Algae bloom

[Karen Garza]

Yesterday I noticed the beginnings af an algae bloom in my planted 75
gallon freshwater tank. I did a large water change, about 35 gallons.
The green tint was lighter after the water change. Good. I left the
lights off and kept all window blinds closed all day yesterday. I fed
lightly yesterday, and they didn't get fed at all last weekend. I gave
them 2 thin slices of cucumber on Monday, but there was no green
coloring in the water until yesterday. This morning the green tint was
back, darker than before I did the water change! Bad. I want to get this
under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
PH 8.2 Yikes!
Alkalinity high
I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
higher now. Why the change?
I don't have a GH or KH test kit.

inhabitants:
1 rosy barb
1 blue gourami
1 kuhli loach
2 mini crabs
2 peacock eels
2 CAE's
2 harlequin rasboras
4 guppies (3 of them are babies)
4 ottos
5 peppered corys
5 ghost shrimp
15 assorted platies (8 of them are babies)

Karen

[Polarhound]

Karen Garza wrote:

> Yesterday I noticed the beginnings af an algae bloom in my planted 75
> gallon freshwater tank. I did a large water change, about 35 gallons.
> The green tint was lighter after the water change. Good. I left the
> lights off and kept all window blinds closed all day yesterday. I fed
> lightly yesterday, and they didn't get fed at all last weekend. I gave
> them 2 thin slices of cucumber on Monday, but there was no green
> coloring in the water until yesterday. This morning the green tint was
> back, darker than before I did the water change! Bad. I want to get this
> under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
> the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
> Ammonia 0
> Nitrite 0
> Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
> PH 8.2 Yikes!
> Alkalinity high

Netmax can answer this one better than I, but most algae feed off of
nitrates. Between the live plants and the algae, I'm not surprised you
are reading them at zero.

[Dick]

Assuming you do regular water changes, have you tested your water
source? Maybe it has changed.

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 17:29:32 GMT, Karen Garza >
wrote:

>Yesterday I noticed the beginnings af an algae bloom in my planted 75
>gallon freshwater tank. I did a large water change, about 35 gallons.
>The green tint was lighter after the water change. Good. I left the
>lights off and kept all window blinds closed all day yesterday. I fed
>lightly yesterday, and they didn't get fed at all last weekend. I gave
>them 2 thin slices of cucumber on Monday, but there was no green
>coloring in the water until yesterday. This morning the green tint was
>back, darker than before I did the water change! Bad. I want to get this
>under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
>the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
>Ammonia 0
>Nitrite 0
>Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
>PH 8.2 Yikes!
>Alkalinity high
>I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
>7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
>higher now. Why the change?
>I don't have a GH or KH test kit.
>
>inhabitants:
>1 rosy barb
>1 blue gourami
>1 kuhli loach
>2 mini crabs
>2 peacock eels
>2 CAE's
>2 harlequin rasboras
>4 guppies (3 of them are babies)
>4 ottos
>5 peppered corys
>5 ghost shrimp
>15 assorted platies (8 of them are babies)
>
>Karen

[Karen Garza]

Yes, I do regular water changes. I change about 25% weekly. I did test
the water source (tap water) and it did change. The PH went from about
7.2 a month ago to 8.2 now. I don't understand why this would happen. Do
the all powerful and mysterious water folks adjust the PH due to the
change in seasons?

Karen

Dick wrote:
> Assuming you do regular water changes, have you tested your water
> source? Maybe it has changed.
>
> On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 17:29:32 GMT, Karen Garza >
> wrote:
>
>
>>Yesterday I noticed the beginnings af an algae bloom in my planted 75
>>gallon freshwater tank. I did a large water change, about 35 gallons.
>>The green tint was lighter after the water change. Good. I left the
>>lights off and kept all window blinds closed all day yesterday. I fed
>>lightly yesterday, and they didn't get fed at all last weekend. I gave
>>them 2 thin slices of cucumber on Monday, but there was no green
>>coloring in the water until yesterday. This morning the green tint was
>>back, darker than before I did the water change! Bad. I want to get this
>>under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
>>the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
>>Ammonia 0
>>Nitrite 0
>>Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
>>PH 8.2 Yikes!
>>Alkalinity high
>>I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
>>7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
>>higher now. Why the change?
>>I don't have a GH or KH test kit.
>>
>>inhabitants:
>>1 rosy barb
>>1 blue gourami
>>1 kuhli loach
>>2 mini crabs
>>2 peacock eels
>>2 CAE's
>>2 harlequin rasboras
>>4 guppies (3 of them are babies)
>>4 ottos
>>5 peppered corys
>>5 ghost shrimp
>>15 assorted platies (8 of them are babies)
>>
>>Karen
>
>

[Dick]

On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 13:57:17 GMT, Karen Garza >
wrote:

>Yes, I do regular water changes. I change about 25% weekly. I did test
>the water source (tap water) and it did change. The PH went from about
>7.2 a month ago to 8.2 now. I don't understand why this would happen. Do
>the all powerful and mysterious water folks adjust the PH due to the
>change in seasons?
>
>Karen
>
>Dick wrote:
>> Assuming you do regular water changes, have you tested your water
>> source? Maybe it has changed.
>>
>> On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 17:29:32 GMT, Karen Garza >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Yesterday I noticed the beginnings af an algae bloom in my planted 75
>>>gallon freshwater tank. I did a large water change, about 35 gallons.
>>>The green tint was lighter after the water change. Good. I left the
>>>lights off and kept all window blinds closed all day yesterday. I fed
>>>lightly yesterday, and they didn't get fed at all last weekend. I gave
>>>them 2 thin slices of cucumber on Monday, but there was no green
>>>coloring in the water until yesterday. This morning the green tint was
>>>back, darker than before I did the water change! Bad. I want to get this
>>>under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
>>>the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
>>>Ammonia 0
>>>Nitrite 0
>>>Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
>>>PH 8.2 Yikes!
>>>Alkalinity high
>>>I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
>>>7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
>>>higher now. Why the change?
>>>I don't have a GH or KH test kit.
>>>
>>>inhabitants:
>>>1 rosy barb
>>>1 blue gourami
>>>1 kuhli loach
>>>2 mini crabs
>>>2 peacock eels
>>>2 CAE's
>>>2 harlequin rasboras
>>>4 guppies (3 of them are babies)
>>>4 ottos
>>>5 peppered corys
>>>5 ghost shrimp
>>>15 assorted platies (8 of them are babies)
>>>
>>>Karen
>>
>>
It does seem strange that there would be a sudden change. I would
call my city water works manager and ask what has happened. They may
be trying to correct the change or their source of water may have
changed. No sense to continue guessing when the answer is a phone
call or two, or three, away.

8.2 is high, but I seem to remember posts that indicate it is
acceptable to most fish. Mine runs 7.6 out of the tap.

Anyway, you now know why your tank is 8.2.

I have never had Algae bloom, but not feeding and shutting off the
light sounds reasonable if I remember what others have said.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will respond.

[lonerider]

"Dick" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 13:57:17 GMT, Karen Garza >
> wrote:
>
> >Yes, I do regular water changes. I change about 25% weekly. I did test
> >the water source (tap water) and it did change. The PH went from about
> >7.2 a month ago to 8.2 now. I don't understand why this would happen. Do
> >the all powerful and mysterious water folks adjust the PH due to the
> >change in seasons?
> >
> >Karen
> >

Here in the town i live the only thing they add is lyme to raise the ph and
save their plumbing. Maybe they slipped up and added tooo much in your's.

lonerider

[Graham Broadbridge]

"Karen Garza" > wrote in message
link.net...
> under control imediately, before it becomes a mojor problem. I tested
> the water a few minutes ago. What do I need to do?
> Ammonia 0
> Nitrite 0
> Nitrate 0 (Not even trace amounts of nitrate)
> PH 8.2 Yikes!
> Alkalinity high
> I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
> 7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
> higher now. Why the change?
> I don't have a GH or KH test kit.

I'm willing to bet that your pH has risen due to a lack of dissolved CO2 in
the water.

Why? Well without Nitrate the plants are utilizing other sources of Carbon.

Solution. Add Nitrate. Seachem have a nitrate supplement. You could also
use KNO3.


Graham.


>
> inhabitants:
> 1 rosy barb
> 1 blue gourami
> 1 kuhli loach
> 2 mini crabs
> 2 peacock eels
> 2 CAE's
> 2 harlequin rasboras
> 4 guppies (3 of them are babies)
> 4 ottos
> 5 peppered corys
> 5 ghost shrimp
> 15 assorted platies (8 of them are babies)
>
> Karen
>

[Karen Garza]

Graham Broadbridge wrote:

> "Karen Garza" > wrote in message
> link.net...
>
>>PH 8.2 Yikes!
>>I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
>>7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
>>higher now. Why the change?
>
>
> I'm willing to bet that your pH has risen due to a lack of dissolved CO2 in
> the water.
>
> Why? Well without Nitrate the plants are utilizing other sources of Carbon.
>
> Solution. Add Nitrate. Seachem have a nitrate supplement. You could also
> use KNO3.

I noticed that my tap water was barely running when I turned on the tap
yesterday. I guessed the water folks were at it again, messing around
with the water. I tested the PH of the tap water last night and it's now
back down to 7.4! I did a large water change and gradually, after a few
more changes the tank water should get back to PH 7.2 I think I will
test the PH of my tap water before doing any water changes from now on.

Karen

[Private Pyle]

Since I've been using Seachem's Neutral Regulator product to dechlor
my water, the ph in my tank has moved to 7.0 and hasn't moved since.
Ph has become a non issue for me. My tap water comes out of the tap
at least 7.6 because the test only reads to 7.6. But it turns color
aweful fast and it's really dark, so I guess if I got a high range ph
test and tested it, I would find it even higher, and 8.0 plus wouldn't
shock me. If you want to not have to worry about PH, then I recommend
this stuff as a win-win product.



Karen Garza > wrote in message . net>...
> Graham Broadbridge wrote:
>
> > "Karen Garza" > wrote in message
> > link.net...
> >
> >>PH 8.2 Yikes!
> >>I don't understant why my PH is so high. About a month ago it was around
> >>7.2. I tested my tap water with the same test kit and it's definitely
> >>higher now. Why the change?
> >
> >
> > I'm willing to bet that your pH has risen due to a lack of dissolved CO2 in
> > the water.
> >
> > Why? Well without Nitrate the plants are utilizing other sources of Carbon.
> >
> > Solution. Add Nitrate. Seachem have a nitrate supplement. You could also
> > us





e KNO3.
>
> I noticed that my tap water was barely running when I turned on the tap
> yesterday. I guessed the water folks were at it again, messing around
> with the water. I tested the PH of the tap water last night and it's now
> back down to 7.4! I did a large water change and gradually, after a few
> more changes the tank water should get back to PH 7.2 I think I will
> test the PH of my tap water before doing any water changes from now on.
>
> Karen