Water born algae build up.

[NZed]

My 180 litre tank is about six feet from a window...but shaded...indirect
sunlight.
I have also put a shade on the window for the strongest light in the day.
I have had the buildup on the glass but not too serious.
Not as bad as the waterborn algea which only seems to be temporarily removed
after a water change.
However its back within days.

I have tried the Haag tea bags idea....removing the phosphates out of the
water.....still doesnt seem to have much effect.

Just thinking....my plants are also coated with the algae...making them look
unsightly.

Should I give the tank and plants a good clean.?

Any other suggestions ?

NZed


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[Brian S.]

If the plants are not real (artificial plants), then I would take them out
and soak them in some bleach water for about 20 minutes. After that, rinse
them really good and then put them in a gallon bucket or something filled
with lots of dechlorinator.

If live plants, I wouldn't recommend doing any bleach on them. I've read
where people say to use a little bleach for about 2-3 minutes on the plants,
but I have done this and completely screwed over my live plants; particulary
anacharis and water sprite.

Haag tea bags.. not sure what you mean there. But, there is a filter
substance that contains resin and can hold onto phosphates. In addition to
that, there also is little white phosphate pellets that you can buy to put
in the aquarium that will help to take in phosphates and silicates.

What about getting Algae Destroyer or an item like this? If you have live
plants, don't do this though.

Lastly, the other method is t completely cover up your tank, I would say for
one week. Every day, it is wise to do 10-20% water changes. But, during
this time, keep the tank covered as much as possible so no light gets into
the tank. Without light, the algae will go by the wayside.

It is important that you change the water daily. This will help to take out
the dead algae that can still be floating and causae your tank to look
green. It is also recommended that you even do a 50% water change right
before you cover the tank up to get rid of a lot of algae, and then when you
are done with the week, take another 50% out.

So, as you can see, there can potentially be a lot of work to it. But, the
algae is caused by the indirect sunlight and possibly overfeeding, or
overpopulation. I know I had a goldfish that got to be about 8" long in a
10 gallon tank and the water was green all the time; just got to the point
where I didn't care.

Goldfish make A LOT of waste and if there is not a biological filter to help
with that, algae also can come back.

While it may seem easier to completely dump the tank, scrub everything down,
and re-do, you lose the biological filter that will take 8+ weeks to set
back up.

Also, forgot to note, you said you've got algae on the sides of the tank
too.. if you go with the method of covering your tank, be sure to wipe down
all the sides BEFORE doing a 50% water change when you start the week. This
will get rid of all that additional algae.

Now, if you have live plants in this tank, I would advise putting them in a
small bucket of dechlorinated water and go hide them in pitch-black room for
about one day. At the end of that day, dump the water and start with new
water. The water may be green from the algae coming off and dying (algae
needs more light than plants and the plants can live through it). Do this
four three-four days and then put the plants out where they can get some
light. When plants are shipping through the mail, they last well for
three-four days of shipping.

Long winded answer, but there are many possibilities.

Brian S.
"NZed" > wrote in message
...
> My 180 litre tank is about six feet from a window...but shaded...indirect
> sunlight.
> I have also put a shade on the window for the strongest light in the day.
> I have had the buildup on the glass but not too serious.
> Not as bad as the waterborn algea which only seems to be temporarily
removed
> after a water change.
> However its back within days.
>
> I have tried the Haag tea bags idea....removing the phosphates out of the
> water.....still doesnt seem to have much effect.
>
> Just thinking....my plants are also coated with the algae...making them
look
> unsightly.
>
> Should I give the tank and plants a good clean.?
>
> Any other suggestions ?
>
> NZed
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 1/11/2004
>
>

[[email protected]]

this is always an indication of too much nutrients, too little filtration. do you
have gravel in that tank? Ingrid

"NZed" > wrote:
>Not as bad as the waterborn algea which only seems to be temporarily removed
>after a water change.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Nzed]

Yes it has a thin layer of gravel...which I clean weekly.
Would it help if I leave the lights off...they are very bright.
NZed

> wrote in message
...
> this is always an indication of too much nutrients, too little filtration.
do you
> have gravel in that tank? Ingrid
>
> "NZed" > wrote:
> >Not as bad as the waterborn algea which only seems to be temporarily
removed
> >after a water change.
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

it will help, but then the biobugs will have to take over, they will be white clouds
of bacteria. you need to keep your nitrates down below 20 ppm with water changes and
a bit of heat and make sure there is sufficient buffer in the water for optimal
bacterial growth. use way less of high protein, high quality food (aquadine is
good). feed really small amounts more often during the day.
Ingrid

"Nzed" > wrote:

>Yes it has a thin layer of gravel...which I clean weekly.
>Would it help if I leave the lights off...they are very bright.
>NZed
>
> wrote in message
...
>> this is always an indication of too much nutrients, too little filtration.
>do you
>> have gravel in that tank? Ingrid
>>
>> "NZed" > wrote:
>> >Not as bad as the waterborn algea which only seems to be temporarily
>removed
>> >after a water change.
>>
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
>> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
>> www.drsolo.com
>> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
>> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
>> endorsements or recommendations I make.
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.