need some help

hi guys need a bit of help and advice one of my tanks has has
got a bad case of i think is algae bloom - i have been doing water changers
of 50% everyother day seems to be helping a bit but is there anything else
i could be doing.


cheers............dekker

What's in the tank dekks? Also if you let us know your feding regime and how long yoi have the lights on etc that would help.

Is the water green or is there algae on ornaments etc?

Remind me again of the tank size and whether or not it has real plants or just "faux foliage"? If it's the latter, then you only need the lights on for 2-3 hours in the evening. You'll find some good info on here about identifying and treating the various types of algae.

rule 1 know thy enemy - identify the algae and then look up what it likes - in siome cases a water change (and many of them) can in fact encourage the bloom.

rule 2 is it algae or a bacterial bloom

rule 3 how bad is it really? more often than not - these things sort themselves out in time so be patient

rule 4 a tank is a mini ecosystem and part of properly cycling a tank in terms of a balanace of everything is having an algal bloom.

Other common sense stuff includes dont over feed the piskies or the plants for that matter - reduce lighting (or even black the tank out for a couple of weeks) but otherwise treat the tank as normal (chemicals are a last resort tbh)

if its the hair type algae - the best way to get rid is to get your hands in there and pull it out -a toothbrush (your wifes will work better than your own ) is the best tool for this job - the algae hates being disturbed too often and ends up quitting.

Other options include fish that eat algae or shrimp etc.

If you want a quick fix then liquid co2 fert often does the trick if you intentionally overdose the treatment and a long term fix is to use a prduct called Aquakat Tank Clear (www.aquakat.co.uk I think - half the price from the manufacturer than the lfs)

If the gunk is on ornaments - then take em out and boil em, bleach em, boil em, freeze em, nuke em or whatever - be a bitch to the algae but be sure the ornaments are safe again for the fish afterwards

im sure ive left stuff out but hope this helps a bit

thanks guys

ok the tank is my new biorb and its just the water thats green perhaps just a tad
on the ornaments as for the lighting it has the i-lighting system water lights in
the day blue lights at night looks fantastic just the green water that a problem
ho i have 3 german blue rams in at the moment feeding is cichlid sticks every
other day and some green stuff now and again, hope this helps guys.



cheers............dekker

I think Rich more or less sums it up (as usual) .

As far as I know green water blooms are usually a sign that there has either been an ammonia spike or there is a upset in the water balance somehow - maybe too much feeding, plant ferts etc.

Leave the lights off might help, as well as cutting back on the feeding. Water changes dont always make a Hell of a difference and you may have to go down the cover the tank with a blanket for a few days route to really clear it.

thanks for the reply diana lights are off now cutting feeding down going to see
what happens now, i appreciate all the help and advice from everyone


so thanks again.............dekker

Hope it clears soon dekks

ah - the biorb - remember what i said in another post about light refraction in a bowl ?

essentially the green water is another stage in the cycling process - and tbh - except for the lights and feeding I woulodnt change anything else or add chemicals (except for the aquaclear I highly recommend)

I guess its a form of new tank syndrome - with a smaller aquarium - its more noticable and faster development.

You could get a few otos to help keep ornaments and sides clear

thanks diana

i will be looking into that rich cheers mate


dekker