Strange Algae Growth - Advice ??

[Shawn P. Good]

Hello :


I recently had a case of ICH in my planted community tank so I medicated for
a week and cranked the temp up to 86F to speed up the ICH cycle. Seems like
I was successful - no more signs of ICH going on 2 weeks now.

However, this happened the week before we went away on vacation. I had my
neighbour feeding my fish, and I showed him how much to give them each day.
I also forgot to lower the temp before I left so it stayed at 86F for the
week I was gone. However, when I got back last weekend, the tank walls were
covered in algae that was growth in perfectly round little circles. My 2
plecos didn't seem to be touching it. The day I got back, I took a scrub
brush to the inside of the tank walls, and it was almost impossible to scrub
that algae off the glass (actually, acrylic). It took alot of muscle power
to finally get it off. However, there places like behind driftwood, talls
valesinera, etc, where I couldn't scrub well, and some remained behind. It
also seemed to be covering alot of the fluorite and black onyx substrate I
have. I then did a 75% water change or so in hopes of getting rid of most
the algae I dislodged from the tank walls.

It's now been a week. I've since dropped the temp down to 74F or so, but
the algae is coming back. Hard, difficult to scrub small circles of it on
my tank walls. The water also has a greenish tinge to it - which never
happens that fast within a week usuallly. In addition, I'm seeing these
balls of long filamentous green algae growing on the substrate and on the
leaves of some of my plants.

Now - I kept cichlids for years in a non-planted tank and only started up
this planted community tank about 2 months ago - so I'm a planted tank
newbie.

I'm hoping someone out there may be able to give me some advice on what is
going on in my tank.

Thank you.

[Cichlidiot]

Shawn P. Good > wrote:
> Hello :


> I recently had a case of ICH in my planted community tank so I medicated for
> a week and cranked the temp up to 86F to speed up the ICH cycle. Seems like
> I was successful - no more signs of ICH going on 2 weeks now.

> However, this happened the week before we went away on vacation. I had my
> neighbour feeding my fish, and I showed him how much to give them each day.
> I also forgot to lower the temp before I left so it stayed at 86F for the
> week I was gone. However, when I got back last weekend, the tank walls were
> covered in algae that was growth in perfectly round little circles. My 2
> plecos didn't seem to be touching it. The day I got back, I took a scrub
> brush to the inside of the tank walls, and it was almost impossible to scrub
> that algae off the glass (actually, acrylic). It took alot of muscle power
> to finally get it off.

This sounds like standard green spot algae. A much easier way to get it
off the tank walls is to use a scraper (plastic one since your tank is
acrylic). A cheap way that I've heard is to use an old credit card, but
I've never used this. I bought a small (approx 3" wide) plastic scraper
made for fish tanks for under $5US. It takes me usually just an up and
down pass with the scraper to remove the spot algae, much faster than
trying to scrub it off with the acrylic algae pads.

I've found this type of algae to be quite common in my rift lake tanks. It
doesn't seem to hurt the growth of the crypts and java fern any, so I just
scrape it off the front every month or so to maintain visual clarity. My
tap water is just teeming with fertilizers from agricultural runoff, so
algae is inevitable in my tanks. I'd prefer the green spot algae on the
sides to beard/brush algae. I have to wonder given the sudden appearance
of this algae if your neighbor may have overfed your fish, leading to
excessive nutrients in the water. Humans sometimes have that "kill them
with kindness" tendancy that leads to novices with fish adding way too
much food.

[Shawn P. Good]

Thanks for the advice on the scraper. I'll have to pick one up at my LFS.
I'm sure it will work better than my bristle brush. I'm wondering also if
my neighbour overfed my fish. Not much I can do about it now. I just don't
like the greenish tint to the glass and water. Looks like more frequently
cleanings and water changing is about all I can do now.

Thanks

shawn
"Cichlidiot" > wrote in message
...
> Shawn P. Good > wrote:
> > Hello :
>
>
> > I recently had a case of ICH in my planted community tank so I medicated
for
> > a week and cranked the temp up to 86F to speed up the ICH cycle. Seems
like
> > I was successful - no more signs of ICH going on 2 weeks now.
>
> > However, this happened the week before we went away on vacation. I had
my
> > neighbour feeding my fish, and I showed him how much to give them each
day.
> > I also forgot to lower the temp before I left so it stayed at 86F for
the
> > week I was gone. However, when I got back last weekend, the tank walls
were
> > covered in algae that was growth in perfectly round little circles. My
2
> > plecos didn't seem to be touching it. The day I got back, I took a
scrub
> > brush to the inside of the tank walls, and it was almost impossible to
scrub
> > that algae off the glass (actually, acrylic). It took alot of muscle
power
> > to finally get it off.
>
> This sounds like standard green spot algae. A much easier way to get it
> off the tank walls is to use a scraper (plastic one since your tank is
> acrylic). A cheap way that I've heard is to use an old credit card, but
> I've never used this. I bought a small (approx 3" wide) plastic scraper
> made for fish tanks for under $5US. It takes me usually just an up and
> down pass with the scraper to remove the spot algae, much faster than
> trying to scrub it off with the acrylic algae pads.
>
> I've found this type of algae to be quite common in my rift lake tanks. It
> doesn't seem to hurt the growth of the crypts and java fern any, so I just
> scrape it off the front every month or so to maintain visual clarity. My
> tap water is just teeming with fertilizers from agricultural runoff, so
> algae is inevitable in my tanks. I'd prefer the green spot algae on the
> sides to beard/brush algae. I have to wonder given the sudden appearance
> of this algae if your neighbor may have overfed your fish, leading to
> excessive nutrients in the water. Humans sometimes have that "kill them
> with kindness" tendancy that leads to novices with fish adding way too
> much food.

[Dick]

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:20:37 -0500, "Shawn P. Good"
> wrote:

>Thanks for the advice on the scraper. I'll have to pick one up at my LFS.
>I'm sure it will work better than my bristle brush. I'm wondering also if
>my neighbour overfed my fish. Not much I can do about it now. I just don't
>like the greenish tint to the glass and water. Looks like more frequently
>cleanings and water changing is about all I can do now.
>
>Thanks
>
>shawn
>"Cichlidiot" > wrote in message
...
>> Shawn P. Good > wrote:
>> > Hello :
>>
>>
>> > I recently had a case of ICH in my planted community tank so I medicated
>for
>> > a week and cranked the temp up to 86F to speed up the ICH cycle. Seems
>like
>> > I was successful - no more signs of ICH going on 2 weeks now.
>>
>> > However, this happened the week before we went away on vacation. I had
>my
>> > neighbour feeding my fish, and I showed him how much to give them each
>day.
>> > I also forgot to lower the temp before I left so it stayed at 86F for
>the
>> > week I was gone. However, when I got back last weekend, the tank walls
>were
>> > covered in algae that was growth in perfectly round little circles. My
>2
>> > plecos didn't seem to be touching it. The day I got back, I took a
>scrub
>> > brush to the inside of the tank walls, and it was almost impossible to
>scrub
>> > that algae off the glass (actually, acrylic). It took alot of muscle
>power
>> > to finally get it off.
>>
>> This sounds like standard green spot algae. A much easier way to get it
>> off the tank walls is to use a scraper (plastic one since your tank is
>> acrylic). A cheap way that I've heard is to use an old credit card, but
>> I've never used this. I bought a small (approx 3" wide) plastic scraper
>> made for fish tanks for under $5US. It takes me usually just an up and
>> down pass with the scraper to remove the spot algae, much faster than
>> trying to scrub it off with the acrylic algae pads.
>>
>> I've found this type of algae to be quite common in my rift lake tanks. It
>> doesn't seem to hurt the growth of the crypts and java fern any, so I just
>> scrape it off the front every month or so to maintain visual clarity. My
>> tap water is just teeming with fertilizers from agricultural runoff, so
>> algae is inevitable in my tanks. I'd prefer the green spot algae on the
>> sides to beard/brush algae. I have to wonder given the sudden appearance
>> of this algae if your neighbor may have overfed your fish, leading to
>> excessive nutrients in the water. Humans sometimes have that "kill them
>> with kindness" tendancy that leads to novices with fish adding way too
>> much food.
>

Try a magnetic algae scrapper. I have heard about them for a long
time, but bought one last month. It is so much easier than putting my
arm inside the tank.