yes...another freshwater algae question

A

Aquazilla

Small Fish
#1
Jul 26, 2011
11
0
0
#1
Ive set this new tank up for my daughter and am curious as to what this stuff is.... Its gotten tremendously worse since I took this pic a few days ago.

I also have a weird slimy film at the top of my water, fish seem to be doing just fine, however this tank looks gross

Lighting: Finnex Ray II Ultra Slim LED DS - Dual 7000k
Time: 8hrs a day

filtration: zoomed canister filter

100MEDIA_IMAG0074.jpg 100MEDIA_IMAG0076.jpg 100MEDIA_IMAG0077.jpg 100MEDIA_IMAG0078.jpg
 

R

Rotaripsnoc

Large Fish
#3
Feb 18, 2013
194
0
0
#3
Check your Nitrites, for algae to grow it has to have nitrates, and lots of light. The first pics look like algae , the second looks like some sort of mold or fungus, but i'm new to plants.

Is the wood new to being in the water ? If so it might not have been completely dry, molds feed off sugars, so there might have been some sap that's still in it. It's usually harmless, most algae eaters will munch on it, as well as most shrimp.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#5
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#5
Aquazilla said:
Ive set this new tank up for my daughter and am curious as to what this stuff is.... Its gotten tremendously worse since I took this pic a few days ago.

I also have a weird slimy film at the top of my water, fish seem to be doing just fine, however this tank looks gross

Lighting: Finnex Ray II Ultra Slim LED DS - Dual 7000k
Time: 8hrs a day

filtration: zoomed canister filter

View attachment 11719 View attachment 11720 View attachment 11721 View attachment 11722
Click to expand...
This is part of 'new tank syndrome,' Aquazilla, and water changes are going to be the only cure to this. Was the tank cycled, or are you doing a fish-in cycle?

The wood looks very new, and as others have stated, likely is a mold. Time and water changes will also cure this. Wood that is new to being submerged often develops this for sometimes months. Fish seem to eat it, and while doing water changes, you can easily siphon off the buildup.

The film you notice at the top of the tank is a protein film. Also common with newer tanks. Make sure you have some surface agitation with your return from the canister. That will keep it from building up.
 

R

Rotaripsnoc

Large Fish
#6
Feb 18, 2013
194
0
0
#6
Rotaripsnoc said:
Check your Nitrites ... NitrAtes ... not Nitrites, for algae to grow it has to have nitrates, and lots of light. The first pics look like algae , the second looks like some sort of mold or fungus, but i'm new to plants.

Is the wood new to being in the water ? If so it might not have been completely dry, molds feed off sugars, so there might have been some sap that's still in it. It's usually harmless, most algae eaters will munch on it, as well as most shrimp.
Click to expand...
Wrong word, check Nitrates, algae loves nitrates
 

exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#8
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#8
as OC said water changes to keep nitrates down. less feeding helps as well. I would look into adding anubias or adding something like christmas or java moss. they are like a nitrate sponge. I have it in 2 tanks and i've had nearly no algae since it's gotten established in the tank.
 

exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#10
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#10
worst part is some fish stores say a fish is a siamese algae eater but in fact they are not. i belive the false ones have a silver stripe on the top of the black stripe going down the length of the fish. so be carful one what you buy if plannign to go that route
 

FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
#11
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#11
I'm pretty new to planted tankery, but IMO, all the mystery snails and siamese algae eaters in the world won't keep your tank algae free. I've got all three! Actually, my algae problem isn't much of a problem at all since I've taken the advice of the very knowledgeable forum members here and found my light and carbon source balance.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#12
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#12
FreshyFresh said:
planted tankery
Click to expand...
Ok, that made me laugh!

Balance is indeed the key when dealing with plants (and algae is a plant afterall).

Although I love may different algae eaters (had 38 otos at one point, 4 different species of them), I found it far easier to control algae growth via balancing and then adding algae and other veggie foods as the fish needed to eat.
 

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