calling all fishkeepers

[pie2000]

Hiya all
I am looking for help in my fishtank
It is 260 litre's and over the past fortnight i have been plagued with algae bloom i cant even see my fish anymore i have been doing daily water changes but it is not getting any better does anyone have any ideas!!! please!

[dirdyweeker]

What colour is the algae? Firstly make sure it is out of direct sunlight. Have you tried scraping the algae with a scraper? If that doesn't work ask at your local pet shop for Algae X. This should do the job
p.s. I can't imagine that you would have to change the water.
hope this helps?

[pie2000]

hiya

The algae is not forming on the glass it is hanging in the water and it is the tank water which is a deep green colour the only thing i am getting out of my water changes is diluting the colour a wee bit. Have also tried stuff called green away which worked really well but the colour was back in 3 days!!! I know you can put straw in to ponds to keep it clear do you think it would work in my tank i really am willing to try anything.

[Geo]

Green algae is caused by too much light and/or too much nutrients in the water. The former can be because the tank is receiving direct sunlight. That's never a good idea for a fishtank. Alternatively the tank lights being left on too long can cause a problem. Too much nutrients can come from overfeeding which leads to uneaten food and too much fish waste. Too many fish would also be a problem.

If the tank is getitng direct sunlight it would be best to move it. It's very hard to control algae if the tank gets direct sunlight. I would replace about 20% of the water daily until the water is clear. Any more than that risks putting too much stress on the fish. If overfeeding is an issue cut down on that. If not already add some algae eating fish. Some catfish are algae eaters although I think all the algae eating fish eat algae on the glass not in the water. If their are too many fish in the tank you may have to rehome some.

A little bit of algae on the glass or on ornamants in the water is ok. It can be an indication of good water qaulity and is easy to control.

[pie2000]

Hi
I am pretty certain that it is not direct sunlight as i had the old tank their for 4 years without any probs got the new tank in January but used 50% of the old water and most of the old filter sponges so i was trying so save all of the benifical bacteria.
Could it be that maybe the lights in the new tank are more powerful an should not have them on for as long?
Have been doing the 20% water changes for a fortnight now an no diffirence it really is getting annoying!!
The tank holds 2 12" oscars and a 14" plec is 4' long and contains 260 l of water so it is not overstocking. Could it be new tank syndrome even though i transferred all that water and filter media and as the interpet green away worked so well how often can i use it as it really only lasted 3 days before going cloudy again.

[Geo]

How long are you leaving the lights on for and what type of bulbs are they? You could try blocking out all light for a few days. Plants need the light if you have them but but with such a serious algae problem they will not be getting much light anyway so a few days shouldn't matter or you could take them out and give them a new home for a few days. They probably need rinsed anyway.

There are filters that will trap the algae. Some pet stores I have been to sell daphnia, which eat suspended algae. Don't know if either of the shops here sell them though.

Not sure I would try another chemical treatment so soon but check the instructions to see what the manufacturer says.

Another option would be to rehouse the fish in another tank for a while and start from scratch with the current tank, cleaning everything and using all new water, adding some treatments to help get it established.

[pie2000]

Hiya

Thank you for your reply again it is good to finally speak to someone who knows what they are talking about.

My lights are on a timmer an come on for 11 hours a day as they always have, although i switched them off today after reading your previous reply so will try that for a few days as well as my water changes !!! I am getting sick o eh sight of my buckets an hose eh haha. The tank is lit by the standard lights that came with the new tank which is a jewel vision 260. They are 2 different strips and one has a bit of a blue look about it when you lift the lid what it is though am not sure.

I dont have to worry about plants as i dont have any , the oscars just dig them up!
I will also go an try to get some daphnia as i was not aware that they ate it whether i get it or not will be another thing have only really seen blood worm locally.

Do you think that some straw would work as it does in ponds?

[Geo]

Hiya

Thank you for your reply again it is good to finally speak to someone who knows what they are talking about.

I wouldn't go that far! :D Just what I've picked up from books and online over the years.


Do you think that some straw would work as it does in ponds?

I'm not sure to be honest. In a confined tank it might be tricky to get the dose right and there's the risk of making matters worse from a water quality point of view. Had a quick look on Google and it appears it is a long term fix rather than a quick fix, taking a number of weeks in ponds. The barley straw needs to break down at which point it releases a chemical that inhibits new algae growth. It does not appear to kill the algae already present. Maybe someone with experience of this method could comment. For other types of algae I guess it could be used as a "sponge" as the algae would cling to it.

Hopefully restricting light for a few days and continued water changes will help. You will need to check your filters too as they are likely to get clogged.

Hope you can get on top of it soon.

[George Brims]

One solution is to buy a Plecostomus. It's a fish that just loves to eat algae. You can start with a wee one and it will grow until its food requirements match the production of algae in the tank. A middling size tank will support one maybe si inches long, though I've seen somewhere that they can grow to 20+ inches! They hang by their mouth from the glass of the tank when not feeding. They will even suck up bits of gravel and clean the algae off them and spit them back out clean.

The only drawback is they sometimes like to eat the slime off other fish, leaving them prone to infection.

[pie2000]

Hi again and thank you for your replys

I already have a big plec in the tank of about 14" long was wondering if i could get another one but it would need to be of a reasonable size maybe if anyone knows of one that needs rehoming i would certainly think about it.

On the water changes it finnally seems to be paying off!! The water is begining to clear although it is very slow i am beggining to see a difference :D Still i think i have a good lot more to do to get it back to normal.

[Highland Laddie]

Hi there
I had that problem years back, i bought 2 external (sponge/ceramic chip/ charcoal) power filters, problem solved in a matter of days.

I don't know if they still do them, but i bought them from Millers pet store, i think they were called Fluval filters.