voiceless_kat

I am having a bit of an algae problem in Neptune's tank. It is 6g so not that large and he is happy as a clam in there. The tank sits on the kitchen counter and while it does not get sunlight, it get light from a window which I think is contributing to this problem. I have just been cleaning it at water changes....taking him out, using my algae cleaner brush and a clean lint free cloth to wipe it all down. Then after a couple of weeks, it starts to return - it is green algae.

Is his tank large enough to try an algae eater, and if so, what kind? I don't want to go the snail route after all the stories I read about them going crazy...............( I am usually on the crazy road already..LOL). If not, I will just keep doing the cleaning. How does everyone else clean their algae ( if they get it ) Neither Storm nor Wink Jack Sparrow have algae. Does anyone use an kind of product, or just clean with the brush and clean tank decorations with a toothbrush in the water I take out

Thanks. Val

Phloxface

I have had problems with green algae in my 2 ten gallon tanks and nothing seemed to get rid of it until I tried using a product called Phos-X. They are tiny packets like tea bags with some kind of granules that absorb phosphate, nitrite and nitrate. One packet lasts about 2 months. I discovered that using carbon a lot puts phosphate in the water and this feeds the algae. I started using the Phos-X bag in the filter in the last stage of filteration and after a few days the algae just started dying. I had huge sticky sheets of algae all over my java fern and couldn't scrub it off and it all just fell off. It doesn't harm plants at all, only algae.
I found another brand that uses the same stuff but they make it in large bags specifically for Fluval canister filters. It's called "ClearMax" by Fluval. You get three bags in the pack so I just cut open the bags and scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the resin granules and put it in my filter media bag along with 2 tablespoons of carbon. By mixing them together you can get the benefits of carbon while the ClearMax removes any phosphates put out by the carbon, as well as nitrites and nitrates.
I also use "Tidy Tank" sludge remover once a week which is a harmless bacteria, not a chemical, that helps disolve sludge in the gravel and also seems to help somewhat with algae.
Weekly large water changes (40%) and deep gravel vaccuming help keep the algae from getting a hold. Scrub out the whole filter once a month including intake tubes and impeller to remove algae in the filter. Give a quick wipe of the inside glass of the tank with an algae scrubber pad before each weekly water change.
If any sunlight is hitting the tank try keeping the curtains/blinds closed or blocking the light from the tank somehow.
I find doing these things and using those products (all of which are harmless to your fish) really helps with the algae.

Please do not EVER use any of the chemical algae removing products!! All of them claim to be safe for fish but I have read many posts of people using those products and killing every fish in the tank! Even the ones that claim to be "all natural".
Just remember that algae needs phosphate to thrive and by removing the phosphate and nitrate you are starving the algae and killing it. My nitrate levels are less than 5!
Phos-X and ClearMax ROCK!!

Here's a link to see what it looks like: http://www.petsolutions.com/ClearMax...48+C10277.aspx
I bought mine at Petsmart although it doesn't seem to be on their website yet.

COBettaCouple

I'll definitely say NEVER EVER try an algae removing chemical.. one of our worst fish days was when i treated our 2 tanks with it in the morning (our 1st betta and our Platys tank) with it.. thank God we came into the room for lunch because they were all in severe distress and would've died soon.. after many hours of work and watching the fish struggle and thinking we had lost Super Mario a couple times, things straightened out and by night they were in clean yet uncycled tanks and doing ok.. but i would check on them during the night several times for a while after that.. algae would've been a LOT better than that nightmare.

voiceless_kat

Thanks, Dave & Phlox........I can get busy on all that tomorrow, and will look up those products ,mentioned.

So what about a roommate Yay or Nay

Val

Phloxface

I wouldn't add to the bioload unless you absolutely have to. Try the products I mentioned first and see if they help.

voiceless_kat

Thanks, Phlox. I think I am just going to do a good scrub down today, and a 50% water change. I read on Kordon's website last night that they are about to launch a new product, I believe it is an algae cleaner. Until then, I will do it the told fashioned way. He is just finishing a course of triple Sulfa anyway, so tank needs a change and a new filter.

I have no window covering on the window he is near, although it is on the north side of the house, and doesn't really get direct sunlight. And perhaps I won't leave his light on quite as long, which right now is all day, until about 10 pm. Val

COBettaCouple

hmm.. i'd consider a kordon product maybe.. still pretty leary of them but we'll see what kordon comes up with.

nmwierman1977

I get the brown algae in Pebbles and Rj's tank. Of course I don't have to worry about it with RJ's tank because Fred is in there eating it. I just bought pebbles an oto cat, Bam-Bam. He's not in her tank yet, but will be this weekend after I re-decorate it with some" new " plants and a new ornament that I bought when I bought Bam-Bam. Hopefully she'll except him. RJ and Fred get along after they came to an understanding the castle really belongs to RJ and Fred is just a tenant. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Oto cats are poopers, but they are great for that purpose, so you may want to consider it if whatever you do doesn't work. You have a 6 gallon, so you'd be safe with 2 or 3 oto cats in there. Natalie

A tip: I took out my substrate and just have decor in both tanks. I find it much easier to get all the poo out that Fred and Bam-bam create. I had marbles in them at one point. It's actually helped RJ's finrot porblems considerably too. He doesn't get it anymore and his fins are clearing up very well including the top one that used to get holes in it all the time.

COBettaCouple

i just went to a thinner layer of marbles in our tanks this last cleaning day.. i think eventually we'll put sponge filters in the tanks to go with the HOB filter and remove all the marbles too.

voiceless_kat

Thanks guys for giving me some options to think about. I did the water change and scrubbed his plants and cave, filter, etc. Also did the walls of the tank with the algae scrubber and some vacuuming of the substrate. ( I moved Neptune out - he was not a happy little man!).

He was pretty happy to get back into the tank, and it looked so nice and clean. Then when I examine really carefully, I see a few tiny spots I missed, that I am sure will start to spread within a couple weeks. His cave, which I think was meant for a turtle in a terrarium....a flat topped rock thingee with swim through holes and one extra swim in hole in the front............was really quite yucky. he just loves that thing...kinda cute!!

So I am going to watch the Kordon website and read about this product - I think it is one that will have to be ordered direct from them.

I will check Walmart and see if they have cory-cats ( with the word cat in the name, it can only be good..LOL) it would be fun to get more than one, but I would be screwed if he didn't like them, wouldn't I?? If I went that route, I will put a new plant in and change things around a bit.

Stay tuned.........Home & Aquarium television it is .... Val

Phloxface

I don't think I'd trust any algae removing product, no matter who makes it. I've heard too many horror stories of people who's fish started dying within minutes of using algae products. The phosphate removing products are safe and very effective.

Jendayi

Here is my very limited experience with cory cats. I had three in the tank with Jett. While there were three of them, he was completely fine with them - they did their own thing and he did his. Then two of them got sick (or I'm thinking were sick when I brought them home, they didn't last a week) and left only the one. When there was just the one cory Jett picked on him mercilessly. So poor Uno is out into his own tiny tank at the moment waiting for my 6g to cycle so he can get some friends.

Another problem I had with the cories in with Jett was that he would gorge himself on their food when I fed them. I broke up algae wafers into tiny pieces, almost crushed, and scattered them on the bottom with the turkey baster. As soon as he saw the cories eating he was right down there with them. If they had stayed in there with him I would have had to feed them vegetables and scrap the wafers all together.

I never saw my cories eat actual algae, tho. And little Uno doesn't eat algae now, even tho there is some in his tank.

nmwierman1977

If you are feeding him algae wafers then he doesn't find the need to eat the algae. If you feed an algae eater too much food they simply get lazy and won't eat the algae off the tank. I don't feed Fred much anymore. If there isn't a lot of algae for him to eat I'll maybe give him a piece of broccoli or gr. bean for him to munch on, but that's every once in awhile. I'd rather him eat the algae that's growing on the tank. You may want to stop feeding him and eventually when he get's hungry enough he'll start eating the algae. Natalie