Algae?

[Halawrence]

Ok, so I was cleaning my betta fish's tank and doing a water change when I noticed his rocks were slimy almost. Curious i rubbed the rock and all this green particles came up. Is this Algae? Is this good or bad for his tank? His tank is not over run by it. He is is a 5.5 gallon tank, water temp is 78°F. I just tested his water levels and his pH is 7.6 which is normal for him. I have thought about getting almond leave to bring it down but he seems fine and has been making bubble nests. His ammonia levels are low and has no nitrites and a safe level of nitrates. His tank is still cycling through. ( I didn't know a tank had to cycle before you put them in). I have been testing his water daily and I added safe start I want to say last Tuesday. Thank you! Also here is a pic of his tank currently. This is Prince .

 

[Munroco]

Sounds like cyanobacteria.

 

[FallenPepper]

Sounds like a regular tank to me. Algea isn't a bad thing it's really looks unless you have live plants. It's just very efficient when it comes to processing extra nutrients and might end up stealing them from other plants

 

[Halawrence]

Sounds like cyanobacteria.

What does that mean?

 

[Munroco]

What does that mean?

Cyanobacteria is sometimes known as blue/green algae. It grows on rocks, plants, substrate, everything basically. It comes of very easily and has a kind of organic smell. It isn't actually an algae. If you google it you will get much more info than I can give you. I get it quite a lot in various tanks. Sometimes light outbreaks but it can make a real mess of a tank if left untreated or the conditions that encourage it aren't changed.

 

[seangee]

In a new tank this is fairly normal. I would change the artificial plants for real as soon as possible. This will help your cycle as plants absorb ammonia. Longer term it also helps reduce algae. In the meantime keep testing your water daily and if you ever have detectable ammonia or nitrite do an immediate 75% water change using de-chlorinated water of the same temperature. Only feed every 2 oR 3 days until you are sure the cycle has established.

No need to mess with pH - its absolutely fine as it is.

 

[Colin_T]

the fluffy green stuff on the rocks in the tank is just normal algae. leave it alone, it's harmless.

if you have some live plants in the tank, you won't get as much algae. Floating plants will also help reduce algae.

 

[Munroco]

the fluffy green stuff on the rocks in the tank is just normal algae. leave it alone, it's harmless.

if you have some live plants in the tank, you won't get as much algae. Floating plants will also help reduce algae.

I think the "fluffy green stuff" your are referring to are mossballs.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Very regular. This happens with my rocks from time to time.

 

[Retired Viking]

You have a nice colorful tank, I would add a few live plants, better for the water quality, The moss balls are good, I have them in all my tanks except my turtle tank.

 

[Halawrence]

You have a nice colorful tank, I would add a few live plants, better for the water quality, The moss balls are good, I have them in all my tanks except my turtle tank.

I am looking into getting real plants, but i want to do some more research. Its definitely plan but I will probably do it once I get out for the summer so I have more time to care and watch them. I am new to having live plants

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Definitely add live plants, here is a very basic beginner list:

• Anacharis (A must IMO)
• Anubias
• Java Fern
• Moss balls
• Java Moss

Christmas Moss is another good one.

Anacharis is the best IMO, it looks absolutely great:

(first 2 are my 10g after and before trimming, the last one is my 29g. They will grow fast and “take over”, but the good news is you can trim it and move it over to another tank.

 

[Stan510]

When the plastic plants start to get covered in algae,THEN is when people decide to try live plants usually. I used to use lots of plastic plants in the 240 when I had big bad cichlids and Red Hooks and Tinfoil Barbs...THEN,they got dirty with mulm,they also got brittle...and the Red hooks would bite off small pieces of say the plastic Amazon Swords for the algae on them or because they were bored..who knows?
I also found that when you take them out to dry out?..Like I said about brittle goes up 10x to the point some only a few months old had to be tossed out. To this day..I have none of the dozens I must have bought over decades...they disintegrated.

 

[Halawrence]

When the plastic plants start to get covered in algae,THEN is when people decide to try live plants usually. I used to use lots of plastic plants in the 240 when I had big bad cichlids and Red Hooks and Tinfoil Barbs...THEN,they got dirty with mulm,they also got brittle...and the Red hooks would bite off small pieces of say the plastic Amazon Swords for the algae on them or because they were bored..who knows?
I also found that when you take them out to dry out?..Like I said about brittle goes up 10x to the point some only a few months old had to be tossed out. To this day..I have none of the dozens I must have bought over decades...they disintegrated.

How many would be a good number to vet for a 5 gallon tank? I also will probably switch his gravel out for a different substrate because his gravel is kinda rough. I may go for a more natural tank next I am not sure.

 

[Stan510]

How many live plants? A classic combo would be a ( live plants now) a Sword plant in the center,Vallisneria in back,and small Crypts in front. Simple,hardy plants. A five gallon is pretty small. You might go Java fern in center,dwarf sword plant around it. I can't promise success. When you are new? You have to take a few lumps on the learning curve. It can be a fine line between thriving and dead plants.