• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Algae in non-planted tank

Tom

Tom

Member
Joined
8 Sep 2007
Messages
2,631
Location
Kawanabe, Kagoshima, Japan 鹿児島県南九州市川辺町
Yet again, it's ages since I've been on here! Thought I'd post on here about some algae problems I've been having for ages in my non-planted puffer tank.

Background Info

It's a yucky Clearseal 120cm, 125 liter tank and houses a solitary Hairy Puffer (Monotrete baileyi). The decor is just rocks with the odd piece of wood. Substrate is Kiln Dried Sand from B&Q which I nearly always use for tanks. Filtration is a Tetratec EX1200, which is waaay over-rated for this size tank, along with a Stingray internal at the other end to knock out the dead spots.

The Puffer get's fed a couple of mussels per week, and that's it, although he is a bit messy with them - didn't seem to matter much when the tank was planted. Water changed weekly or fortnightly, 50%. It's mature now, over a year old. I've had the fish nearly 4 years.

The Problem

Loads of Blue Green Algae and Hair Algae (Cladophora?). As you can tell from the filtration, there is a fair amount of flow in the tank, which seems to rule out lack of flow causing the BGA. I also use the same sand in my low tech planted tank which is much newer, which should rule out the sand leeching silicates which I've also heard can be a cause of BGA. I'm recording no ammonia, and low nitrate which is good. But why so much algae? It grows as fast as I pull it out.

Pictures

Bear in mind this is after cleaning the glass - the water isn't usually this skanky!

IMG_7321.jpg


IMG_7320.jpg


Anyone got any more thoughts on why I can't shift this algae?

Cheers,
Tom
 
Hi Tom

I'd say although you're not reading ammonia with your testing, it doesn't mean there isn't some there to feed the algae, especially as your feeding regime is 'ideal' for small ammonia spikes. So the ammonia is safe levels for the fish, but the algae is able to utilise it.

I'd consider a 5 day total blackout, before which you can remove and thoroughly clean your decor with bleach etc. Thorougly rinse with fresh water and soak in de-chlorinator/water too.

Clean your filter before and after the blackout too, as well as change 50% water before and after.

Then to help minimise further algae problems consider only using tank lighting when viewing the tank, and using phosphate removal resins.

Or consider have a lot of floating plants to shade the aquarium and help with nutrient removal.
 
Hi all,
I'd agree with George,
I'd say although you're not reading ammonia with your testing, it doesn't mean there isn't some there to feed the algae, especially as your feeding regime is 'ideal' for small ammonia spikes. So the ammonia is safe levels for the fish, but the algae is able to utilise it.
Click to expand...
and
Or consider have a lot of floating plants to shade the aquarium and help with nutrient removal.
Click to expand...
I also think that if you have sufficient light in these circumstances algae is inevitable, even if you could reduce the nutrient levels to very, very low levels. I get filamentous green algae grow even in the buckets of rain water that have been left outside in the light.

cheers Darrel
 
Would phosphate removing resins work in this instance?

Dave.
 
I'd have to agree. The same thing that causes algae in planted tanks must be responsible for blooms in non-planted tanks. My immediate suspicion would therefore too much light. Phosphate cannot trigger algae, it can only exacerbate the bloom once triggered. What is the maintenance regimen and what is the lighting in this tank?

Cheers,
 
Well, I'm pretty sure that the combination of light + ammonia production rate is the trigger regardless of the tank type. Possibly, the dissolved gas levels are a factor as well. I don't think the algal spores are necessarily aware of what other inhabitants are present. They just sample the chemistry and spectral characteristics of the environment and "decide" to bloom based on their programming. In an environment that is high is NO3, low in stable NH4 production, high CO2, high in O2 and low in light, this could be construed as plant friendly conditions, even if no plants are present. From the perspective of the spores, there's no advantage for them to bloom. On the other hand, if dissolved O2 levels dropped and NH4 production rate was on the rise or fluctuated, or if the lighting rose sharply, this might indicate to the sampling spores that something has deteriorated in the environment and that there is an opportunity to advance.

People don't realize what a powerful impact plants have on the environment. Plants aren't just innocent bystanders. They actively change their environment to suit their needs. They acidify, de-calcify and oxygenate. As long as the plants are healthy they modify the environment in a certain way. Spores read the conditions and wait for the "right" conditions that indicate the health of the system. If the plants are either unhealthy or missing then the water chemistry is not as tightly controlled or as specific.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not talking about specific targeted chemicals that pits one plant against another or anything like that. I'm talking more in the general sense. For example, If I couldn't physically see a tank to determine if it were planted, but if I had remote sensors, one useful sensor would be an O2 sensor. If O2 levels were significantly higher than the standard equilibrium value then that would indicate the possible presence of photosynthesising organisms. I could guess that plants were present.

NO3/PO4 cannot, in and of themselves cause algae to bloom. They can only be cofactors in a chain of events associated with a bloom, but they are not, by themselves the fundamental causal agent.

In Toms case, if his lighting is high and if there is a high organic waste content, this could easily produce the chemical conditions that trigger a bloom. This can happen even if he were using pure RO water. Granted, removing nutrients helps to reduce the acceleration of the bloom, but by then it's already too late, the trigger has already occurred. Algae are the prototypical gate crashers.

Cheers,
 
This is easy :D

No light= no algae.

Simply turn the light on when you want to see the fish.

No more.

Algae are light limited, saves $$$ in electric.
Much easier, cheaper than any other alternative.

Makes the tank look more natural and nice though IMO.
Floating water sprite would be ideal also, blocks light, mops up nutrients really well, can be sold, traded for fish food, reduces the need for water changes, removes both NH4/NO3/PO4, block light for algae.

So that's the second easiest thing to do.

Adding a wood gnawing pleco, eg Panaque might do well with the puffer.
Or smaller species such as rubber nose etc.

Very good trade off for both of those methods, but the fish solution might not be, depends on the puffer's mood.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top