Green Algae gone wild...ready to do away with plants...

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moboe

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Feb 17, 2004
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Greetings,

I'm ready to take all the live plants out of my 6G Eclipse to solve my algae problem. The tank has been running for almost a year, with 1 Betta. I have one hedge plant that has grown well, and I've been cutting it and planting the cuttings around the tank.

I get a TON of green algae on the decoration, tank walls, plants, you name it. I do 50% water change every 1-2 weeks, and have reduced the light to just 5 hours a day. The tank gets no direct sun. I've put a pad in with the filter that is supposed to absorb the extra phosphates...still TONS of algae.

I use a plant food once a week that says it doesn't increase phosphates. Most of the time (except for a few days after I have cleaned it) the tank looks awful, and I'm sure Red, my betta, isn't enjoying himself at all.

Do I need to remove the plants to get rid of the algae? Is here anything else I can do? I'd rather not get an algae eater fish...I had one that killed another fish once, and my Betta has proven difficult to get along with, if you ask the 3 panda cories that used to live in the tank with him.

Thanks for any help provided.

Moboe
 
Read the algae sticky at the top of this forum folder. I think you'll be surprised, but it's not the plants causing the algae. In fact, healthy and thiving plants inhibit algae growth because they actually outcompete algae for nutrients. I think your solution lies elsewhere.

EDIT: Oops, I thought we were in the plant forum! Here's a link to the thread I was telling you about: Algae Busting!
 
Thanks for the referral, Harlock. I'll test my tap water, change the filters regularly, and see what happens. If the problems continue, I'll try more of their suggestions.

It's so frustrating! I think my poor betta Red is just disgusted with his living condition!

Moboe
 
It sounds backwards when you're trying to rid a tank of algae, but increasing the light and nutrients can help if you've got a fair number of plants. As Harlock said, healthy plants will outcompete algae.
How much light is on the tank? If the wattage is too low, the plants probably won't be able to grow quickly enough to outcompete the algae. IMO, 5 hours isn't a long enough photoperiod for the plants, I'd leave it on for at least eight hours a day, preferably 10-12.
I had an outbreak of 'green water' *shudder* when I first set up my planted tank. Once I increased the ferts and CO2, and the plants had some time to settle in and really start growing, the algae dissapeared. Right now the tank has nearly zero algae; with lots of nutrients and light, I can only attribute that to the plants getting to the goodies before the algae has a chance.
Algae blooms are awful, but you can get rid of it with some time and research (and a bucketfull of patience).
 
Thanks, Blinky, for the suggestions. I used to have the light on for 12 hours, but reduced it just last week to 5 hours to try to help with the algae problem. I've turned it back up to 10 hours.

The plant is growing well...at least it was for several months, but now there is so much algae on the leaves, I don't know if it will continue to grow in a healthy manner. I thought I was feeding it too much, and that was contributing to the algae, but now it looks as though I should keep feeding it as I was, to keep it healthy.

I haven't checked the wattage on my bulb...it's what came with the Eclipse 6G tank. I may replace the bulb, in case the spectrum has diminished.

How do you increase CO2 levels? The tank has a bio wheel filter, so there is current in the water, but I don't have an air stone..will this help?

BTW...my very first gold fish, which I got when I was 6yo, was named Blinky!

Thanks for the help. I can't wait to get rid of this stuff! Any tips for effectively getting the algae off the leaves of the plants? Other than getting a SAE?

Moboe
 
Well, pruning can help, just don't take off too many leaves. Is there any chance you could add another plant or two in this tank? If you are really worried about excess nutrients, there are plants that are recommended for using those up.
 
moboe said:
How do you increase CO2 levels? The tank has a bio wheel filter, so there is current in the water, but I don't have an air stone..will this help?
Click to expand...
Ah... this could be what's happening. The plants have the nutrients and light they need, but they're almost certainly hungry for CO2. You can get liquid carbon (I believe Seachem makes a product), or inject some CO2. Without enough CO2 in the tank, the plants may not be able to make use of the light and ferts you're providing, which allows the algae to gain the upper hand.

I have a bio-wheel in my 10g - it does gas off a lot of the CO2 I inject, but I still manage to keep the levels ~10-12ppm, which is enough for the plants to stay quite happy.

If you're interested in trying DIY CO2, there's a link in my tank specs page to a great page (saw it mentioned in someone's post the other day and had to link to it, it's great), or you can just Google DIY CO2, there's lots of info out there. If that's a bit much, you can look into purchasing some of the liquid carbon. Either way it's added to the water, carbon will help your plants outcompete the algae.

Harlock's right, more plants will help - fast-growing stem plants, in particular, will do a great job stealing nutrients from the algae. :)

BTW, I'm honoured to share your first fishie's name :D
 
Blinky said:
You can get liquid carbon (I believe Seachem makes a product)
Click to expand...
Forgive the "pruning", Blinky. the Seachem product is called Flourish Excel and you can order half a litre for $6.99 US at Big Al's Online Store.
 
Wow, thanks Harlock and Blinky! I really appreciate all the help. I feel like I now know more about CO2 than I ever thought I'd want to know! I've upped the light back to 12 hours. I can add more plants (although the hedge is growing so well, I figured I'd just keep planting the clippings.) Please let me know what plants are best at using up the nutrients. Fast growing stem plants, like...?

I'll also track down some of the Seachem Excel. I don't know if I'm ready to take the DIY CO2 route, but I've bookmarked that great link, and will follow their instructions should I decide to do that.

I cleaned the tank yesterday, and was able to wipe a lot of the algae off the leaves of the plant. We're to have a snow storm tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll get to the LFS, but maybe I'll order it from Big Al's to make sure it is on the way.

I also think I need a tester for CO2. My Freshwater test kit doesn't seem to have one, unless I get the CO2 reading from another kind of test. I don't want it to get about 30, as the article said, as this can deplete too much oxygen from the water.

It's funny, because for all the trouble I'm having with this tank, my 20G is doing so well! Only a little algae...attractive, appropriate algae, if you know what I mean. Of course, it too has been running for almost a year, and while the 6 White Cloud Minnows that are there now have been there since the Fall, I've lost MANY other inhabitants...that's why all that's in the tank are the minnows at this time. I'm discouraged to try any one else.

Hope I'm understanding this correctly...only time I ever wished I was a chemist or biologist! If only I'd listened more in those classes in school!

Thanks again, load, for the help. Really!

Moboe
 
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