Algae ruining hobby for me

[Stilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]]

I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
anguish.

The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.

I am at my wit's end with this problem.

Initially, when I set my tank up after moving 8 months ago, I wanted
to buy new live plants, so I lined the bottom of my tank with some
lateralite which I then put the gravel over. I suppose the algae was
introduced to my tank from the plants that I bought, because I did not
have serious problems until I bought these plants.

Everything was doing ok at first, and then this algae appeared and
quickly covered everything in my tank - including my plants, which
then died.

Shortly after the algae problems began, I upgraded to an Eheim
Professional II, and added a Custom Sealife 9w UV sterilizer in an
attempt to curb the algae growth. The sterilizer definitely helps
slow the growth - I know, because one time I accidentally left it
unplugged after cleaning.

I bought a plant book, and tried to make some modifications to my
setup.

- I realized that my lighting setup was woefully inadequate for
growing plants, so I went from a single 40w fluorescent bulb, to four.
I also reduced the time my lighting is on. I think I'm at about 10
hours a day.

- Water pH/hardness became also became a concern. My pH is somewhere
around 7.5-8.0 and my KH was 15 with a GH of 7. In an attempt to get
the hardness down, I started using 90% RO water from the grocery store
when doing my weekly water changes. While the pH hasn't changed, the
KH now hovers around 10 with the GH about 4.

- A fellow aquarist I met while getting RO water at the grocery store
suggested that I remove my air stone, so I did that too. (Although I
would have after the next thing I tried anyway).

- I started supplementing with a homemade CO2 kit, and a store-bought
bubble diffuser/counter (so I know it's working).

After all that, I decided I was ready to try plants again. I had read
that buying an abundance of plants can use the nutrients the algae
relies on, and kill it off. I bought $100 worth of (fast-growing)
plants, and again, the algae grew all over them and killed them.

I was pretty ****ed off, because it seemed like I was throwing away my
money. So I spent an entire day draining my tank and I did exactly
what you're not supposed to do - I bleached EVERYTHING in a desperate
attempt to kill the algae. I also figured that the lateralite that I
added before was providing the nutrients for the algae, so I washed as
much of it out as I could.

I bought a few more plants, and again they're dying, but the algae
lives on.

One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I've been treating with
AquaPharm "AlgaeFix." It seems to help slow the algae growth a bit
too.

I can't take it anymore. I'm very close to giving up on fish keeping
as I cannot beat this algae. My post here is a last resort.

Last Sunday when cleaning my tank, I took a few pics with the digital
camera.

Here is what one of my Amazon Swords looks like
http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-001.jpg

(Notice that every leaf has algae on it. If I trimmed off the
infested leaves, there'd be nothing left!)

Here is what my 5 gallon bucket looks like when it's filled with
water. I always scrape/scrub before I do my water change.
http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-002.jpg

Please help!

Here are the other details:
55 Gallon Tank
2 Clown Loaches
6 Bronze Cories
3 Red Wag Platties
3 Zebra Danios
1 Wide-mouthed Pleco (he doesn't like this algae)
6 Lemon Tetras
I change 10-15 gallons of water religiously every week
I should also probably mention that the algae comes off in sheets
when I scrape my glass.

Plants I've tried to grow:
Mondo Grass
Amazon Swords
Radican Swords
Java Ferns
Hornwort
Moneywort
Micro Swords
Anacharis
and a few others I can't think of right now

[Sue]

It's difficult to tell from the lighting but that looks like cyanobacteria
rather than algae.
Blue-green algae/Cyanobacteria
"Blue-green algae" is not really a true algae at all, but Cyanobacteria - a
group of bacteria capable of photosynthesis. It can appear as a slimy
coating in a number of different colours. It can smother plants and may
release toxins harmful to fish. It can fix nitrogen and may therefore occur
in tanks with zero or very low nitrates (but possibly high levels of other
nutrients, particularly phosphate). It can be removed manually quite easily,
as it often forms loose sheets, but it's likely to return quickly. Improving
circulation/aeration in the tank sometimes causes it to decline. It can be
treated with erythromycin (200mg/10 gallons) - this may however affect the
filter bacteria, so it will be necessary to check for ammonia and nitrite
after dosing. (from www.thetropicaltank.co.uk )

It can be a sod to get rid of but I've found ramshorn snails will eat it -
not much use when you've got clown loaches in the tank though!

You can cut down the lighting & add some duckweed to pull out any phosphate
as well as trying some of the commercial phosphate removers.



Sue

[Andy Hill]

Looks like cyanobacteria (aka, blue-green algae).. Have you checked your
nitrate levels? You might need larger water changes than what you've been
doing....cyano usually indicates w-a-a-a-y excessive nitrate.

I'd try getting some plant fertilizer from the pet store (micronutrients, K, and
iron -- no phosphate), and try adding that. If you can get things such that
phosphate is the growth-limiting factor, the green plants can outcompete the
cyanobacteria (and regular algae).

You *might* want to toss some antibiotics in the tank to take care of the
cyanobacteria for a bit to give the plants a chance. Not really my favorite
route, 'tho -- I'd just reduce nitrates while adding enough other nutrients to
let the green plants get a leg up.

[Keith J.]

To me it sounds like your pH is part of the problem. Most aquatic plants
grow best with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8

I had terrible problems with algae at my last house, where the pH out of the
tap was 8.2 I tried antibiotics , water changes 3X a week , adjusting
lighting. Nothing seemed to work until I used peat moss to lower the pH. My
current tap water is pH about 7.3 I still use peat moss, just not as much.

Another suggestion, try Hygrophila sp. "Wisteria" or Nomaphila sp. "Giant
Hygro". They grow pretty fast, and are relatively algae-proof.

Keith J.

"Stilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]" > wrote in message
m...
> I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
> anguish.
>
> The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
> scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.

[David Lam]

Mate, I feel sorry for you. You no doubt are going to get a lot of
recommendations as to what to do, and are going to wonder which one to
follow.
Before you go out and buy more expensive equipment please consider my
advice.
1) Be very careful about what you add to your water. Speak to aquarists in
your area about what sort of water you are getting out of the tap. Do not
add any more chemicals / algae treatments etc. Add the minimum chemicals you
need. Use the right buffers.

2) I suspect you will be able to cure your problem by firstly turning off
the lights completely. Use hydrogen peroxide solution (I have had good
personal experience - plenty of resources on the net as well on this). Don't
expect a cure overnight, this will take time. If your fish are happy then
you have lots of time.

I must reiterate lighting is of paramount importance. Use cardboard to
shield from sunlight if needed. You can email me for further details.

David

[~misfit~]

Sue wrote:
> It's difficult to tell from the lighting but that looks like
> cyanobacteria rather than algae.
> Blue-green algae/Cyanobacteria

I agree

> "Blue-green algae" is not really a true algae at all, but
> Cyanobacteria - a group of bacteria capable of photosynthesis. It can
> appear as a slimy coating in a number of different colours. It can
> smother plants and may release toxins harmful to fish. It can fix
> nitrogen and may therefore occur in tanks with zero or very low
> nitrates (but possibly high levels of other nutrients, particularly
> phosphate). It can be removed manually quite easily, as it often
> forms loose sheets, but it's likely to return quickly. Improving
> circulation/aeration in the tank sometimes causes it to decline. It
> can be treated with erythromycin (200mg/10 gallons) - this may
> however affect the filter bacteria, so it will be necessary to check
> for ammonia and nitrite after dosing. (from www.thetropicaltank.co.uk

I've used erythromyacin with good results to get rid ot it before. I doen't
seem to bother the filter bacteria too much. (Something to do with
gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria).
--
~misfit~

[Dick]

On 27 Jan 2004 11:13:35 -0800,
(Stilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]) wrote:

>I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
>anguish.
>
>The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
>scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.
>
>I am at my wit's end with this problem.
>
>Initially, when I set my tank up after moving 8 months ago, I wanted
>to buy new live plants, so I lined the bottom of my tank with some
>lateralite which I then put the gravel over. I suppose the algae was
>introduced to my tank from the plants that I bought, because I did not
>have serious problems until I bought these plants.
>
>Everything was doing ok at first, and then this algae appeared and
>quickly covered everything in my tank - including my plants, which
>then died.
>
>Shortly after the algae problems began, I upgraded to an Eheim
>Professional II, and added a Custom Sealife 9w UV sterilizer in an
>attempt to curb the algae growth. The sterilizer definitely helps
>slow the growth - I know, because one time I accidentally left it
>unplugged after cleaning.
>
>I bought a plant book, and tried to make some modifications to my
>setup.
>
>- I realized that my lighting setup was woefully inadequate for
>growing plants, so I went from a single 40w fluorescent bulb, to four.
> I also reduced the time my lighting is on. I think I'm at about 10
>hours a day.
>
>- Water pH/hardness became also became a concern. My pH is somewhere
>around 7.5-8.0 and my KH was 15 with a GH of 7. In an attempt to get
>the hardness down, I started using 90% RO water from the grocery store
>when doing my weekly water changes. While the pH hasn't changed, the
>KH now hovers around 10 with the GH about 4.
>
>- A fellow aquarist I met while getting RO water at the grocery store
>suggested that I remove my air stone, so I did that too. (Although I
>would have after the next thing I tried anyway).
>
>- I started supplementing with a homemade CO2 kit, and a store-bought
>bubble diffuser/counter (so I know it's working).
>
>After all that, I decided I was ready to try plants again. I had read
>that buying an abundance of plants can use the nutrients the algae
>relies on, and kill it off. I bought $100 worth of (fast-growing)
>plants, and again, the algae grew all over them and killed them.
>
>I was pretty ****ed off, because it seemed like I was throwing away my
>money. So I spent an entire day draining my tank and I did exactly
>what you're not supposed to do - I bleached EVERYTHING in a desperate
>attempt to kill the algae. I also figured that the lateralite that I
>added before was providing the nutrients for the algae, so I washed as
>much of it out as I could.
>
>I bought a few more plants, and again they're dying, but the algae
>lives on.
>
>One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I've been treating with
>AquaPharm "AlgaeFix." It seems to help slow the algae growth a bit
>too.
>
>I can't take it anymore. I'm very close to giving up on fish keeping
>as I cannot beat this algae. My post here is a last resort.
>
>Last Sunday when cleaning my tank, I took a few pics with the digital
>camera.
>
>Here is what one of my Amazon Swords looks like
> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-001.jpg
>
>(Notice that every leaf has algae on it. If I trimmed off the
>infested leaves, there'd be nothing left!)
>
>Here is what my 5 gallon bucket looks like when it's filled with
>water. I always scrape/scrub before I do my water change.
> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-002.jpg
>
>Please help!
>
>Here are the other details:
> 55 Gallon Tank
> 2 Clown Loaches
> 6 Bronze Cories
> 3 Red Wag Platties
> 3 Zebra Danios
> 1 Wide-mouthed Pleco (he doesn't like this algae)
> 6 Lemon Tetras
> I change 10-15 gallons of water religiously every week
> I should also probably mention that the algae comes off in sheets
>when I scrape my glass.
>
>Plants I've tried to grow:
> Mondo Grass
> Amazon Swords
> Radican Swords
> Java Ferns
> Hornwort
> Moneywort
> Micro Swords
> Anacharis
> and a few others I can't think of right now

Get some Platies and Mollies. They love the stuff. One of my tanks
grows the stuff on the bottom of the glass cover. The air bubbles
keep the glass wet. I scrap it off and give it to my fish. They like
it. Funny, I have a school of Siamese Algae Eaters, they show no
interest.

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: Algae ruining hobby for me
>From: Dick
>Date: 2/1/2004 4:54 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>On 27 Jan 2004 11:13:35 -0800,
>(Stilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]) wrote:
>
>>I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
>>anguish.
>>
>>The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
>>scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.
>>
>>I am at my wit's end with this problem.
>>
>>Initially, when I set my tank up after moving 8 months ago, I wanted
>>to buy new live plants, so I lined the bottom of my tank with some
>>lateralite which I then put the gravel over. I suppose the algae was
>>introduced to my tank from the plants that I bought, because I did not
>>have serious problems until I bought these plants.
>>
>>Everything was doing ok at first, and then this algae appeared and
>>quickly covered everything in my tank - including my plants, which
>>then died.
>>
>>Shortly after the algae problems began, I upgraded to an Eheim
>>Professional II, and added a Custom Sealife 9w UV sterilizer in an
>>attempt to curb the algae growth. The sterilizer definitely helps
>>slow the growth - I know, because one time I accidentally left it
>>unplugged after cleaning.
>>
>>I bought a plant book, and tried to make some modifications to my
>>setup.
>>
>>- I realized that my lighting setup was woefully inadequate for
>>growing plants, so I went from a single 40w fluorescent bulb, to four.
>> I also reduced the time my lighting is on. I think I'm at about 10
>>hours a day.
>>
>>- Water pH/hardness became also became a concern. My pH is somewhere
>>around 7.5-8.0 and my KH was 15 with a GH of 7. In an attempt to get
>>the hardness down, I started using 90% RO water from the grocery store
>>when doing my weekly water changes. While the pH hasn't changed, the
>>KH now hovers around 10 with the GH about 4.
>>
>>- A fellow aquarist I met while getting RO water at the grocery store
>>suggested that I remove my air stone, so I did that too. (Although I
>>would have after the next thing I tried anyway).
>>
>>- I started supplementing with a homemade CO2 kit, and a store-bought
>>bubble diffuser/counter (so I know it's working).
>>
>>After all that, I decided I was ready to try plants again. I had read
>>that buying an abundance of plants can use the nutrients the algae
>>relies on, and kill it off. I bought $100 worth of (fast-growing)
>>plants, and again, the algae grew all over them and killed them.
>>
>>I was pretty ****ed off, because it seemed like I was throwing away my
>>money. So I spent an entire day draining my tank and I did exactly
>>what you're not supposed to do - I bleached EVERYTHING in a desperate
>>attempt to kill the algae. I also figured that the lateralite that I
>>added before was providing the nutrients for the algae, so I washed as
>>much of it out as I could.
>>
>>I bought a few more plants, and again they're dying, but the algae
>>lives on.
>>
>>One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I've been treating with
>>AquaPharm "AlgaeFix." It seems to help slow the algae growth a bit
>>too.
>>
>>I can't take it anymore. I'm very close to giving up on fish keeping
>>as I cannot beat this algae. My post here is a last resort.
>>
>>Last Sunday when cleaning my tank, I took a few pics with the digital
>>camera.
>>
>>Here is what one of my Amazon Swords looks like
>> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-001.jpg
>>
>>(Notice that every leaf has algae on it. If I trimmed off the
>>infested leaves, there'd be nothing left!)
>>
>>Here is what my 5 gallon bucket looks like when it's filled with
>>water. I always scrape/scrub before I do my water change.
>> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-002.jpg
>>
>>Please help!
>>
>>Here are the other details:
>> 55 Gallon Tank
>> 2 Clown Loaches
>> 6 Bronze Cories
>> 3 Red Wag Platties
>> 3 Zebra Danios
>> 1 Wide-mouthed Pleco (he doesn't like this algae)
>> 6 Lemon Tetras
>> I change 10-15 gallons of water religiously every week
>> I should also probably mention that the algae comes off in sheets
>>when I scrape my glass.
>>
>>Plants I've tried to grow:
>> Mondo Grass
>> Amazon Swords
>> Radican Swords
>> Java Ferns
>> Hornwort
>> Moneywort
>> Micro Swords
>> Anacharis
>> and a few others I can't think of right now
>
>Get some Platies and Mollies. They love the stuff. One of my tanks
>grows the stuff on the bottom of the glass cover. The air bubbles
>keep the glass wet. I scrap it off and give it to my fish. They like
>it. Funny, I have a school of Siamese Algae Eaters, they show no
>interest.
>

These folks aren't talking about a type of algae..it's a bacterial slime.

[DonkeyQong]

TYNK 7 wrote:

>>Subject: Re: Algae ruining hobby for me
>>From: Dick
>>Date: 2/1/2004 4:54 AM Central Standard Time
>>Message-id: >
>>
>>On 27 Jan 2004 11:13:35 -0800,
>>(Stilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]) wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
>>>anguish.
>>>
>>>The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
>>>scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.
>>>
>>>I am at my wit's end with this problem.
>>>
>>>Initially, when I set my tank up after moving 8 months ago, I wanted
>>>to buy new live plants, so I lined the bottom of my tank with some
>>>lateralite which I then put the gravel over. I suppose the algae was
>>>introduced to my tank from the plants that I bought, because I did not
>>>have serious problems until I bought these plants.
>>>
>>>Everything was doing ok at first, and then this algae appeared and
>>>quickly covered everything in my tank - including my plants, which
>>>then died.
>>>
>>>Shortly after the algae problems began, I upgraded to an Eheim
>>>Professional II, and added a Custom Sealife 9w UV sterilizer in an
>>>attempt to curb the algae growth. The sterilizer definitely helps
>>>slow the growth - I know, because one time I accidentally left it
>>>unplugged after cleaning.
>>>
>>>I bought a plant book, and tried to make some modifications to my
>>>setup.
>>>
>>>- I realized that my lighting setup was woefully inadequate for
>>>growing plants, so I went from a single 40w fluorescent bulb, to four.
>>>I also reduced the time my lighting is on. I think I'm at about 10
>>>hours a day.
>>>
>>>- Water pH/hardness became also became a concern. My pH is somewhere
>>>around 7.5-8.0 and my KH was 15 with a GH of 7. In an attempt to get
>>>the hardness down, I started using 90% RO water from the grocery store
>>>when doing my weekly water changes. While the pH hasn't changed, the
>>>KH now hovers around 10 with the GH about 4.
>>>
>>>- A fellow aquarist I met while getting RO water at the grocery store
>>>suggested that I remove my air stone, so I did that too. (Although I
>>>would have after the next thing I tried anyway).
>>>
>>>- I started supplementing with a homemade CO2 kit, and a store-bought
>>>bubble diffuser/counter (so I know it's working).
>>>
>>>After all that, I decided I was ready to try plants again. I had read
>>>that buying an abundance of plants can use the nutrients the algae
>>>relies on, and kill it off. I bought $100 worth of (fast-growing)
>>>plants, and again, the algae grew all over them and killed them.
>>>
>>>I was pretty ****ed off, because it seemed like I was throwing away my
>>>money. So I spent an entire day draining my tank and I did exactly
>>>what you're not supposed to do - I bleached EVERYTHING in a desperate
>>>attempt to kill the algae. I also figured that the lateralite that I
>>>added before was providing the nutrients for the algae, so I washed as
>>>much of it out as I could.
>>>
>>>I bought a few more plants, and again they're dying, but the algae
>>>lives on.
>>>
>>>One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I've been treating with
>>>AquaPharm "AlgaeFix." It seems to help slow the algae growth a bit
>>>too.
>>>
>>>I can't take it anymore. I'm very close to giving up on fish keeping
>>>as I cannot beat this algae. My post here is a last resort.
>>>
>>>Last Sunday when cleaning my tank, I took a few pics with the digital
>>>camera.
>>>
>>>Here is what one of my Amazon Swords looks like
>>>http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-001.jpg
>>>
>>>(Notice that every leaf has algae on it. If I trimmed off the
>>>infested leaves, there'd be nothing left!)
>>>
>>>Here is what my 5 gallon bucket looks like when it's filled with
>>>water. I always scrape/scrub before I do my water change.
>>>http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-002.jpg
>>>
>>>Please help!
>>>
>>>Here are the other details:
>>>55 Gallon Tank
>>> 2 Clown Loaches
>>> 6 Bronze Cories
>>> 3 Red Wag Platties
>>> 3 Zebra Danios
>>> 1 Wide-mouthed Pleco (he doesn't like this algae)
>>> 6 Lemon Tetras
>>> I change 10-15 gallons of water religiously every week
>>> I should also probably mention that the algae comes off in sheets
>>>when I scrape my glass.
>>>
>>>Plants I've tried to grow:
>>> Mondo Grass
>>> Amazon Swords
>>> Radican Swords
>>> Java Ferns
>>> Hornwort
>>> Moneywort
>>> Micro Swords
>>> Anacharis
>>> and a few others I can't think of right now
>>
>>Get some Platies and Mollies. They love the stuff. One of my tanks
>>grows the stuff on the bottom of the glass cover. The air bubbles
>>keep the glass wet. I scrap it off and give it to my fish. They like
>>it. Funny, I have a school of Siamese Algae Eaters, they show no
>>interest.
>>
>
>
> These folks aren't talking about a type of algae..it's a bacterial slime.
>
Direct sunlight will promote algae like MAD. If you are in direct
sunlight shield it from the brightest. Plecos do not eat much algae.
Try a Siamese or Chinese algae eater. Apple snails will eat a lot of
algae as long as they are large enough to not get eaten by your clowns
and small enough to only be interested in lettuce and cucumbers. I
understand your pain. Algae is irritating. Try changing out less
water. I have a 260 gallon and I rarely change out more then 10
percent. A little chlorine in the water change will kill the beneficial
algae that perform the nitrogen cycle. I let my water sit for a whole
day AND use Amquel. Good Luck, please post again so I can find out if
it works out for you.

[Rich]

I've had tht exact problem. It is an algae/bacteria symbiotic thing. Kill
one and you've dealt with the other. There is a method of darkening the
tank...total blackout for about 3 days. Check past posts for details. I
didn't have much luck with that one.
I used the antibiotic method and it worked beautifully. the stuff spreads
like crazy...seems like inches a day. Almost like spider web moss.

Good Luck...try the euthromycin (sp). It's kinda neat to watch the stuff
die.....
Shed no tears.

Rich



tilgar[bbs.isca.uiowa.edu]" > wrote in message
m...
> I have some dark green algae in my tank that is the cause of much
> anguish.
>
> The algae grows so fast that I have to thoroughly scrape my glass and
> scrub my (plastic) decorations every week when I do my water change.
>
> I am at my wit's end with this problem.
>
> Initially, when I set my tank up after moving 8 months ago, I wanted
> to buy new live plants, so I lined the bottom of my tank with some
> lateralite which I then put the gravel over. I suppose the algae was
> introduced to my tank from the plants that I bought, because I did not
> have serious problems until I bought these plants.
>
> Everything was doing ok at first, and then this algae appeared and
> quickly covered everything in my tank - including my plants, which
> then died.
>
> Shortly after the algae problems began, I upgraded to an Eheim
> Professional II, and added a Custom Sealife 9w UV sterilizer in an
> attempt to curb the algae growth. The sterilizer definitely helps
> slow the growth - I know, because one time I accidentally left it
> unplugged after cleaning.
>
> I bought a plant book, and tried to make some modifications to my
> setup.
>
> - I realized that my lighting setup was woefully inadequate for
> growing plants, so I went from a single 40w fluorescent bulb, to four.
> I also reduced the time my lighting is on. I think I'm at about 10
> hours a day.
>
> - Water pH/hardness became also became a concern. My pH is somewhere
> around 7.5-8.0 and my KH was 15 with a GH of 7. In an attempt to get
> the hardness down, I started using 90% RO water from the grocery store
> when doing my weekly water changes. While the pH hasn't changed, the
> KH now hovers around 10 with the GH about 4.
>
> - A fellow aquarist I met while getting RO water at the grocery store
> suggested that I remove my air stone, so I did that too. (Although I
> would have after the next thing I tried anyway).
>
> - I started supplementing with a homemade CO2 kit, and a store-bought
> bubble diffuser/counter (so I know it's working).
>
> After all that, I decided I was ready to try plants again. I had read
> that buying an abundance of plants can use the nutrients the algae
> relies on, and kill it off. I bought $100 worth of (fast-growing)
> plants, and again, the algae grew all over them and killed them.
>
> I was pretty ****ed off, because it seemed like I was throwing away my
> money. So I spent an entire day draining my tank and I did exactly
> what you're not supposed to do - I bleached EVERYTHING in a desperate
> attempt to kill the algae. I also figured that the lateralite that I
> added before was providing the nutrients for the algae, so I washed as
> much of it out as I could.
>
> I bought a few more plants, and again they're dying, but the algae
> lives on.
>
> One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I've been treating with
> AquaPharm "AlgaeFix." It seems to help slow the algae growth a bit
> too.
>
> I can't take it anymore. I'm very close to giving up on fish keeping
> as I cannot beat this algae. My post here is a last resort.
>
> Last Sunday when cleaning my tank, I took a few pics with the digital
> camera.
>
> Here is what one of my Amazon Swords looks like
> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-001.jpg
>
> (Notice that every leaf has algae on it. If I trimmed off the
> infested leaves, there'd be nothing left!)
>
> Here is what my 5 gallon bucket looks like when it's filled with
> water. I always scrape/scrub before I do my water change.
> http://www.yakhair.com/temp/algae-002.jpg
>
> Please help!
>
> Here are the other details:
> 55 Gallon Tank
> 2 Clown Loaches
> 6 Bronze Cories
> 3 Red Wag Platties
> 3 Zebra Danios
> 1 Wide-mouthed Pleco (he doesn't like this algae)
> 6 Lemon Tetras
> I change 10-15 gallons of water religiously every week
> I should also probably mention that the algae comes off in sheets
> when I scrape my glass.
>
> Plants I've tried to grow:
> Mondo Grass
> Amazon Swords
> Radican Swords
> Java Ferns
> Hornwort
> Moneywort
> Micro Swords
> Anacharis
> and a few others I can't think of right now