OK, so I have been having an algae problem. I think it is filamentous algae, but I'm not certain, since it is brown, not green. Anyways, I am doing a blackout. However, I am also dealing with an illness in the tank (new purchase- man, I need a QT tank!), and would like to be able to remove the fish once daily to do a salt dip. I also would like to do some PWCs to help with the algae. Is all this ok, or will the light let in during these tasks ruin the point of doing a blackout?
Blackouts for algae- exceptions?
- Thread starter Kristinann
- Start date
Hm, personally I think you should focus on one thing at a time. If your fish are ill, I would take care of their needs first. Can you use a 5g bucket for QT?
Have you tried to manually remove the algae (toothbrush FTW!) and perhaps cut down (or break up) your photo period?
Have you tried to manually remove the algae (toothbrush FTW!) and perhaps cut down (or break up) your photo period?
The light is difficult, as it sits near a window. That's why I did the balckout.
The sick fish is a neon tetra. I bought 6 neons, the first and only fish in the tank, which is fully cycled. It had some unidentified white mucus/fungus/bacteria on it's rear half along with a protruding gill/gill plate. I originally thought neon tetra disease (maybe cycst under the gill and then the white being deteriorated muscle), but the white has gone away now with the salt dips, which I understand shouldn't happen with neon tetra disease. The gill has not healed, however, so I'm no longer sure what to think or what to do about it. Thinking it was neon tetra disease is also why I didn't bother to get a rubbermaid for quarantine, I figured it was too late for the whole tank, and now.... well now I'm just hrouroughly confused. He looks and acts much healthier, except for the gill.
Anyways, not really knowing what is going on with the fish or what will happen because of it, I figured I would work on the algae, since I at least know aht to do about that one. Is lifting the fabric for water changes, feeding, etc, ok?
The sick fish is a neon tetra. I bought 6 neons, the first and only fish in the tank, which is fully cycled. It had some unidentified white mucus/fungus/bacteria on it's rear half along with a protruding gill/gill plate. I originally thought neon tetra disease (maybe cycst under the gill and then the white being deteriorated muscle), but the white has gone away now with the salt dips, which I understand shouldn't happen with neon tetra disease. The gill has not healed, however, so I'm no longer sure what to think or what to do about it. Thinking it was neon tetra disease is also why I didn't bother to get a rubbermaid for quarantine, I figured it was too late for the whole tank, and now.... well now I'm just hrouroughly confused. He looks and acts much healthier, except for the gill.
Anyways, not really knowing what is going on with the fish or what will happen because of it, I figured I would work on the algae, since I at least know aht to do about that one. Is lifting the fabric for water changes, feeding, etc, ok?
I don't mind some of the usual kinds of algae, I just don't like these huge brown strands waving through the whole tank. Since light reduction in general will help, then lifting the fabric once in a while to preform maintainence is no big deal. Which, really, I guess I shouldhave known better, when the first peice of advice anyone gets or gives for algae is "reduce light", and even with lifting the fabric, I'm still reducing light.
I'll look into getting something like a background for the tank, since the window is behind it.
Just tested water and did a big water change. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate between 5 and 10, probably about 8.
I'm still very confused about my fish's gill though.
I'll look into getting something like a background for the tank, since the window is behind it.
Just tested water and did a big water change. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate between 5 and 10, probably about 8.
I'm still very confused about my fish's gill though.
sorry to say, but i'd probably flush the neon and cut my losses. then focus on the next step.
what kind of light/plants/ferts/any co2? some tank stats? anything you can test for?
check out www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm ... should help you identify at the very least.
what kind of light/plants/ferts/any co2? some tank stats? anything you can test for?
check out www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm ... should help you identify at the very least.
Well, there is jus some driftwood and 2 anubias in the tank right now, 3x 13 watt CFL, either 6500K or 6700K, I forget. I know that probably has a lot to do with the algae, the light with no plants. Pool filter sand, HOB filter. 20 gal tank.
I lost my last setup to camallanus worms. I just got it all sterilized and cycled and set back up. I bought the neons to start the stocking, and was going to do the plants next, but when I noticed that the fish was sick, everything kind of went on hold while I tried to figure that out (did want to set it all up only to ave to break it all down again). So then the algae took off.
The only symptom left is his gill plate sticking out. The other fish have stopped picking on him, he is schooling again, no wierd marks on the body anymore, normal swimming. It's just the gill. Should I still euthanize (I prefer clove oil method)? Then what should I do with the tank and other fish, you know, in case something spread. Just keep everything on hold for a few more weeks and monitor them?
Sorry. Normally I know what I'm doing with fish. But I just lost my last tank, and now I'm having these problems with this tank, and I guess I've just lost my confidence and decision-making-abilities, I haven't been able to do anything on my own lately.
I lost my last setup to camallanus worms. I just got it all sterilized and cycled and set back up. I bought the neons to start the stocking, and was going to do the plants next, but when I noticed that the fish was sick, everything kind of went on hold while I tried to figure that out (did want to set it all up only to ave to break it all down again). So then the algae took off.
The only symptom left is his gill plate sticking out. The other fish have stopped picking on him, he is schooling again, no wierd marks on the body anymore, normal swimming. It's just the gill. Should I still euthanize (I prefer clove oil method)? Then what should I do with the tank and other fish, you know, in case something spread. Just keep everything on hold for a few more weeks and monitor them?
Sorry. Normally I know what I'm doing with fish. But I just lost my last tank, and now I'm having these problems with this tank, and I guess I've just lost my confidence and decision-making-abilities, I haven't been able to do anything on my own lately.
I know it's a filamentous algae, those are the only types that look anything like it. It was mostly anchored to my driftewood, filter intake, and thermometer. Since I started the balckout, it's no longer on the thermometer or as much on the filter intake, but there is more on the substrate (maybe just dead stuff fallen?) It looks like a lot of the other filamentous algae types, but it's brown- not green by any stretch of the imagination. Long strands form and seem to twist together into what I would compare to ropes. The longest of these ropes was anchored to my thermometer, and was probably around 10 inches long, give or take, having started and grown to that length in about 2-3 days.
I'm sorry to say the algae is going to be a problem until you can change some things with your tank. You need to manually remove as much algae as you can and then decide what you want to change in your tank to keep it from coming back. I would guess that your problem is currently caused by a low level ammonia problem, based on the color of the algae. You probably don't see any ammonia when you test because, thanks to your lighting, the algae is eating it before it can be processed by your biological filter.
If you add more plants and keep your current lighting the extra plants would help take up the excess nutrients and outcompete the brown algae. You would probably still get some green algae from the natural light but that's not really a bad thing.
If you want to stick with the anubias only I would suggest taking out one of the three CFL bulbs. I would also recommend getting some floating plants to further reduce the light and help absorb excess nutrients.
The one thing that has helped me completely knock out my algae is a siesta lighting schedule. I have all my lights connected to timers that turn on for five hours, turn off for four hours and turn back on again for another five hours. Plants start photosynthesizing when you turn on the lights but it takes algae about four hours to get started. This way you nip that algae photosynthesis in the bud but the plants get a full ten hours of photosynthesis a day.
Also, an added bonus, turning off the lights allow what little CO2 your tank naturally produces to build back up again. In the morning when your lights first turn on your plants are able to absorb all the CO2 that accumulated overnight, but after a few hours the CO2 is completely gone again. By letting the tank sit dark for four extra hours in the afternoon you give the CO2 a chance to build back up and it's available to your plants again just in time for dinner. This is actually a big deal in soil substrate tanks but not so much so with a gravel substrate.
As for the partial water changes to help with algae, they may or may not work, depending on what kind of farm runoff you have coming out of your tap. I personally have extra farmy tap water so water changes do not help me reduce nutrients.
If you add more plants and keep your current lighting the extra plants would help take up the excess nutrients and outcompete the brown algae. You would probably still get some green algae from the natural light but that's not really a bad thing.
If you want to stick with the anubias only I would suggest taking out one of the three CFL bulbs. I would also recommend getting some floating plants to further reduce the light and help absorb excess nutrients.
The one thing that has helped me completely knock out my algae is a siesta lighting schedule. I have all my lights connected to timers that turn on for five hours, turn off for four hours and turn back on again for another five hours. Plants start photosynthesizing when you turn on the lights but it takes algae about four hours to get started. This way you nip that algae photosynthesis in the bud but the plants get a full ten hours of photosynthesis a day.
Also, an added bonus, turning off the lights allow what little CO2 your tank naturally produces to build back up again. In the morning when your lights first turn on your plants are able to absorb all the CO2 that accumulated overnight, but after a few hours the CO2 is completely gone again. By letting the tank sit dark for four extra hours in the afternoon you give the CO2 a chance to build back up and it's available to your plants again just in time for dinner. This is actually a big deal in soil substrate tanks but not so much so with a gravel substrate.
As for the partial water changes to help with algae, they may or may not work, depending on what kind of farm runoff you have coming out of your tap. I personally have extra farmy tap water so water changes do not help me reduce nutrients.
I plan to remove the anubias and plant a background of vallisneria spiralis with some differend shorter swords in the mid and front.
But again, I'm really afraid to change all that before I figure out what's going on with my fish.
Should I go ahead and plant now? What should I do about the fish? If it is a low-level ammonia problem, will i have a mini-cycle or something once the algae is gone, since you make it sound like my bacteria isn't getting any ammonia to "eat"? Could the ammonia be what is keeping my fish's gill from getting better? Also, I know this is the planted tank section, but any ideas as to why the fish's gill could be like this?
But again, I'm really afraid to change all that before I figure out what's going on with my fish.
Should I go ahead and plant now? What should I do about the fish? If it is a low-level ammonia problem, will i have a mini-cycle or something once the algae is gone, since you make it sound like my bacteria isn't getting any ammonia to "eat"? Could the ammonia be what is keeping my fish's gill from getting better? Also, I know this is the planted tank section, but any ideas as to why the fish's gill could be like this?