View Full Version : algae
bushwhacker
11-12-2008, 10:49 PM
hopefully someone can identify this algae and tell me what i can do to get rid of it, its all over my anubias like a ring on the edges and a few other plants but others it dont touch will ottos eat it??
thanks bush
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n438/bushwhacker_01/11-12-08001.jpg
golfproinlexky
11-12-2008, 11:42 PM
Looks like beard algae/brush algae to me. I've had the same stuff before and nothing really gets rid of it. Some people will suggest ottos might eat it, but it didn't work for me. Good luck!
DAVIDFBT
11-12-2008, 11:55 PM
I've had it before on my Anubias and I ended up trimming the affected leaves. My otos or BN Pleco wouldn't touch that algae. I've heard that dipping it in Seachem's Excel will kill it.
JL15219
11-13-2008, 1:42 AM
Yup that looks exactly what I have...I am trying to get rid of it myself..if you have any success let me know...
NeonFlux
11-13-2008, 2:09 AM
Stain algae
Jag1980
11-13-2008, 7:30 AM
Bleach dip :dance:
Fordtrannyman
11-13-2008, 1:17 PM
That's a little excessive for Excel treatment.
Bleach dip or two - 19/1 ratio
Get the tank balanced and increase C02
irishspy
11-13-2008, 1:34 PM
I had that (and several other kinds of algae) infesting my tank a few months ago. The worst leaves I just clipped out. I also started a broad range of Seachem ferts (since it's a 10g tank, the expense wasn't bad): nitrogen, flourish, trace, postassium, and excel. I also overdosed excel, though that can be risky. But, something worked, as I now have hardly any algae.
vequalsir
11-13-2008, 4:44 PM
Get yourself some flourish excel, lower your photo period and look to get yourself some nerite snails.
My tank was starting to look like yours. It's amazing how much those little guys eat!
bushwhacker
11-13-2008, 7:47 PM
c**p, lol i knew someone would mention co2 i was hoping to avoid that.. i've heard horror storys about excel and vals and i have a few in there. so looks like i gotta find some nerites tho my wife freaks when she hears snails in the tank.
Your vals should be fine with excel. I dose with excel and my vals are fine.
Jag1980
11-13-2008, 9:43 PM
I dosed with Excel, my Val's stopped growing and the large Val's I had melted away in about 1 week.
DAVIDFBT
11-13-2008, 10:30 PM
I think it would be better to just put the Anubias in a 5 gallon bucket or similar container and dose in the bucket to spare your vals from melting.
Vals + Excel = too much risk. I think the dilute bleach solution might be the best way to go.
Fishy_Fun
11-15-2008, 2:19 AM
LOL those ferns you sent me were coated in that stuff.I just gave them some high light and a steady amount of co2 and the stuff starts falling off.Oh and my swordtails love the stuff
Whacker
I got some on my swords, anubias and ludwigia.
I went to a local dollar store and bought 4 bottles of H2O2 3% (hydrogen peroxide) @ .50 each, pulled the plants out and dipped them in the solution full strength for about a minute.
Replanted and the next day all algae was a pinkish red in color. A week later it was all gone. And H2O2 won't harm your fish when used in small quantities. I read somewhere that you can dose the whole tank at 2 ml/gal but that doesn't work for me.
Charles
Maverick2007
11-15-2008, 6:51 PM
IMHO, algae is a sign of a nutrient imbalance. Figure out the imbalance and the problem is cured. This of course is easier said then done and will take time and patience but in the long run its better then treating with chemicals which will not prevent the algae from returning.
Cheers