HELP: Poisonous Algae?

looks like both hair algae with a little BBA for good measure....too many traces/Iron and CO2 fluctuation. I would say to follow the steps i put previously, and you should get through it.
 
what kind of co2 "injection" system do you have for your tank?
It sounds like your fish are lacking oxygen, hence too much co2?:huh:
do you know what your co2 reading is?
I would get your co2/oxygen levels in check to keep your fish healthy and alive then tackle the algae.
 
I have the JBL CO2 easy set with the ph control kit to maintain the PH at a neutral value of 7. however the water in my area (west of Paris) seems to have a natural PH of 8 so the CO2 injection runs 24 hours a day. in retrospect i regret the purchase of the controller as it pumps CO2 in 24/7. You're indicating this is probably the cause of my problem - excessive CO2. I'll take it out tonight and just go back to CO2 injection while the lights are on - I have them on a timer.

Anyone want to buy a PH controller? :-)
 
looks like both hair algae with a little BBA for good measure....too many traces/Iron and CO2 fluctuation. I would say to follow the steps i put previously, and you should get through it.

I had an aquarium as a kid so decided to try it again now that I have kids myself. However the acronyms are not something I remember - if ever i knew them. For my own edification what do BBA and SAE stand for?
 
Your CO2 shouldn't run very much at night since nothing is consuming it. If you have too much surface movement it could be gassing off though. I would get a CO2 indicator like the Red Sea one (or make your own) to figure out how much CO2 you actually have. By going from 8 to 7 you might be pumping a lot more in than you think.
 
what kind of co2 "injection" system do you have for your tank?
It sounds like your fish are lacking oxygen, hence too much co2?:huh:
do you know what your co2 reading is?
I would get your co2/oxygen levels in check to keep your fish healthy and alive then tackle the algae.

Just want to debunk this myth. O2 levels and CO2 levels are independent of each other. High O2 levels do not mean low CO2 levels and high CO2 levels do not mean low O2 levels. It is also possible to have both saturation of CO2 and O2 at the same time. So, just because there is not enough O2, don't automatically blame CO2. :dance2:

If you do find that your fish are gasping at the surface at night or just before the tank lights turn on, you may consider using an air pump to release extra CO2 from the water. The air pump should aerate the water enough to gas off excess CO2. This should also diminish the pH swing caused by CO2 in the water. Since a lot the CO2 is being gassed off it doesn't have the chance to make the water acidic. Make sure to turn it off an hour or 2 before lights on( keep it on a timer), so it can build up it's concentrations to be used by the plants.
 
Well said Sammie~
 
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