Hi, I have had algae problems since I started my tank. This is my first ever tank and have posted a few of my seemingly serious problems. The tank is about 3 months old, 20 gal with a 2” deep sandbed and about 15 lbs of dry rock. I cycled with Dr Tims ammonia solution and live nitrifying bacteria. I had the ammonia & nitrate spikes and then everything zeroed out. I had the diatoms but then green hair algae exploded along with either cyano or Dino’s. I have done multiple water changes, siphoned the crap off the sandbed and rock and fully removed the rock and scrubbed down with toothbrush 3 times. Everything looks good for a few days and then bang! Algae is back! I was using API tests that were telling me phosphates & nitrates were zero but just got the salifert tests and nitrates are 50ppm! I only have a small CUC, one small ocellated clown and a tailspot blenny. I only feed once a day so I don’t think it’s overfeeding but I am worried it’s the dry rock. I just started dosing hydrogen peroxide 2x per day. Hopefully this will stop the algae from starting up again. Any ideas or advice is very welcome.
Algae ID and removal
- Thread starter Crocpete
- Start date
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Fluconazole worked for me for all types of algae. Try toning down light intensity or time spent being on.
Any type of chemical treatment will "ease" or short term inhibit the growth of algae, but will not solve your problem of either having too much nutrient from feeding and defecation of animals, rotting flesh or live stock, or excess amount of lighting, sometimes having direct sunlight ignites algae growth.
To find the balance in the tank make sure you not only cycle the tank, but endure a couple more days to see if the cycle is truly run its course.
But at any year in this hobby you will run into some algae bloom and bacterial bloom, and will come to learn something always triggers it and feeds it.
For algae it's either excess nutrients and phosphates or lighting.
I would also look into building or buying a set up algae scrubber. Something to attract all algae growth and you can wash and rinse out. I have a 65 gallon with no sump no skimmer.
Just monthly water changes of 20 gallons or 15 gallons depending on how much I fed. With some ornamental macroalgae and some mangroves.
Not sure if the macroalgae helps but that's what they are known to do in the wild so here is hoping.
Any type of chemical treatment will "ease" or short term inhibit the growth of algae, but will not solve your problem of either having too much nutrient from feeding and defecation of animals, rotting flesh or live stock, or excess amount of lighting, sometimes having direct sunlight ignites algae growth.
To find the balance in the tank make sure you not only cycle the tank, but endure a couple more days to see if the cycle is truly run its course.
But at any year in this hobby you will run into some algae bloom and bacterial bloom, and will come to learn something always triggers it and feeds it.
For algae it's either excess nutrients and phosphates or lighting.
I would also look into building or buying a set up algae scrubber. Something to attract all algae growth and you can wash and rinse out. I have a 65 gallon with no sump no skimmer.
Just monthly water changes of 20 gallons or 15 gallons depending on how much I fed. With some ornamental macroalgae and some mangroves.
Not sure if the macroalgae helps but that's what they are known to do in the wild so here is hoping.
If this is what you consider bad then we have a different view of bad. At 3 months your tank is young. What I see is not bad. Its just something growing. You should reduce your nitrates and get something that will use up the nutrients in your tank. After a year my tank is just now starting to clean its self. Sure my sand has cyano, but only about 1/4 of it is covered. Ya I got hair algae but I only have to pull out 3 or 4 bunches week. Ya some of my rocks are bright green. Dont have a clue as to what that is. But I do see coralline starting to grow on the rock not just the glass. So the green will go away as the coralline takes over. I dont add chemicals because i dont believe they are the best solution. They maybe a short term fix for some issues but do they kill off things you want in the long term for a stable tank?
Just my 2 pennies worth. Enjoy your new tank and dont fret over a bit of the uglies.
Just my 2 pennies worth. Enjoy your new tank and dont fret over a bit of the uglies.
