catersun

Well... since all the other traditional techniques have been tried for quelling an algae bloom, I'm wondering if maybe that is NOT what is going on, and that perhaps a course of Maracyn is what she should try after the fish are moved instead of taking the whole tank down and starting over.

sirdarksol

There's an easy way to figure it out. Does the stuff look like sheets or webs of bright blue-green material? That's cyanobacteria for sure. If it's just a coating of normal green, it probably isn't.
Sunlight is the best light for growing the majority of plants, including algae, so if the tank is getting even reflected sunlight, that could be feeding the algae. I have three tanks in my living room, none of which get direct sunlight, yet all three are growing moderate to high light plants under stock lighting (one has two small incandescent, the other two have single fluorescent bulbs) because the floor is glossy hardwood and the walls are really light, allowing the room to reflect a lot of sunlight. One of the tanks has a diatom problem that I can't get rid of because it gets too much light. Perhaps you could tape some paper to the sides of the tank in order to block some of the light, or you could get some of the blue pond coloring to tint the water and help keep the light out that way.

zigmeister

There is no slime or strings of green stuff. The water is cloudy green. My pleco takes care of any algae that forms on anything in the tank. I have already covered one side of the tank to decrease the amount of light. That didn't make any difference at all. I did another water change this evening and took the castle out. The water looks better but not completely clear. The new tank's ammonia level is down to 1; nitrates are at 20; nitrites are still 0.

sirdarksol

That's what I thought from earlier descriptions. The cloudy green water probably isn't cyanobacteria. My tank was crystal clear when it had cyanobacteria (and the stuff free-floating in the water like that would be killing your fish. It's that nasty). It sounds like, for whatever reason, there is a buildup of algae.

See if you can get a city water report (presuming you use municipal water for the tank), specifically looking for phosphates. They're notorious for creating algae spikes. Minnesota is struggling to get the populace to stop using cleaners with phosphates, and it is now illegal to use fertilizer with phosphates because these things end up in our lakes, creating green sludge. If you can't get a city water report, see if you can get an LFS to do a phosphate test on a sample of your municipal water as well as some water from the aquarium.
If you've got phosphates, I believe that there is media that some of the Marine people use to clear phosphate from their tanks to inhibit algal blooms. It may be necessary for you to run some of this in your filter.

zigmeister

Thanks, sir. I do believe the city water authority has their water report online. I will go and take a look. Thanks for the help.

Kevin

ive heard phos-gaurd by seachem...i believe...works well
any products by marineland and seachem usually work very well

zigmeister

I just checked the local water report. It does not appear that they add phosphates. But I have to wonder how much there might be in the water from fertilizer runoff from all the golf courses in the area. There is no mention of phosphates in the water at all. I wonder if I take a sample to the local fish store if they can test if for me. Hmmmm...

sirdarksol

If they would do it, that would be a great idea.
Actually, I kind of like that idea better than relying on the city's water report.
I'm running out of ideas on what this might be, so, for your sake, I'm kind of hoping it's phosphates, because then you'd at least know how to treat it.

zigmeister

Sir, I agree. I'm very frustrated at this point. I'm just glad this is not affecting the fish.

jsalemi

While you're at the pet store, check if they have the API Phosphate test kit. Or you can order it from DFS: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...1&pcatid=15471

zigmeister

thanks Joe, I will try that. Other than being in the tap water, where would the phosphates come from? Fish waste?

sirdarksol

Not much. Animal waste apparently doesn't contain much in the way of phosphates. We can use it for lawn fertilizer around here, even with the phosphate ban.

It could be coming from rock. That's where plants get it from. Is there anything other than standard sand/gravel in your tank?
Or it could be coming from rotting plant material. Have you been vacuuming detritus frequently? Do you trim dead stuff from the plants?

catersun

i'll anwser this one for her.. river rock/topfin brand aquarium rock... plants only.. and yes, she does trim her plants and the tank get vac'd once a week.

sirdarksol

Then I'm about tapped out for ideas.

susitna-flower

20 nitrates can feed excess algae. I know you have water problems right out of the tap, but if the tap water is less than 20, I would do daily water changes for awhile, 25 - 50%. I think if you can get your nitrates down to 5 you will see a marked change.

I was having problems with algae in one tank that had 2 plecos as well as other fish. I did two things to get it under control. #1 I cut feed.
#2: I added 3 bristlenose plecos, since the other two weren't cleaning well enough.
Now my water is clear, and the algae under control.

Dieing algae will cause high phospates in the water, which will just feed more algae......so those water changes and gravel vacuuming work hand in hand to keep this all down.

Good Luck & Merry Christmas

catersun

I don't think she has gotten the phosphates checked yet.... I'm still waiting to see what that comes out to.

She has to move the tank after the holidays, so I suspect she'll keep her filters and gravel wet and move the tank and start over with all new water once the fish are all moved to the other tank. Then move half the fish back once the tank is reestablished.

catersun

So zig was over and helped me with my tank cleaning. I rinse out my filters everytime I change my water. Zig took the idea home to her green tank. SHe rinsed out her filters, and sure enough a couple hours later... the tank is a little less green. I'm sure she'll update you all soon if this works.

zigmeister

Okay... so I have been doing extra water changes and rinsing the filters each time and the green water is finally gone!! Hope that doesn't happen again. It was really ugly! I also stopped feeding flakes and shrimp pellets. Just giving them the frozen food and of course an algae disc for Mikey.