Green deposits on the walls

Q*Bert Marigold

Registered Member
May 21, 2002
4
0
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49
OBX, North Carolina
Seriously Freaky ****

Everyone I am not joking here....This freaked me out today! Usually I have a bit of brown slimey buildup on the walls of my tank due to so much iron in the water.....but today I was feeding my fishies and noticed GREEN deposits on the walls! They are like little seaweeds all over the walls of my tank!
Does ANYONE know what it is or how to get rig of it?:eek: :confused:
 
Yep. Algae. (or copper, which I doubt). Solution? An algae-munching critter of some sort. What sort of tank are we talking about here? Size, water parameters, types and number of fish/plants....not a whole lot to go on from your post.

Also, I'd be willing to bet money that the brown stuff in your tank isn't iron deposits at all, that it's algae as well. By any chance, do you have your tank near a window?

I know that's a lot of questions, but your post was a touch vague to offer a solution...
 
It's algea, thats all. You can either move the tank so it is not in sunlight, get a fish like a bristlenose pleco to eat the algea, or you can just wipe it off.
 
Or better yet, narrow down the cause of the algae outbreak. What is your maintanence routine? How often and how much do you feed your fish? How large is your tank? How many fish and what kinds of fish do you have in there? How much lighting does this tank get? You say you have too much iron in your water, is that right from the tap? or do you add it yourself?

You can get algae eaters, but imho, thats usually a second to last resort (last resort being chemicals). I personally don't like the idea of getting algae eaters when there is an algae outbreak... thats only treating the symptoms, not solving the problem. Adding more fish also puts more bioload into your tank, which may not work in some cases.

HTH
-Richer
 
Originally posted by Richer
Or better yet, narrow down the cause of the algae outbreak. What is your maintanence routine? How often and how much do you feed your fish? How large is your tank? How many fish and what kinds of fish do you have in there? How much lighting does this tank get? You say you have too much iron in your water, is that right from the tap? or do you add it yourself?

You can get algae eaters, but imho, thats usually a second to last resort (last resort being chemicals). I personally don't like the idea of getting algae eaters when there is an algae outbreak... thats only treating the symptoms, not solving the problem. Adding more fish also puts more bioload into your tank, which may not work in some cases.

HTH
-Richer

Good point. Maybe another solution might be a snail that eats algae (but won't take over the tank)? Less bioload than a fish, anyhow...

Really need to know more about the tank itself before a definite pearl of wisdom can be given, I guess....
 
Sorry about that guys!
I have a 5 gal freshwater that is not in direct sun. I have 4 fish a betta, a molly and 2 fish that I cant remember their name. I have a biosponge, UGF, I feed once a day a small pinch, I siphon about a quarter of it out about twice a month. Water is from a tap and I add a drop of ICK(H?) my pH is right at 7.2.......anything else you need to know? I thought about an algae eater, but I thought I would be crowding my tank if I got one.
 
Well, maybe you're leaving the light on for too long during the day? Has a regular light bulb, not a flourescent, right? That would solve our problem right there...just turn off the lights...

Not really sure what the stuff you add to your tank is...if it's something like ich-cure, it's not necessary...

Buying an algae eater is probably out of the question for you at this time. Maybe an apple snail? (Somebody who has any experience with "wanted" snails can give you insight into whether that will work)

You might be able to swing a chinese algae eater in that setup, but it would probably get mean to your other fish after it got bigger...bettas and mollies are not especially fast, and cae's love big flowing fins...not until they reach maturity, though (3 or 4" or so).

Your best bet may be to just scrape off the algae with one of those scrubby-things they sell in WM's pet dept.

As far as prevention, don't turn the light hood on unless you're actually looking in the tank. If you don't have live plants, the light from the room is plenty for the fish. Plus, if it's an incandescent bulb, it will raise the temp in your tank if you leave it on all the time....

HTH...
 
light doesnt cause algae.

snails dont increase bioload unless your feeding them directly.
 
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