need to remove and replace a lot of tank water and do this often. Pure water conditions will keep your fish and plants healthy.
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As for algae, there are many different types and most will grow in water with as little as 10 parts per million (ppm) nitrogen. Nitrogen comes from dissolving fish and plant waste. So, this is the reason you need to remove and replace a lot of tank water and do this often. Pure water conditions will keep your fish and plants healthy.
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Test strips are not nearly as accurate as liquid tests. I use API Master Test Kits.
Since the fish you have lost are largely bottom feeders do you vacuum the substrate when doing water changes? You MAY have a contaminate in the substrate that is bad for the fish.
What is the tank size and what kind of substrate? What is the actual numbers for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and PH?
Sometimes tests on the water can be deceptive as they can show everything is OK but the problem is that they don't test everything. That is why larger water changes are recommended.
Since the fish you have lost are largely bottom feeders do you vacuum the substrate when doing water changes? You MAY have a contaminate in the substrate that is bad for the fish.
What is the tank size and what kind of substrate? What is the actual numbers for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and PH?
Sometimes tests on the water can be deceptive as they can show everything is OK but the problem is that they don't test everything. That is why larger water changes are recommended.
Strips don't test for everything - they don't test for ammonia, for example - and nothing measures everything which builds up in an aquarium.
Most of us do weekly water changes of at least 50%.
Algae is caused by an imbalance between lighting and plant fertiliser. Too much or too little of one or other make it more difficult for plants to grow while algae can grow in conditions where plants grow slowly. So duration of lighting can cause algae if they are on too long.
Spectrum of lighting also has an impact. Plants need red and blue in the spectrum and some green also helps. Many lights have too much blue, and algae can use blue to grow. The spectrum is the K rating of the light. It's usually four numbers followed by K and may be written on the light itself, in the instruction manual, the packaging or the manufacturer's website. If you can find it, tell us the K number - and how long each day the lights are on for.
The slimey looking green algae - does it peel off in sheets? If it does it's more likely to be so-called blue green algae which is actually bacteria. This grows where there's too much organic matter in the tank - uneaten food, fish poop etc - which comes in with jaylach's question about vacuuming the substrate.
Most of us do weekly water changes of at least 50%.
Algae is caused by an imbalance between lighting and plant fertiliser. Too much or too little of one or other make it more difficult for plants to grow while algae can grow in conditions where plants grow slowly. So duration of lighting can cause algae if they are on too long.
Spectrum of lighting also has an impact. Plants need red and blue in the spectrum and some green also helps. Many lights have too much blue, and algae can use blue to grow. The spectrum is the K rating of the light. It's usually four numbers followed by K and may be written on the light itself, in the instruction manual, the packaging or the manufacturer's website. If you can find it, tell us the K number - and how long each day the lights are on for.
The slimey looking green algae - does it peel off in sheets? If it does it's more likely to be so-called blue green algae which is actually bacteria. This grows where there's too much organic matter in the tank - uneaten food, fish poop etc - which comes in with jaylach's question about vacuuming the substrate.
Thank you for ur reply too. Everytime I clean it I vacuum the bottom and I’ve got sand but only a little cos I was told to use sand instead of stone but wen I cleaned the tank it was very very cloudy and lasted a couple of days so took it out but I might not of got it all out. So now I’ve got about 2” of gravel. I had a vampire plec that was my pride and joy only had it for about 5 months.
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I hope that the gravel is smooth and small river pebbles. For bottom feeders such as plecos and corys sand it usually recommended here but I find smooth river pebbles to be fine. Course gravel can actually cause injury to bottom feeders.
Feeding twice a day is too much unless dealing with fry. In fact I don't feed at all on Mondays and Thursdays. Fish do not need to eat every day. Critters such as mammals and birds use most of their caloric intake just to maintain body temperature. Since a fish's body temperature is controlled by the water temperature the high caloric intake is not needed and also not healthy for the tank. With feeding twice a day I'd be somewhat surprised if your nitrate levels were not high.
I feed my fish once almost every day - I don't feed them a couple of days a week. If the person who told you to feed them twice was a shop worker, they want customers to use more food than they need so they buy more. The only time fish need feeding more than once a day is for babies which need to be fed a small amount more often.
Fish need a lot less food than you'd think. Mammals, including us, use most of our food to keep warm. Fish get their body temperature from the water, they only use food for growing and swimming.
Looking at that image, the lights seem to be on quite a long time - 8 hours of bright light and a ramp up and down at each end. For starting, I'd increase the green during the light on time and cut out the blue at the end. And maybe cut the duration of bright light by an hour.
Edit - jaylach posted at the same time
Fish need a lot less food than you'd think. Mammals, including us, use most of our food to keep warm. Fish get their body temperature from the water, they only use food for growing and swimming.
Looking at that image, the lights seem to be on quite a long time - 8 hours of bright light and a ramp up and down at each end. For starting, I'd increase the green during the light on time and cut out the blue at the end. And maybe cut the duration of bright light by an hour.
Edit - jaylach posted at the same time
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LOL! I beg to differ, I was almost a full minute earlier... Na na nana na.Edit - jaylach posted at the same time
Ah but - as soon as I'd posted both said "a moment ago" 
angiemike6
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I agree that regular water changes are so important, although I do approximately 40% in a 180l tank. I also ensure that all the filter media in my Juwel filter is thoroughly cleaned each week in one of the buckets of tank water already taken out. I am very keen on using Seachem products and dose the tank with Prime, Stability and Pristine each week. As far as feeding is concerned it is important not to overfeed as uneaten fish food releases toxic ammonia and nitrite as it decomposes. I only feed my fish 3 times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then only once on those days.
The only chemical needed in a tank is dechlorinator (Prime) and if there are live plants, fertiliser. The less we add to a tank the better.
Stability is a bacterial product which is not needed in a cycled tank. Pristine 'eliminates sludge and detritus' and again this is not needed in a mature tank which has all the bacteria to do this without any additives.
Apart from that I'm in total agreement
Stability is a bacterial product which is not needed in a cycled tank. Pristine 'eliminates sludge and detritus' and again this is not needed in a mature tank which has all the bacteria to do this without any additives.
Apart from that I'm in total agreement
Hello again. Multiple, smaller water changes aren't an efficient use of your time. If you're going to get out all the gear to perform a water change, then spend a little more time and remove half. Remember, twice weekly if you have a tank smaller than 30 gallons and once weekly for a tank larger than 30. Also, you should work up to this much slowly. You don't want to stress your fish.
As for testing the tank water, you can use strips as long as they haven't passed the expiration date. in my opinion, the strips are much faster, cheaper and as accurate as anything else. I've used the Tetra 6 in 1 strips in the past. They have as good a product as any.
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