# Long term Algae problem Resolved :)



## ale36 (25 Jan 2013)

Hello i know this has been asked over and over and over again but i feel that altho its very repetitive i have the need to create a new post as not everyone circunstances are the same. 
I have a 60l tank that has been set up for a very long time 3-4 years, sice the very beginning i have had problems with algae. I dnt use ferts or Co2 the reason i have plants was because i read that by adding live plants would improve this but it didnt help. I do water changes every 2 weeks and pull the algae off every few day. Here is a pic of what i have to deal with any advice?


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## Iain Sutherland (25 Jan 2013)

Can you give some more info about the tank... lighting, light period, filters etc...then im sure we can help.


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## jack-rythm (25 Jan 2013)

Basically this could go on for and endless amount of time but to save time we need a tank spec. All algae is caused by, poor flow distribution, too high light, non frequent water changes, lack of maintenance, lack of co2. These are the main issues when looking at algae blooms. If we could have a spec on the tank it would help though. Sorry to hear about your problem Mate.  


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## ale36 (25 Jan 2013)

ok the tank is a 60l juwel with built in internal filter, water changes every 2 weeks, no co2 or ferts, lights are on for 8hours a day, i have tryed to introduce a "siesta" where i switch the lights off for 2 hours after 4 hours as i was told this would improve it, i done this for 3 or so month but did not see any changes, the tank is in the living room and is directly in from of a window but no direct sun light, and the window is all the way across the room about 10ft away, the light bulb is built into the hod and is a single t8 bulb which is pretty old, temp of the tank is about 23-24C


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## linkinruss (25 Jan 2013)

Clive might be able to chip in, but perhaps a total blackout for 3/4 days would be beneficial with a huge water change afterwards?
Perhaps cut down on your lighting period from 8 to 6 hours a day might help.
I heard siesta don't do much.


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## jack-rythm (25 Jan 2013)

ale36 said:


> ok the tank is a 60l juwel with built in internal filter, water changes every 2 weeks, no co2 or ferts, lights are on for 8hours a day, i have tryed to introduce a "siesta" where i switch the lights off for 2 hours after 4 hours as i was told this would improve it, i done this for 3 or so month but did not see any changes, the tank is in the living room and is directly in from of a window but no direct sun light, and the window is all the way across the room about 10ft away, the light bulb is built into the hod and is a single t8 bulb which is pretty old, temp of the tank is about 23-24C


Well the first thing I would suggest is doing a minimun of 50 percent water change asap and then keep doing that 2ce a week at least for a couple weeks. If it's one t8 tube I can't see you light being a problem, I'm assuming it's not more than 40w but for this purpose reduce it down to 6 hours whilst doing those important water changes. The level of co2 is worrying. Being sat by a window doesn't really mean anything if you have stability within you co2, there are cases where people gave kept hightech co2 tanks in conservatories and been successful. as you have no co2 I can't help but think this us one of the key issues. If you don't want to go down the gasses route u could try liquid carbon? It's liquid form co2. Not as efficient but it does it's job and your tank is only 60l so seems fine. So I would drop lighting to 6 hours, forget the siesta, there is no ultimate proof this works unless someone can prove otherwise. keep to 50 percent or more at least 2x a week for a couple weeks and see how that does. What's your plant list?

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## ceg4048 (25 Jan 2013)

Looks like it might be Rhizoclonium, which is due to poor maintenance, low CO2 and low nutrition. Clean tank and filter. remove by hand. Spot dosing Excel (or equivalent) will usually help.

You have to feed the plants if the water you are using is low in nutrition. Fish waste may not be enough. Use a basic all-in-one like TPN+ or use dry powders.

Say Hasta La Vista to Siesta.

Cheers,


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## ale36 (25 Jan 2013)

linkinruss said:


> but perhaps a total blackout for 3/4 days would be beneficial with a huge water change afterwards?


i have also been told this but did't know much on how to go about it, would it just need to be done once or every week for 3/4 days? or does it means that the tank would only be visible 4/3 day a week?


jack-rythm said:


> What's your plant list?


Ermm i have 2 anubias attached to the wood also have what i believe is some sort of valis but it has never grown and is just a trap for the algae, some wisteria, Elodea Densa and a moss ball


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## jack-rythm (25 Jan 2013)

First concentrate on solving the issue with the above advice. Once it's gone, increase your plant mass and get hold of some TPN+ there are other u could use if u prefer not to. this will provide the nutrients your tank needs. Do remember once the issue is gone, continue to keep a healthy level of maintenance scheduled for your tank. Clean your tank once a week for instance. Every little helps, neglect will result in the same outcome as today.

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## krazypara3165 (25 Jan 2013)

I had this problem in a fluval edge i used to own. It was all down to water changes. As its been said a couple of 50pc changes a week and youll see an improvement.


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## dw1305 (25 Jan 2013)

Hi all,
I really like the look of the algae in the photo, looks like something from a Tim Burton film, maybe Johnny Depp with a wild green afro, but assuming that you are less keen on it, it becomes slightly more problematic.

Green algae have the same photosynthetic pathways as all the other green plants (mosses, ferns, flowering plants etc.) which means that conditions that suit the plants will also suit the plants you don't want (the algae).


ale36 said:


> water changes every 2 weeks, no co2 or ferts


 I would up the water changes 





krazypara3165 said:


> It was all down to water changes. As its been said a couple of 50pc changes a week and youll see an improvement.


 (I'm very keen on Diana Walstad, but I'm pretty sure she is wrong here), I also don't believe in "water changes cause fluctuating CO2 levels, which cause algae", so I'd just ignore that as a reason not to change your water.I also see you have Electric Blue Rams, and that would be another reason to want clean water.


jack-rythm said:


> Once it's gone, increase your plant mass and get hold of some TPN+ there are other u could use if u prefer not to. this will provide the nutrients your tank needs.


I agree with Jack, add more plants, and particularly some floaters. Then you just use the "Duckweed index" to feed your plants, the details here <Low maintainence, long term sustrate | UK Aquatic Plant Society>. You can use TPN+ suggested, it is a KISS solution.

cheers Darrel


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## plantbrain (25 Jan 2013)

You might be fine with WC's maybe 1-2x a week if things are not going well, then back off later.
I think dosing Excel/Easy Carbo might be the better long term solution(needs dosed daily).
You might need a little bit of ferts also(eg once a week). Most feed fish daily, so dosing 5 mls per 40 liter of tank is not too bad on smaller tanks.

You can spot dose the algae, this will kill it.

So say you dose 7 mls a day, a small pipette while you do a  water change, or shut off the filter/water flow, then dose just around the infested areas, wait 2-5 min, then turn filter back on or refill tank etc.
H2O2 can do the same thing. Maybe 2-3 mls.


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## ale36 (25 Jan 2013)

so the plan of action to begin with would be 2 x a week 50% water changes, dose with Glutaraldehyde(might mix my own) with the glut do i apply it directly to the affected areas including anubias when the tank is 50% empty?
and i will be buying these over the next few days, is there anything else i should ad to this or would this kit be sufficient the water in my area is quite hard i must add!


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## jack-rythm (26 Jan 2013)

Yess that's basically what u need to do. Along with high tank maintenance from now on.

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## ale36 (26 Jan 2013)

I wont be able to get the the glut or ferts for another week or so, mean while woul you guys recoment 50% water changes and should i black out the tank for a few days?


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## jack-rythm (27 Jan 2013)

I wouldn't either bother with the black out..just concentrate on WC's and cleans and you be fine reduce your lighting for a couple weeks.

Viola

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## Viv (1 Feb 2013)

Are you 100% certain you don't get any sun at any time? My living room has NNE facing windows but for about half an hour in the mornings a band of sunlight reaches the front left corner of one of my tanks even though its set back from the window by about the same as yours is. As well as everything else said here it might be worth checking as any amount of sunlight hitting the tank will make matters worse.

Good luck with your algae battle!

Viv


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## ale36 (19 Feb 2013)

well i thought i update on this, i have started dosing EI and "home made" liquid carbon about a week ago, water changes 50% once a week and spot dosing the algae and i call tell you all that the algae has turned white i believe this is a good sign, i'll take a picture later on!


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## ale36 (21 Feb 2013)

So started dosing LC about a week and a half ago 1x 50% water change a week and dosing EI.
The results of spot dosing Glut on the affected areas is quite unbelievable it went from this:




To this:



Thank you UKAPS members


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## LondonDragon (21 Feb 2013)

Great results Felix  how many doses were required to clear it up? Did you remove any manually?


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## ale36 (21 Feb 2013)

LondonDragon said:


> Great results Felix  how many doses were required to clear it up? Did you remove any manually?



I removed what i could manually by just pulling what i could grab with my hand.
On my first water change i applied the LC directly onto the affected area while it was out of the water and left it as long as i could while doing tank maintenance.
Next day it was pretty much all yellow. I have only applied it directly onto it twice but i have been dosing daily just not directly onto it! 
So i'll say it has taken 2 directly applied doses while the affected area is not submerged!


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