HELP!!!

[Jay S.]

Hey folks

I have a little problem here.

I have a 80 Gallon Planted Freshwater tank going, it has been up for about 2 months now. But a week or so ago I noticed this hair like algae growing on the stems of one of my crypt plants in my tank and I thought nothing about it "figured my shrimp would eat it". I have never had this type of algae in my tank before so I know nothing about it.

I also noticed today, besides this hair type of algae, I have this blueish greeish algae forming on the leaves of all my plants.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of this nasty stuff?

All my water tests show that I have good water. Could it be that I have my lighting on to long each day?

It's on for 12 hours and it's 260watts PC lighting, DIY Co2 and PMDD.

The hair like algae looks like the bristles of a grown bristle nose pleco.

If anyone could help me out here that would be great!

Thanks

 

[Jay S.]

Anyone?

well, since my first post I have pulled off most of the leaves with the hair algae on them, cleaned my filter and added some carbon, did a 15% water change and made up a new batch of co2.

has anyone suffered from this nasty stuff before?

 

[arcab4]

did you say blue green algae? doh! i had a bad case of BGA before. but luckily...use maracyn (it's some kind of medication for fishes) and it'll wipe out the BGA for you. BGA is blueish greenish and it comes off really easily and it grows everywhere.

 

[clothahump]

Sounds like you could have Blue Green algae starting to form.
The main cause in new tanks is that the filter is not reducing the contaminants properly, usually through overcleaning or the bacteria dying off because the filter has been washed in tap water instead of tank water.
You say your parameters are all OK, what are they?
What sort of filter are you using?
If it is an external canister you will not need to clean it for about 3 months.
Reduce the overall photoperiod to 9 hours for a while, 260 watts of lighting is bound to get the algae growing as it assimilates the nutrients quicker than the plants.
New tanks benefit from vigorous plants in the early days to starve the algae out.
I would add some floating plants to reduce the light, sounds strange but it does the trick, the plants still grow with the dappled light that gets through.

 

[Jay S.]

I have read that maracyn gets rid of BGA but the BGA is really not my major concern, it's the hair algae I am worried about. I pulled all the leaves that were badly infested off. and I will keep doing water changes.

I certain somebody told me to keep my nitrates at 20ppm "no names mentioned "

So I am going to try and knock them down to 5-10ppm. I just cleaned out the filter and added some fresh carbon, so hopefully that knocks down the nitrates for me.

Anyone ever had hair algae? how do you "for sure" get rid of all of it? :

 

[dattack]

Looks like you have two types of algae.  The first one being the blue/green cyanobacteria.  This type of bacteria/algae requires other plants to outcompete it.  Either add more plants, or siphon out the cyanobacteria and/or do water changes to limit the nutrients.  However, if all else fails (Maracyn II or Erythromycin) works like a charm.  A couple of doses or tabs kill it instantly.

The other algae you have is beard algae which is an ugly stubborn algae.  Once again, limit nutrients with fast competing plants but I have found increase CO2 to promote other plant growth really does the job.  Algae eaters such as siamese algae eaters also does a decent job to keep it under control.  However, if you are impatient (like me), start cutting away leaves that are infested with this algae.  I had to do this many times before it eventually went away.  If it's on leaves that you do not want to cut, then you can dip it in a 10% chlorine dip which essentially kills it too.  However, if you have plants that are sensitive to chlorine for extended period of time, dip for only less than a minute.  For tough leaves like anubis, dip for 2 minutes.  But I would start cutting away because you will eventually grow back new leaves.

 

[clothahump]

Carbon has no place at all in a planted tank, remove it stop the water changes and do not overclean the filter.
The carbon will just soak up the nutrients your plants need.

 

[Jay S.]

Thanks for the info Clothahump, you must have post the same time I was writing my last post  ;D

Well, up until a few hours ago, I thought that a nitrate level of 20ppm was ideal "from somebody" and now I am reading it is way to high.

SO, given that. It must be my nitrates.

PH 7.4 KH 3.2 Fe 0.25 No3 20ppm "now 10-15" Amm 0

 

[Jay S.]

Thanks guys,

I know Carbon isn't required in a planted tank Cloth. I added it "just" for that purpose, to suck up the nutrients and nitrates and when my algae is gone I will take it out.

BTW, my filter is a Fluval 404 and I have a 301 powerhead going in there to. I only clean my sponge in my fluval and leave my bio cubes alone. The tank is 2 months old, and that is the first time I cleaned it "dirty".

 

[Jay S.]

Cloth,

You were mentioning for me to stop the water changes. why?

Since today I have only done a 10-15% water change on the tank. Just want to get my nitrates down.

It's weird, when I first got my new light and all my plants, they were BOOMING, pearling with huge bubbles and growing through the roof, now they only have the odd leaf with tiny bubbles showing and I am getting this ulgy hair algae, and this other stuff "it must be new growing hair algae" but it looks like caw webs, I mean the size not the shape. all over my hygro poly leaves and bacopa leaves.

It's really starting to bum me out. I hope I can get rid of it soon.

Yes, I just made a new batch of C02, so hopefully that helps out to make the plants grow and beat out the algae.

"Update"

Plants a pearling good again =)

 

[Jay S.]

I am starting to think the cause of all this algae was from my Co2 not runing up to par.

Hopefully things start to change by the weekend, I will keep the carbon in the filter for a day or so to clean up the nitrates the best it can, then take it out.

Any other suggestions?

 

[luvfishies]

Jay, carbon doesn't do diddly for nitrates....only certain resins or anearobic bacteria do that, neither of which you want.

Just keep up with the waterchanges IF the plants don't consume the nitrates quick enough for your liking.

Also, in PMDD there are nitrates that you are ADDING. You could switch to a nitrATE free fert for a while and see how that goes.

 

[Jay S.]

Thanks Luv,

I already beat you to that I already made another batch of PMDD but never added Potassium Nitrate to it this time.

I think it all had to do with my C02 "knock on wood"

I made my own C02 diffuser a couple weeks ago and I thought it was working real good, but I guess you really don't know how much co2 is actually going into the tank that way, also my C02 was runing down so I think with my high lighting and the PMDD and lack of C02 to make everything work just made room for a sorts of algae growth.

That's my best guess.

P.S. I knew that carbon does nothing on Nitrates.. duh, what was I thinking? .. heh, it's been a very long and stressful day  *twirlysmiley*

 

[Jay S.]

UPDATE

I am treating the blue/green algae but the beard algae is getting out of control. it is over every plant in my tank and it is really really starting to bum me out dearly.

Please, if anyone has any suggestions other then taking out every plant in my tank and dipping it in a bleach solution I would greatly apperciate it.

thanks

 

[mrliltank]

I was on GARF.org, and they sell a product that will fix your problem. Its a dwarf hermit crab/some other thing combo that you put in your tank, and they eat everything up. Good luck!