FishProfiles.com Message Forums

i have alot of Brush algae in my 60gal tank plzzz help...
i have 4 lights.. each 30watts in that tank.. i leave it on for around 10-12 hours a day plzzz help i have no idea how to get rid of it and it's starting to grow on my plants

BGK,

It probably would help if you could tell us more about your tank:

How many and what kinds of plants?
Do you fertilize them?
What is your substrate?
When did you set up the tank?
When did you notice the algae first? Did this follow a change in the tank (stocking, replanting, filter changes, etc)?
What are your tank parameters, in particular Nitrates and Phosphates?
What is your stocking list?
Do you add CO2?

Just to get us started

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

need more info. You probubly have the light on too much and it promotes the alge growth. Also, do you have any alge eaters or snails in the tank? Live Plants?????

Inky

Answer LITTLE_FISH questions & you'll recieve lots of usefull reply's.

Also do a water test, just before answering, so you can have the actual water parameters.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

How many and what kinds of plants? amazon plant, and some random ones...
Do you fertilize them? no
What is your substrate? i use black fine gravel
When did you set up the tank? like 5 yrs ago
When did you notice the algae first? Did this follow a change in the tank (stocking, replanting, filter changes, etc)? noticed it quite a while ago like 3months or so... i think i added 20 harlequins back then
What are your tank parameters, in particular Nitrates and Phosphates? i really don't know.. testing kits cost alot here and since my fish hasn't died in 5 yrs i havn't used it.. (sorry)
What is your stocking list? i have 4 clowns, 1 BGK, 2 flying fox, 20 harlequins (i will move the clowns and bgk to a bigger tank)
Do you add CO2? no
i hope this helps a bit?

BGK,

Ok, yes, that helps a little.

I will make a guess as to where it came from.

It was the point where you added 20 Harlequin. That is a large fish load to add. Given that you don’t fertilize your tank in any fashion the additional Nitrate (after conversion from ammonia to nitrate etc) serves now as a base for your algae. Plants cannot utilize it as other nutrients are not available to them and they wouldn’t take up only one of them.

Two solutions:

a) The Quick Fix: Add Flourish Excel to the tank, using the dosing instructions on the bottle, for about two weeks. You should see the algae die. This helped me twice on Brush Algae. Problem is that it will come back eventually as the initial conditions for it are still available.

b) The Long Term Fix: Adjust the Nitrate Levels in your water. There are 2 options yet again for this one:
1) Perform much larger water changes (50%) on a weekly base ( what is your water change routine now? ). In itself not my preferred method as it might still leave enough in there for the algae to come back.
2) Develop a fertilizing routine that adds all the other macros and micros to the water so plants can utilize it. The advantage is that you turn a bad thing in a useful one and your plants should grow better. The first step here would be to identify your plant load (light, medium, heavy) and plant types, “random ones” is not gonna cut it when trying to figure out their nutrient needs.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I got this stuff from china-mart er.. wal-mart called "Super Algae Destroyer Plus" killed a severe algae infestation in like 2 hours, and it was bad man, I mean the water went from dark green to crystal clear within 2 hours of this stuff being put in the tank.

mossy,

That almost sounds too good to be true. I assume you are talking Green Water, right?

How do you treat with this stuff, what is in it, and are there any warning labels (like "kills plants as well" )?

Any way you could link us somehow to this product, or tell us who makes it?

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

alot of Brush algae

My question is what color is it? Is it a rich green color, or a very dark green to black color? If it is the latter, then it is more likely BBA, or Black Beard Algae. And the real only way to completely get rid of it, is a total black out or your tank for about 7-10 days. Most all your other plants will survive the black out up to 10 days. By total black out, I mean no lights, and completely covering the tank with something that will not allow any light to get in.

If it is a rich green color, then I would ask how long it is? Is it like a hair algae? If so, you might want to get some rosey barbs. They love the stuff. And if you decrease your feeding regime for a short time, they will start tearing it up. But they won't touch the BBA.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

sorry for late reply... it's a very very dark green almost black coloured brush algae...
i guess i'll black out my tank for a week or so then.. thnx for the help everyone