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Shagster wrote:
Cycle the tank! It's been in operation for about 3 years now! The gravel is terribly "dirty".. I'm not sure WHAT exactly all that "sludge" is... My fish are only fed 2x per week.....but there seems to be no end to the sludge.. I'll have to pull everything out and reset! Also, what can I do to get the algea off the plants?? Is there some type of water/bleach dip? Ah - so you found the problem. Great! The sludge is broken down plant leaves and roots, fish droppings, and uneaten food. Bleach will set your plants back. Peroxide's a bit easier. However, most of us use algae eating fish, shrimp, and snails. You say you have 2 flying foxes - those aren't great algae eaters unless they're mislabeled C. siamensis. One "algae eater" - hopefully this isn't a Chinese algae eater because those don't eat much algae and get quite aggressive. One otocinclus - great algae eater, but you need about one otocinclus per 5 gallons for a heavily planted tank. They're shoaling too so he will appreciate company. Check out http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ to learn about siamese algae eaters, chinese algae eaters, and flying foxes. My favorate algae eaters and scavengers are siamese algae eater Otocinclus spp. Ancistrus spp. - bristle nose plec Farlowella spp. - stick catfish Black mollies - 1 male, 2 female Ameca splendens - a bit aggressive and can be hard to find Amano shrimp Ramshorn snails (red are cool) - NOT the big columbian ramshorn Mystery snail - applesnail.net says how to identify the non-plant eating kind. How many and which depends on tank size and types of algae. -- Elaine T __ http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com |
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Thank you for the feedback.
"Elaine T" wrote in message ... Shagster wrote: Cycle the tank! It's been in operation for about 3 years now! The gravel is terribly "dirty".. I'm not sure WHAT exactly all that "sludge" is... My fish are only fed 2x per week.....but there seems to be no end to the sludge.. I'll have to pull everything out and reset! Also, what can I do to get the algea off the plants?? Is there some type of water/bleach dip? Ah - so you found the problem. Great! The sludge is broken down plant leaves and roots, fish droppings, and uneaten food. Bleach will set your plants back. Peroxide's a bit easier. However, most of us use algae eating fish, shrimp, and snails. You say you have 2 flying foxes - those aren't great algae eaters unless they're mislabeled C. siamensis. One "algae eater" - hopefully this isn't a Chinese algae eater because those don't eat much algae and get quite aggressive. One otocinclus - great algae eater, but you need about one otocinclus per 5 gallons for a heavily planted tank. They're shoaling too so he will appreciate company. Check out http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ to learn about siamese algae eaters, chinese algae eaters, and flying foxes. My favorate algae eaters and scavengers are siamese algae eater Otocinclus spp. Ancistrus spp. - bristle nose plec Farlowella spp. - stick catfish Black mollies - 1 male, 2 female Ameca splendens - a bit aggressive and can be hard to find Amano shrimp Ramshorn snails (red are cool) - NOT the big columbian ramshorn Mystery snail - applesnail.net says how to identify the non-plant eating kind. How many and which depends on tank size and types of algae. -- Elaine T __ http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com |
Just one more thing you may try... I had green water when I first set up my
tank, as i'm sure we all did... My LFS recommended fresh water clams... They filter about 20 litres an hour (sorry, I don't know gallons) and don't have the same effect as some say UV units do on the water column... I put 2 in my 200litre tank and the green water was gone in one and a half days, I now keep one it at all times and he maintains everthing... Hope this helps... Justin. "Elaine T" wrote in message m... Shagster wrote: OK.. I give up.. I've been fighting major algae problems for MONTHS.. I'm about to tear down my tank and get out of the hobby. NOTHING is working for me.... Are they're ANY chemical solutions that are live plant friendly?? Troy Algaefix is supposed to be friendly to most plants and kill most algae. YMMV. Avoid Algae Destroyer and other products containing simazine because simazine is not friendly to bunch plants and grasses like valisneria. http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/simazine.html A UV unit is good for unicellular suspended algae if your water is green. If you want other alternatives from a bunch of other algae experts (I think I've grown and fixed all but staghorn at some time or another), you could post more about your tank and what you've tried. i.e. Tank size, lighting, plants, kinds of algae, fish population, filtration, nitrate and phosphate levels, water change schedule... Most algae problems can be fixed without chemicals. -- Elaine T __ http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com |
In message , Justin
writes Just one more thing you may try... I had green water when I first set up my tank, as i'm sure we all did... My LFS recommended fresh water clams... They filter about 20 litres an hour (sorry, I don't know gallons) and don't have the same effect as some say UV units do on the water column... I put 2 in my 200litre tank and the green water was gone in one and a half days, I now keep one it at all times and he maintains everthing... that sounds very interesting. I managed to get rid of my green water by a) aggressive water changes (50% daily or every other day when daily wasn't possible) and b) adding a cheap box filter (airpump powered) to the tank. I think the combination was important, the water changes didn't seem to be helping on their own, except by diluting the algae. Within a week of starting the combination the water was absolutely crystal clear and has stayed that way (so far. This is a few weeks down the line only). I now leave the box filter on all day, it goes off at night. The green water outbreak coincided with the green hair algae which had been infesting EVERYTHING stopping growing. It is now growing again but very slowly. I don't have problem with green algae on rocks & driftwood, I think it looks natural and the goldfish eat vast quantities of it; it's been very good for them. I clean it off the glass with an old credit card if it starts to grow on there. Hope this helps... Justin. "Elaine T" wrote in message om... Shagster wrote: OK.. I give up.. I've been fighting major algae problems for MONTHS.. I'm about to tear down my tank and get out of the hobby. NOTHING is working for me.... Are they're ANY chemical solutions that are live plant friendly?? Troy Algaefix is supposed to be friendly to most plants and kill most algae. YMMV. Avoid Algae Destroyer and other products containing simazine because simazine is not friendly to bunch plants and grasses like valisneria. http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/simazine.html A UV unit is good for unicellular suspended algae if your water is green. If you want other alternatives from a bunch of other algae experts (I think I've grown and fixed all but staghorn at some time or another), you could post more about your tank and what you've tried. i.e. Tank size, lighting, plants, kinds of algae, fish population, filtration, nitrate and phosphate levels, water change schedule... Most algae problems can be fixed without chemicals. -- Elaine T __ http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com -- sophie www.freewebs.com/fishstuff (under construction. ish.) |
Just to add to the good advice you've already received.
Check your nitrates and phosphates and work on those. Algae loves both. I suspect that the sludge in the bottom of the tank is the real culprit - vacuum out as much out as possible - strip down as much as possble to acheive this. Check your tap water for nitrates and phosphates, the source water could also be contributing. Doing water changes with tap-water that is high in nitrates etc will not dilute the existing nitrates as much (or at least will not get them down to the minimum required). Plan on doing lots of water changes - perhaps 30 to 50% at a time a couple of times a week for a while until the nitrates are under control. Having done this, you could add a nitrate pad to your filter to keep it down. Also, clean your filters regularly (maybe once or twice a week at first) in tank water. The build up of detritus in the filter will often start feeding nitrates back into the system. Don't bother taking the chemical route, you need to fix the problem at source which is too many algae feeding nutrients - nitrate and phosphate. One other thought, in addition to the above, if you have planted aquarium, you could also add some CO2 (if you don't have it already) to get your plant growth up to it's maximum. Plants growing flat-out will use a lot more of the excess nutrients and so depriving the algae. Hope it helps Mark |
The bulb may not be good, replace it and it should take it out asap.
Regards, Tom Barr |
How big is the tank, do you use CO2? What brand is the UV/age?
Regards, Tom Barr |
It's a 29 Gallon tank, with CO2 injection right into the intake of my Fluval
204 canister filter.. I have a Turbo Twist 6x UV driven by a Quiet One 1200 pump... SUPPOSEDLY, the UV bulb is only about 4 months old.. I bought the unit used, so they may not have told the truth.. Troy wrote in message oups.com... How big is the tank, do you use CO2? What brand is the UV/age? Regards, Tom Barr |
On 2005-04-28, Troy Bruder wrote:
It's a 29 Gallon tank, with CO2 injection right into the intake of my Fluval 204 canister filter.. I have a Turbo Twist 6x UV driven by a Quiet One 1200 pump... How much lighting do you have in the 29G? -- "I have to decide between two equally frightening options. If I wanted to do that, I'd vote." --Duckman |
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