I'm just about to rip apart my 10G low light tank and start over because of a red algae problem that I can't seem to get rid of. My question is that if I wanted to keep my tank cycled and not wanting to start the bio cycle over, how can I get rid of the algae in my gravel. I was planning on trashing all my plants, and bleaching my rocks etc. but what about the gravel??? Worst case it is trash that too but I don't want to do that. Any other ideas?
How do I get rid of red algae in my gravel?
- Thread starter RockysDad
- Start date
If you intend to tear it down you could bleach the gravel as well.
But before you tear it apart and start over why don't you tell us a little about the tank and it's water parameters.
Take a few minutes to write down this info and reply with it because you need to figure out why you got the algae problem to begin with or it's probable that it will return.
How many fish? How much light? Do you do water changes regularly? How many and what kind of plants? Substrate....what kind of gravel? Do you feed heavily?
What test kits do you have? What are the following water parameters: pH, gH, kH, Nitrates.
Is the tank cycled and how long has it been filled and running?
It will take you hours to tear it all apart and minutes to answer these questions. Maybe we can help if you give us as many answers as you can. The reason for the algae is you are doing something wrong OR not doing something you need to do to manage your water.
Len
But before you tear it apart and start over why don't you tell us a little about the tank and it's water parameters.
Take a few minutes to write down this info and reply with it because you need to figure out why you got the algae problem to begin with or it's probable that it will return.
How many fish? How much light? Do you do water changes regularly? How many and what kind of plants? Substrate....what kind of gravel? Do you feed heavily?
What test kits do you have? What are the following water parameters: pH, gH, kH, Nitrates.
Is the tank cycled and how long has it been filled and running?
It will take you hours to tear it all apart and minutes to answer these questions. Maybe we can help if you give us as many answers as you can. The reason for the algae is you are doing something wrong OR not doing something you need to do to manage your water.
Len
Fair enough... Tank is about 2 years old. Lights = 15W NO 6700k, no CO2, N03 = <5ppm, kH = 8, temp = 76F, gravel = 40%sand and 60% regular aquarium gravel, fish = six tetras, one betta and two cories, plants = Java fern, Crypts. Removed Vals and Java moss due to algae. Water changes are 40% every 7-10 days.
This all started when I uprooted my Crypts and exposed my Job sticks. It never recovered. I've been trying to manually remove the algae off the leaves of the plants, swish around the gravel then do the water change. I've stopped fertilizing with NO3 and Flourish so they may be nil about now. The algae is not totally out of control but still returns weekly forming aound the leaves and gravel. I'd like to get rid of it completely.
Should I give it another 15W of light, add DIY CO2 and add a few more plants and start regular addditions of ferts till things subside? This tank "was" very nice when I had all of these, but I wanted to go low tech and remove the light and CO2. All was well until the Job stick incident. Bummer... So here I am today, battling this mess for the last four months or so. What to do...???
This all started when I uprooted my Crypts and exposed my Job sticks. It never recovered. I've been trying to manually remove the algae off the leaves of the plants, swish around the gravel then do the water change. I've stopped fertilizing with NO3 and Flourish so they may be nil about now. The algae is not totally out of control but still returns weekly forming aound the leaves and gravel. I'd like to get rid of it completely.
Should I give it another 15W of light, add DIY CO2 and add a few more plants and start regular addditions of ferts till things subside? This tank "was" very nice when I had all of these, but I wanted to go low tech and remove the light and CO2. All was well until the Job stick incident. Bummer... So here I am today, battling this mess for the last four months or so. What to do...???
Whenever something like the Jobe stick incident happens, first thing I do is a series of large water changes to cleanse the water table. I would do as many as you can for a week or so.
Yes, I would definitely re-start the DIY CO2. The combo of stopping that and the Jobe stick thing threw the balance of the tank out of whack and this is the result. BTW, every time you 'swish the gravel' your probably adding more of the Jobe Stick fertilizer to the water, feeding the algae with no great nutrient eaters in the tank. Instead of 'swishing' try to gravel vac the algae out of the tank. Javas and Crypts are not great nutrient eaters. Try to pick out a couple of "Stem Plants" that you like and a small amount of floaters like Water sprite or Salvinia. You need to let the plants take over the tank again.
You didn't tell me your pH so I can't give you a target ph for your CO2, but one bottle in a 10 should give you plenty. Once you get the DIY up and running let us know what your pH is and we'll go from there on that.
Lose the Jobe Sticks and start fertilizing with N, K, and P and some traces once you've got the new plants in place(you can also keep the Javas and Crypts as well).
You, IMO, don't need any more light. You need balance. The balance you used to have. Incidentally, you can go lower tech if you want to in the future, but do it gradually. In fact you may have been alright with doing away with the CO2 had you not had the Jobe incident. I don't like those sticks unless you need them for heavy 'root feeders' like Amazon Swords and I keep them and they're beautiful WITHOUT the sticks in the substrate.
Len
Yes, I would definitely re-start the DIY CO2. The combo of stopping that and the Jobe stick thing threw the balance of the tank out of whack and this is the result. BTW, every time you 'swish the gravel' your probably adding more of the Jobe Stick fertilizer to the water, feeding the algae with no great nutrient eaters in the tank. Instead of 'swishing' try to gravel vac the algae out of the tank. Javas and Crypts are not great nutrient eaters. Try to pick out a couple of "Stem Plants" that you like and a small amount of floaters like Water sprite or Salvinia. You need to let the plants take over the tank again.
You didn't tell me your pH so I can't give you a target ph for your CO2, but one bottle in a 10 should give you plenty. Once you get the DIY up and running let us know what your pH is and we'll go from there on that.
Lose the Jobe Sticks and start fertilizing with N, K, and P and some traces once you've got the new plants in place(you can also keep the Javas and Crypts as well).
You, IMO, don't need any more light. You need balance. The balance you used to have. Incidentally, you can go lower tech if you want to in the future, but do it gradually. In fact you may have been alright with doing away with the CO2 had you not had the Jobe incident. I don't like those sticks unless you need them for heavy 'root feeders' like Amazon Swords and I keep them and they're beautiful WITHOUT the sticks in the substrate.
Len
Thanks Len... I guess starting the CO2 is the best bet (pH = 7.6; shooting for 7.0 with CO2). I do have some H. deformis from anther tank that I could add. I have all the ferts also. You think adding more light is a bad idea? My thought was that if I'm adding CO2, ferts and some nutrient pigs like H. deformis that balance would come faster (instant results
). I know that patients is a good thing and taking things slowly is a good idea but...
Anyway, I'll start the CO2 first, add the extra plants once the pH drops then watch my plants. I'll probably add the extra bulb if the deformis starts looking bad. I'll also will be keeping an eye on my algae. If the plants look healthy there should be no algae, right? We'll see...
). I know that patients is a good thing and taking things slowly is a good idea but... Anyway, I'll start the CO2 first, add the extra plants once the pH drops then watch my plants. I'll probably add the extra bulb if the deformis starts looking bad. I'll also will be keeping an eye on my algae. If the plants look healthy there should be no algae, right? We'll see...
At this point you don't need any extra light. The plants will be fine with what you have and mucho CO2. I would do a couple of water changes before adding any ferts. And I would add MORE than just one nutrient hog.
Yes, patience is the key. That algae isn't going to go away over night. Sucking it out of the substrate and getting plants established is a start.
Yes, 7.0pH is good, 6.9 is better(30.2ppm). But with DIY 7.0 will do.
Good luck and keep us posted!!
Len
Yes, patience is the key. That algae isn't going to go away over night. Sucking it out of the substrate and getting plants established is a start.
Yes, 7.0pH is good, 6.9 is better(30.2ppm). But with DIY 7.0 will do.
Good luck and keep us posted!!
Len