# over run by algea



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I need help! Im over run by algea and dont know what to do. A little background info. About 8 months ago I purchased a ten gallon tank for my 2 year old daughter. The first 3 months everything was fine but I decided I wanted some live plants so I purchased 2 plants. (Not sure of type) with in a few weeks the algea formed so I cut back to feeding every other day and lighting 5-6 hrs a day. That didnt change anything. I was told to get a bigger filter so I got a 25 gallon filter. That didnt help. Ive even tryed chemicals to no avail. Just a few weeks ago ny rubber lipped pleco died and now my plants are turning black. I dont know what else to do about the merky green water and blackening plants. Any help wiukd be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Can you post pics? It's helpful to see what algae you have. From the sounds of things, you might have green water algae. To get rid of that requires a black out. But post some pics and lets see what's going on in your tank.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I will take some picture later, the tank is in my daughters room and she just went down for a nap. Im pretty sure its a green water algea but im not sure about the blackening plants. There is also an off whiteish grown on the bottom rubber of my heater and no where else. Ive scrubbed it off several times just to have it come back a few days later. When you say black out, do you mean no light at all? Wont that harm the plants and daily cycle of the fish?


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

this one is the whole tank (i know its low on water, it gets this low every other day) they are live plants except the one on the right.
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l620/Ecacmechanic/20131014_152050_RichtoneHDR.jpg?t=1381780463
this is a close up of the center plant
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l620/Ecacmechanic/20131014_152130_RichtoneHDR.jpg?t=1381780457
this is the whitish growth on the bottom of the filter. it only takes 3-4 days for it to start to return after completely scrubbing it off
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l620/Ecacmechanic/20131014_152413_RichtoneHDR.jpg?t=1381780450


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

Looks like brown algae. How often are you doing water changes and what are your parameters like? What kind of light do you have on that tank?


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I do a water changed about once every week and a half or so. Water test show everything is right. I just have the regular fluorescent light that came with the kit. The fish all seem happy. The onky death in 6 months has been my pleco


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

ecacmechanic said:


> *Water test show everything is right*


For what the fish or the plants? It looks to me like you have a fish tank with some plants in it, not a planted tank. Your plants need a certain amount of light, co2, fertilizer to thrive (just like the ones outside.) The plant on the left is an Anubias and it can't be buried in the gravel. It needs to be attached to something (rock/wood). 

I would do some reading on the basics of keeping a planted tank. They do require a certain amount of specialized needs and maintenance. If that isn't something you want to do then stick with plastic.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I never said a had a planted tank. I figured i would try some live plants and see what happens. If they died, I would go back to plastic but they have all been alive and growing for 6 months. They started turning black about the last month. Thanks for your input on the plants but im concerned about the algea and what to do with it.


----------



## thejoe (May 23, 2013)

How long do you have the light on each day?


----------



## danielt (Dec 19, 2012)

So, you confuse the heater with the filter. You have calcium deposits on it, from what I can tell. 

Fret not, the light you are using it's not used properly or it's no good for the plants. They're doing poor and there's plenty of nutrients in the water to better feed algae instead of plants. How old are the lamps? Have you changed any of them recently?

I don't see many or large fish in there but your oxygen saturation might be low because of... I assume, heat. Try turning down the temperature to not more than 26 degrees Celsius.

Try putting in an airstone and also try to figure out the basic water parameters. We'll explain along the way what are each.

The basic ones are pH/gH/kH any pet store should have them. For your particular case, ammonia (NH4) and nitrate (NO3) could be required. They can tell if your tank is cycled or imbalanced.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

My bulb is the original one from 8 months ago. I didnt think I needed to change it out. I bought the plants because I assumed they would put more oxygen in the water. As far as fish I have 2 tetras 2 danios 2 albino catfish and a red tailed shark. Im starting to think I should just empty the tank and start from scratch with no live plants


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

Sorry I did confuse heater and filter. In the previous post I said heater. I dont know why I said filter the second tine


----------



## danielt (Dec 19, 2012)

You can start from scratch but you might also try to find out what you're doing wrong now as to not repeat the experience.

Sorry, I must've missed your first post or the one you referred to your heater.

For instance, besides the awful color. The gravel you're using allows food leftover to sink between the gravel bits. They're not accessible to your catfish and begin to decompose, further lowering your oxygen saturation and causing an ammonia spike. It's not that bad if you have a good filter with bacteria grown in it as the bacteria will feed on the ammonia. However, if you overfeed. The bacteria can become overwhelmed or not quick enough to eliminate all the ammonia. Any bottom dwelling fish like your pleco, for instance, can be affected.

Also, if you clean the filter regularly, or under tap water. That affects the bacteria which eats up your ammonia. Without it, the only fish that can survive the torment are the hardiest or the ones that have some tricks up they're so called sleeves and are able to tolerate the ammonia levels in your tank.

In the hopes of a good restart, read up on the nitrogen cycle. It's the first thing you NEED to know about ANY aquarium.


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

Everyone starts somewhere. I recommend researching up on the nitrogen cycle also if you haven't already, it will help explain quite a bit of what is happening in your tank. How much are you changing at a time when you do a water change? To assist in controlling the algae, lighten up on feeding, keep your light cycle low (6 - 8 hours, max), and increase your water changes to 25% twice a week until the algae is in control. Adding an air stone like previously suggested will introduce more oxygen into your tank, which will also help. After that, weekly 25% water changes will assist with keeping the algae down. You could also do water changes with distilled water (make sure it's as close to the same temp as possible). Tap water has quite a bit of fertilizer in it that can cause algae blooms if there are other factors involved, like overfeeding. Most fish stores will test your water for free (if you don't have a kit. You seem to know the water is ok already). If you do have a test kit, make sure it is a drop solution and not the strips (very inaccurate). Flourescent lights need to be changed out every 6 months, they aren't useful at all after that. You could consider upgrading your light, but it sounds like you want to keep things simple. Anubias need to be out of the substrate. You can easily attach it with a rubberband or fishing line to a rock, ornament or driftwood. Leave it there for a few weeks to a month to let the roots 'grab hold' of the hardscape, and it will love it. Hope this helps.

Also, that Red Tailed Shark will outgrow your tank quite fast. You might want to think about rehoming him. He also can get quite aggressive.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I just went and did another water change (25-30%) and when I touched the leaves of my plants they just fell out so I tossed them. I have one of those test strip kits and according to that all of tthe water levels are in the safe zone. But I dont know trust worthy that is. All of my fish seem very happy. All are active and playful except the shark, he stays under the drift wood 75% of the time. I do my water changes with well water if that at all makes a difference. What type gravel would you recommend then? Sorry for all the questions. This is my first tank on my own.


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

Ok, do another water change in 2 days or so and continue that until the algae clears up. Are you using a gravel vacuum? How often are you feeding? I would toss the test strips out, they really aren't accurate at all. Spend a few bucks and buy an API freshwater test kit (cheaper on amazon). Worth the $20-$30. Your gravel is fine as long as you keep it clean, which is what a gravel vacuum is used for.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

I have one of those self siphoning manual vacuums but im sure it doesnt work the best. I vacuum every time I do a water change I feed a small pinch every other morning.m


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

If it's too large you might not be able to get all of the gunk out before the water level decreases too much. I would just increase the frequency of your water changes and keep your light cycle low until the algae situation improves. Well water shouldn't have fertilizer in it, so you shouldn't have to worry about that.


----------



## rininger85 (Jun 30, 2013)

---


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

rininger85 said:


> I'm not adding much to this thread, just wanted to tell the OP to hang in there, don't get discouraged by some of the childish responses here... hopefully once they got past their initial inconsiderate responses they seem to be starting to actually try to help rather than just insult you...


I really don't see any insults here. Are you in the right thread?


----------



## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

You're tank looks good. I bet your daughter loves it. My 3 year daughter loves the tank we have at home. She now into feeding the fish every night before her time.

Keep an eye on you ammonia (NH4) and nitrate (NO3) nitrite (NO2) levels. You'll want to keep them as close to zero (0) as possible at all time. If you find your levels out of balance, you can try to jump start the nitrogen cycle with a product like "Dr. Tim's One and Only". Its basically a bottle of good bacteria that will rapidly establish a colony which will keep you levels good. 

The Algae can be controlled in a few easy ways. I guessing the algae is a result of overfeeding the fish. My little girl would dump way too much food into my tank and i have to takes steps to control the algae because of it. Now I prepare the correct amount of food for to give the fish before hand. 

First cutting back on the food the fish get will help. Try two smaller feedings; one in the morning and one around dinner time. Fish are lairs and claim to be hungry all the time, even if you just feed them! Don't believe them when they ask for food. Two small meals a day is good. If they don't eat all the food in the first 5 minutes you give it to them, they are getting to much food. 

Weekly water changes will help reduce the nutrient load (uneaten food and fish waste) in the water.

Oddly, increasing the number of fish in the tank, might help with the uneaten food. I strongly suggest increase the number of tetras to 10 (yes, ten). Tetras feel safer, happier in large groups. 


More plants would be good too. The fish like to hide in them, the look good and will improve the water quality. 

Other options

Adding algae eating fish will help too. Oto (Otocinclus Catfish) are cheap, fun fish that feed on algae. Do NOT get chines algae eater (CAE), they are jerks. Get four or more Otos. They'll start eating the algae you have now, and will keep in check in the future. Otos want to be kept in groups of 4+. 

Cory (Corydoras) Catfish could also help keep the bottom of your tank clean (they don't eat algae but will eat any flakes that make it to the bottom). I suggest any of the dwarf cory cats like Dwarf Albino Cory Cats. They are cute (for a fish) active, playful fish that are bottom feeders. They like to live in small groups (4+). My daughter loves watching the four I have in my office tank. They are easy to spot as they are all white, and they very playful.

I suggest a book for you "Aquarium Plants (Mini Encyclopedia Series for Aquarium Hobbyists)" you'll find it on Amazon. There is a great primer on tank and planted tanks in the book. You'll find it amazon.com

Counter to some would have you believe, you can control your algae without having to spend much money and getting involved with CO2 and all kinds of expensive things. 










You're doing good, and your tank's going to be nice tank.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

King of hyrule. Thank you for all of your input. I started of feeding once a day and when the algea started I cut back to once everyother day. I read somewhere that every other day would be enough to sustain most fish. Right now I have 2 silver tipped tetra but you think i should up to ten? Wouldnt that be to much for a ten gallon tank? Ive been meaning to look into another time of algea eating fish because every pleco I buy just dies. The last one made it like 5 months. Ill have to look into the oto catfish. I allready have 2 albiny corys. They are very active with digging through the rocks. I believe they are my daughters favorite because of how energetic they are.


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Adding additional fish to control algae is a huge mistake. That just doesn't happen. In a 10 Gallon, don't add anything else. If it's algae control your after and your not really going to 'grow' plants you need to do regular water changes, less fish/less food, increase filtration. Use carbon, Seachem Purigen (goes in filter) these will remove organics before they breakdown and cause algae. Don't have your lights on more than 7-8 hrs max. That's really all you can do, activity growing plants help process organics, so it helps, but plenty of people have fish tanks without algae and the above mentioned things is what they do. BTW you need control, for example, don't let your child feed the fish, don't let her put the light on after the cycle has run, etc, etc. 

A couple of slow growing plants isn't going to do much anyway for water quality so if your not going that way, stick to plastic and make it look good or fun for your daughter.


----------



## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

*you can do it.*



ecacmechanic said:


> King of hyrule. Thank you for all of your input. I started of feeding once a day and when the algea started I cut back to once everyother day. I read somewhere that every other day would be enough to sustain most fish. Right now I have 2 silver tipped tetra but you think i should up to ten? Wouldnt that be to much for a ten gallon tank? Ive been meaning to look into another time of algea eating fish because every pleco I buy just dies. The last one made it like 5 months. Ill have to look into the oto catfish. I allready have 2 albiny corys. They are very active with digging through the rocks. I believe they are my daughters favorite because of how energetic they are.


There's going to be a lot of life in that tank. 

I'd (this is just me), first get two more cory cats, they are happiest in groups of 4 or more. I'd ask the local fish store to take back every but the tetras (and cory cats), then bump up their numbers Silver tip Tetra (nice fish BTW). A signal species tank can be stunning. Our home tank (29G) is well overstocked with 20 Glass Bloodfin Tetras. Its amazing to watch them school up. (We also have a full supporting cast of Otos (5), Cory Cats (4), Dwarf Puffer (1) and Angel Fish (1)). The overstock tank present challenges, but you're already doing weekly water changes and you're here online, trying to fix a algae problem - that tells me you're willing to make it work. The four cory cats, and ten Silver tips won't overload your tank (and any Otos), but you'll need to up with the water changes and change the element in the filter once a month (you should be doing that anyways). The Otos are a great fish, and you should consider them. The Cory Cats, Oto and Silver Tips Tetra are peaceful fish and will get along nicely. None will get over 2" long. 

Get more plants, but not the ones in the tubes. The tube plants you find at the big chain pet stores are not real aquatic plants. I started with the tubes plants, and they all died on me. That made me feel really bad. Once I moved to "real" plants things got better. You'll also want to get "root tabs", which are little fertilizer tablets you push into your gravel. Use a them sparingly. They'll help the plants. Your gravel won't support your plants. 

My office tank. (4 Albino Cory Cats, 15 Neon/Cardinal Tetras, a Million snails)









Our home tank. (20 Glass Bloodfin Tetras, 5 Otos, 4 Cory Cats, 1 dward Puffer, and 1 Angel fish)









Both tanks are running great and both tanks have bouts of algae. I don't use CO2, to control the Algea. The Oto keep the big tank clean and the snails are working to keep my office tank clean.

When my daughter gets older, she'll get her own tank. I know its going to have bright pink gravel, gaudy feature. There is nothing wrong with that.


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

ecacmechanic said:


> Right now I have 2 silver tipped tetra but you think i should up to ten? Wouldnt that be to much for a ten gallon tank? Ive been meaning to look into another time of algea eating fish because every pleco I buy just dies. The last one made it like 5 months. Ill have to look into the oto catfish.


10 Silver Tip tetras would definitely be too many in a ten gallon tank. They reach at least 2" each and are semi-aggressive. I would honestly rehome them and get smaller tetras like cardinals or neons AFTER you've fixed the algae issue. Adding more fish right now would only add more fish waste to your tank, which would make your algae problem worse. As for algae eating fish, I wouldn't go with otos as they do like to school and I think it would be too much for a 10 gallon. Nerite snails however do a great job and won't add a lot of bioload to your tank (you'd only need 1). I think King of H. means well, but not taking into considering that you don't have a 30g like they do.



houseofcards said:


> Adding additional fish to control algae is a huge mistake. That just doesn't happen. In a 10 Gallon, don't add anything else. If it's algae control your after and your not really going to 'grow' plants you need to do regular water changes, less fish/less food, increase filtration. Use carbon, Seachem Purigen (goes in filter) these will remove organics before they breakdown and cause algae. Don't have your lights on more than 7-8 hrs max. That's really all you can do, activity growing plants help process organics, so it helps, but plenty of people have fish tanks without algae and the above mentioned things is what they do. BTW you need control, for example, don't let your child feed the fish, don't let her put the light on after the cycle has run, etc, etc.
> 
> A couple of slow growing plants isn't going to do much anyway for water quality so if your not going that way, stick to plastic and make it look good or fun for your daughter.


+1 You can always add plants later after the algae issue is resolved. Fix the algae problem, then you can worry about what fish to rehome and/or get more later on. 

Btw, is the tank by a window per chance?


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

Not directly in front of a window but in a smallish room with three windows in it. The blinds are all ways kept shut though so it stays pretty dark throughout the day. I want to get a bigger day once I figure out what im doing wrong. We were looking at a 15 gal bow front tank. Im really wanting to start over because I don't like much about my tank. I don't care for most of my fish. I have to long finned Danios that looked so neat in the store with their long fins flowing in the water but once I got them home they because super hyper and never slow down to let there fins out. My red tail shark just hides all the time. I lost almost compete interest for a while. Also, now that the v water is a little less green im noticing algea growth in the glass. What's the best way to clean that off?


----------



## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

Don't get discouraged by some of the less than stellar comments here. We all started somewhere. The algae you have seem to be diatoms as far as I could tell. Two or three otos will clean that up and limit the light a bit. Ambient light is always a problem, since you cannot limit it, and low light levels are good for algae to grow. Also, make sure your filter is clean and careful with gravel vacuuming. If you want some advice once you start the next project feel free to ask again! Head-up, we all have algae, just depends whether we can admit it or not :icon_wink


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

The best advise was already given. The OPs at ground zero as far as planted tanks go. Several members have suggested reading about planted tanks from a reliable source instead of receiving different advice here from members that might or might not be qualified to help.


----------



## danielt (Dec 19, 2012)

Well now, adding or not, more fish, mostly depends on how well the tank is doing with regards of processing organic waste and how much of it is being produced.

There are fish only tanks but they do use some things which do not exist in this one.

I don't agree with the approach of getting algae free and after that use plants. You either get algae free and keep a fish only tank or you get plants to fight the algae. It's easier IMO.

To get this tank algae free might need some of the following if you want to go the fish only route:

- Reset the tank if you can relocate fish for a month or so. Reset means to start over with the nitrogen cycle. Take everything out, clean the tank, put everything back but the plants, read how a fishless cycle is done, it's here in the forums, described many times over.
- Get a bigger filter, fill it with biological media. Have the filter cycle with the tank.
- Reduce light, fish don't need lots of it. As much as it pleases the eye should be enough.
- Get fish that's beautiful and also useful. Like the Cory cat fish which digs for food remains.
- Add fish gradually. Don't buy 10 fishes all at once. Buy one monthly and you can stock that tank more. The bacteria will adapt to the increased bio load (critters in the tank) without being hit by a huge spike.
- Clean filter only if its flow becomes too low. The less you mess with the filter, the more bacteria grows in it and can keep your tank balanced.
- Get some MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snail) it will dig through the gravel and keep it clean.
- Water changes, get your tap and well water tested so you know what you're putting in the tank with each water change and how much. In case the water is bad you might need to resort to mixing it with RO. Water changes can put nutrients in the tank that can trigger an algae bloom leaving you desperate as to what is causing it. Knowing what water flows your pipes can make you prepared to deal with it.

Whether you decide to try plants or not, is up to you. There's also a lot of people in your situation and you can learn from their experience if you have the time to browse this here forum.


----------



## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

Everyone's feed back got me thinking. I think my suggests while well intended is a little overboard. (read as I'm a bonehead)

I would change a few things, first the number of fish. I still believe that the OP is more than capable of handling an overstocked tank, but limiting the number of inhabitants would make life easier. Plus, its easy to add fish later on. 

I would now suggest (Totals)
5 Tetra (I still think ten would look great)
3 Otos
3 Cory Cats (same type as current have)

Keep up with the water changes. 
Keep tight control of the fish food.

I'd still add plants, because they would help in the long term qaulity of life in the tank.

The Otos are the long term algae reducers . This is a passive solution with no addition cost (expect the cost of the fish, under $5/Oto). Oto are fun fish as well.

The Cory cats will help keep the amount of excess food from turning into yuck. Again they are are also fun fish. 

---

Here's what I do with my ten gallon at work, try more basic treatment before going down this path.

I have two AquaClear 20* on my office tank. The first is the standard configuration: sponge, carbon, biomax. 

The second AC20 has a bag of Seachem Purigen (100ml) and seachem Phosgaurd (100ml). The seachem filter is there to reduce the nutrient load in the water, caused by a breach in the cap to the dirt substrate. (plus the tank gets loads of sunlight). 

Fluval (formally Aquaclear 20) are about $25
Seachem Purigen (100ml) bag is about $10
Seachem PhosGuard (100ml) also $10
(prices are based on a quick look at Amazon)

*One of the standard setup Fluval 20 is in fact a Fluval 50, with a Fluval 20 impeller. It moves the same amount of water at the Fluval 20, but has a larger filter element. This is the recent result of snail getting pulled into the Fluval 50 and breaking the stock impeller. I just swapped the impeller I had from an unused AC20 I had on hand. I return the snail to the tank, thinking if he lived thought that I should give him a second chance. 

---

I think there is a tendency to treat algae as a cancer, and while the metaphor fits -- Cut out effected area and cure the rest by poisoning (Fert and CO2) what remains, while trying not to kill the host. I don't think its the best mindset in dealing with algae.

I would like to suggest algae is more like diabetes. Healthy living and some changes in lifestyle can (in many case) prevent an acute outbreak. Acute outbreaks need to be handled quickly, but the real goal is always prevention. 

I been thinking about this enough I might start a thread just to discus it. 

These metaphor are imperfect, as all metaphor are. I have a family history with both cancer and diabetes. ​


----------



## danielt (Dec 19, 2012)

Fert and CO2 compares more to a hot meal than poison. Although if you have diabetes, a hot meal can be deadly


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Ah let's see algae is like a Zombie Apolycaplse. It moves slowly, can be quite creepy and if left unchecked it will eventually destroy your setup. Much better to just not let it in to begin with. Algae like Zombies don't like clean tanks with little 'meat (organics)' to feed from.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

Did another water change today like suggested. The water seems alot clearer and the fish really seem alot more active. I think I'm going to look into finding a new home for danios and picking up 2 more tetras and a couple otos.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

Was doing a little web surfing before my nap today ( I work 3rd shift). Im thinking about getting rid of the gravel for a river rock and sand combo substrate with a custom made slate cave and a couple of small plants. Thoughts?


----------



## Ashnic05 (Jan 7, 2013)

Sounds like things are improving :thumbsup: Be careful with sand, it's a great, clean substrate but it takes a bit of 'finess' to clean. It's not difficult, but I would suggest watching a few youtube videos to see how it's done. Other than that it sounds like you have a great plan!

Did I mention how 'great' it all is? Sheesh. I need coffee


----------



## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

ecacmechanic said:


> Was doing a little web surfing before my nap today ( I work 3rd shift). Im thinking about getting rid of the gravel for a river rock and sand combo substrate with a custom made slate cave and a couple of small plants. Thoughts?


A) that will look nice. 

B) consider a larger tank. 

You have the 'bug'. You are one of us now [insert evil laughter]. I, like other, started with a 10 gallon tank, which turned into two 10G tanks. Which later grew into a 29G tank*. One of the 10G tanks moved to my office. I gave the second to someone to set them started. I'm considering growing the office tank, as my wife will kill and divorce me (in that order) if get a larger tank for home. 

I find taking care of one large tank so much easier and less stressful than caring for two smaller tanks. 

*If I could have gone with a larger tank at home I would have, but space in our condo is a bit limited (welcome to island life). The only space for something larger is in our daughter's room. I thought it would best to let her define that space, rather that impose a fish tank on her. 

I've told my wife if we sell the condo and buy a home, I am getting a much, much bigger tank.


----------



## ecacmechanic (Oct 14, 2013)

Did another water change today. Things are looking better. I watched a video on vacuuming gravel and apperently I was doing it wrong. Sucked alot of crap up. Dont mind the cheesy decor in the tank. It was stuff I had laying around and the tank was too empty with out the plants. Still undecided whether or not I want to move up to a 20 gallon
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l620/Ecacmechanic/20131018_083753_RichtoneHDR.jpg


----------

