Algae Emergency

[Yeaulman]

Hey guys, I just got back from a trip and looked in my tank and found a lot of unwanted algae. Most of it is green and on the log at the highest point of the tank. And some is on the glass which I can clean off. But I saw this algae that was like a light grey color and will not come off the leaves unless you rip it off..... how can I get rid of all this algae.

My tank is 48 gallons and has 130 watts of power with 6700K light spectrum. I have 2 Black Moors and 2 Calico fan tails and 1 pleco. The lights are left on for about 8-10 hours a day and is quite heavily planted.

 

[barbus]

@Yeaulman, you have a medium-high tank with that lighting setup. In this realm, it is important to balance the whole elements. These will be the amount of CO2, various nutrition for the plants, bio load, water quality, etc. I find this site a good general reference for understanding planted tank, http/www.dennerle.de/ENGLISCH/e_brennp_algen.asp , and also http/www.thekrib.com/Plants/ is the most referred site for planted aquarists.

In your case, perhaps while you were on the trip, this balance also went off , and you get algae attack which sounds like a brush algae by your description. If this is so, you need to remove the infected parts, re-establish the balance, and may want to try this as well http/www.dennerle.de/ENGLISCH/e_Technik/E_Licht9.htm .

 

[Yeaulman]

So get rid of the leaves that are infested with this algae? Also for a tank my size how many C02 bottles should I be using? I have one right now.

I was also at the pet store and they sold me some tablets called E.M. Tablets... he said the algae i have is blue something algae and these pills will get rid of it.

Any help is appreciated

I have also included a few pics of what it looks like

 

[Scougie]

Measuring CO2 levels This is what you need to measure if your CO2 levels are right.

 

[barbus]

@Yeaulman, seems you do have the brush algae. Its one of the worst kind to combat. Do throw off the affected leaves and get some algae eater. SAE (siamesse algae eater) has worked in my experience. I've heard also that Florida Flag Fish will do the same benefit, and perhaps easier for you to get. Also, from my personal experience, the "lunch break" photo period as referred by Dennerle has worked pretty good. In essence, the tip is about staging the lighting period into 2 parts of 4-5 hours, with a light-off break at about 4 hours in-between.
Brush algae is often caused by inconsitent level of CO2 (optimal level between 20-30ppm).
As with the CO2, @Scougie has given the link to the chart. CO2 has a direct relationship with Ph and hardness/KH of the water. First, you need reliable test kit such as Ph meter, KH tester and Co2 tester. Knowing the current Ph and KH of the tank water will help you in determining how much CO2 need to be injected into the water. Most likely you don't need to get bottles of CO2 , but to understand better of CO2 system, here is a good link http/members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/Aquati...0Pressure%20CO2
Hope it helps.

 

[Yeaulman]

This is all greek to me and I already have an algae eater but he doesnt seem to be doing much.... or is a common pleco not an algae eater?
Also would ghost shrimp help?

I have never measured CO2 before and if there is not enough or if I dont have a running setup, what would happen?

 

[Yeaulman]

Also how does one get it and get rid of it easily on a budget?

 

[Da_Oz]

BBA thrives in situations of high phosphates. Phosphates come from fish waste, excess food, and occasionally will be present in the water supply. The best way to eliminate BBA is to let the plants out-compete the algae for the nutrients.

In heavily planted tanks, BBA will often show up when the plants have used up all the nitrates. This causes plant growth to slow or stop, which leaves the excess phosphates available to the algae. By supplying extra Nitrate to a planted tank, we allow plant growth to continue until all phosphate is consumed. Then plant AND algae growth will slow/stop. As long as a usable (5-10ppm) level of Nitrate is maintained, the the plants will continue to use up the available phosphate, effectively controls BBA and other phosphorus-dependant algaes
Very few fish will eat BBA. The most famous one is the SAE (Siamese Algae Eater). I've got 5 of them in my 75g. I added several BBA infested stems of Bacopa to the tank recently, and overnight, the SAEs had completely cleaned it. But even these amazing fish won't be able to control it you don't have the phosphate level under control. Another fish rumored to eat BBA is the American Flag Fish. In tanks with very large amounts of BBA, the BBA covered leaves should be removed once the phosphate level is controlled.

 

[Da_Oz]

BBA thrives in situations of high phosphates. Phosphates come from fish waste, excess food, and occasionally will be present in the water supply. The best way to eliminate BBA is to let the plants out-compete the algae for the nutrients.

In heavily planted tanks, BBA will often show up when the plants have used up all the nitrates. This causes plant growth to slow or stop, which leaves the excess phosphates available to the algae. By supplying extra Nitrate to a planted tank, we allow plant growth to continue until all phosphate is consumed. Then plant AND algae growth will slow/stop. As long as a usable (5-10ppm) level of Nitrate is maintained, the the plants will continue to use up the available phosphate, effectively controls BBA and other phosphorus-dependant algaes
Very few fish will eat BBA. The most famous one is the SAE (Siamese Algae Eater). I've got 5 of them in my 75g. I added several BBA infested stems of Bacopa to the tank recently, and overnight, the SAEs had completely cleaned it. But even these amazing fish won't be able to control it you don't have the phosphate level under control. Another fish rumored to eat BBA is the American Flag Fish. In tanks with very large amounts of BBA, the BBA covered leaves should be removed once the phosphate level is controlled.

 

[Da_Oz]

BBA thrives in situations of high phosphates. Phosphates come from fish waste, excess food, and occasionally will be present in the water supply. The best way to eliminate BBA is to let the plants out-compete the algae for the nutrients.

In heavily planted tanks, BBA will often show up when the plants have used up all the nitrates. This causes plant growth to slow or stop, which leaves the excess phosphates available to the algae. By supplying extra Nitrate to a planted tank, we allow plant growth to continue until all phosphate is consumed. Then plant AND algae growth will slow/stop. As long as a usable (5-10ppm) level of Nitrate is maintained, the the plants will continue to use up the available phosphate, effectively controls BBA and other phosphorus-dependant algaes
Very few fish will eat BBA. The most famous one is the SAE (Siamese Algae Eater). I've got 5 of them in my 75g. I added several BBA infested stems of Bacopa to the tank recently, and overnight, the SAEs had completely cleaned it. But even these amazing fish won't be able to control it you don't have the phosphate level under control. Another fish rumored to eat BBA is the American Flag Fish. In tanks with very large amounts of BBA, the BBA covered leaves should be removed once the phosphate level is controlled.

 

[Yeaulman]

So what you are saying is that maybe I am over feeding my fish and should go to a lower phosphate fish food? also will an iron supplement work for giving plants proper fertilizer or should I get some nitrite too? The main reason I put plants in my tank was to get rid of nitrites.