Algaefix-Death-WC Q

[Just Add Water]

Feeling gutted. Did a 20% wc yesterday. For the first time I used a proper dose of AlgaeFix in my 20 gal. This morning 3 -4 wild caught Cardinals are dead. Tetras acting fine. Danios congregating near the top of the tank by the filter flow. Did a 20% wc about an hour ago and added the HOB standard carbon floss filter pad to my filter next to the large open pore sponge that is usually in there. Lowered the water a few inches to encourage more O2 from the HOB output flow. Tank has a bubbler. Tank is 5 mo old, stock is 2 yrs old.
Nitrate last month 10
Nitrate now 0
Nitrite last mo and now 0
GH no change 120
KH no change 240
Ammonia no change 0
PH last month 8
PH this month 7.5
I do a 20% wc every 2 weeks.

QUESTION: How much water should I change to get this chemical out of my water? And how often?

 

[Colin_T]

75-90% water change and gravel clean the substrate several times a week or even every day for a week to remove the chemical.

Why are you adding an algicide?

 

[Just Add Water]

@Colin_T 75-90% all at once or in stages?
Heavy black fuzzy algae on plants and thin black coat on rock surfaces.

 

[MaloK]

What is your current water change schedule ?

Just want to mention that HOB filters gives a lot more oxygen when the water flows directly moving the surface instead of dropping like a fall in the water.

This is a widespread misconception of how water gazes exchanges in reality.

Surface area is the main driver. Water as the surface saturates quickly with aerial gazes and needs to be moved lower to bring gazes in, and more water that can dissolve gazes has to be moved to the surface.

By creating a water fall you might bring bubbles of air in the water. but they wont create as much exchange as a constant moving surface from the outflow of the filter (water coming from deeper).

It creates a plunging point where the water is dropping to the bottom and makes a slow uplift all around the tank and water tries to rises along the walls instead of going down and swirl in direction of your intake in addition to all the water that goes back around directly in your intake.

The uplift created by the fall negates the flow of the intake and creates a rotating door where the water that comes from the fall goes back in nearly directly.

It reduce greatly your moving surface area.

We tested that with methylene blue in empty tanks decades ago.

Edited: For typos and precision.

 

[Just Add Water]

What is your current water change schedule ?

Just want to mention that HOB filters gives a lot more oxygen when the water flows directly moving the surface instead of dropping like a fall in the water.

This is a widespread misconception of how water gazes exchanges in reality.

Surface area is the main driver. Water as the surface saturates quickly with aerial gazes and needs to be moved lower to bring gazes in, and more water that can dissolve gazes has to be moved to the surface.

By creating a water fall you might bring bubbles of air in the water. but they wont create as much exchange as a constant moving surface from the outflow of the filter (water coming from deeper).

It creates a plunging point where the water is dropping to the bottom and makes a slow uplift all around the tank and water rises along the walls instead of going down and swirl in direction of your intake in addition to all the water that goes back around directly in your intake.

It reduce greatly your moving surface area.

Thanks! I never knew that! I’ll fill to the top with each refill. I usually leave it up to the top daily. I was thinking I was adding more O2 for them right now. Appreciate the info!

 

[MaloK]

Yeah, Well it was told to me by a top notch Aquaria guru, and I still had to verify it.

 

[Just Add Water]

Yeah, Well it was told to me by a top notch Aquaria guru, and I still had to verify it.

I forgot to answer your other question. I do a 20% water change every other week. In between I top off 1 gallon to keep it at the rim.

 

[MaloK]

Ok, what is the current fish payload ?

You probably need to crank your quantity to at least 50% and more, and every week that is, for a while.

Like Colin said, go for a sprint next week, try to go up to 125%, then maintain a 50% & more per weeks.

Once the nutrients dissolved enough, your fuzzy stuff will recess slowly.

Algicides are mortal products and if forced to be used, should start at 1/4 dose and be raised 24 hours later, if no stress sign occurs.

And another saying from the old man and the sea: Every algae problems never needs chemicals to be addressed the right way.

Not a single one.

 

[Lcc86]

I would say you need to figure out the reason for the algae and address that as even using chemicals it was just return if the initial cause isn't addressed. Try reducing the light, reducing nutrients and removing excess food. As a rule I would increase water changes permanently, only taking out 20% water leaves 80% of any nasties behind.

 

[Just Add Water]

Ok, what is the current fish payload ?

You probably need to crank your quantity to at least 50% and more, and every week that is, for a while.

Like Colin said, go for a sprint next week, try to go up to 125%, then maintain a 50% & more per weeks.

Once the nutrients dissolved enough, your fuzzy stuff will recess slowly.

Algicides are mortal products and if forced to be used, should start at 1/4 dose and be raised 24 hours later, if no stress sign occurs.

And another saying from the old man and the sea: Every algae problems never needs chemicals to be addressed the right way.

Not asingle one.

1 Cardinal Tetra left
6 Zebra Danios
6 Serpae Tetras
3 Otos
2 Nerites

 

[Fishfunn]

QUESTION: How much water should I change to get this chemical out of my water? And how often?

I would try running activated carbon too pull the chemical out of water

 

[Just Add Water]

I would try running activated carbon too pull the chemical out of water

I am. I put a new filter pad in with activated carbon in it. (alongside the sponge filter that is usually in there) Should it need replaced frequently because I’m removing a chemical or can it stay for a few weeks? (I don’t use them, I modified my HOB with ceramic beads and a large porous sponge pad and don’t use the traditional HOB ready-made filter media pad.)

 

[Fishfunn]

I am. I put a new filter pad in with activated carbon in it. (alongside the sponge filter that is usually in there) Should it need replaced frequently because I’m removing a chemical or can it stay for a few weeks? (I don’t use them, I modified my HOB with ceramic beads and a large porous sponge pad and don’t use the traditional HOB ready-made filter media pad.)

Every week I would replace it

 

[Seisage]

You definitely are not the first person this has happened to. The last time I was at the LFS, a guy came in with a bucket that had 3 dead goldfish in it. He said most of the other fish in his pond also died. Tried blaming it on the LFS's guppies that he added to the pond, but then mentioned he'd used AlgaeFix too. Algaecide is potent, and even dosing it correctly can be detrimental.

Looks like you might have black beard algae, or something similar. It's tough to kill, but something that will be a bit gentler on your tank is Seachem Flourish Excel. It's a "liquid CO2" product meant as a plant supplement, but putting it in a syringe and squirting it directly onto the algae can kill it, or so I've heard. After that, you can either brush it off and siphon it out, or let your algae eaters work on it. Apparently dead BBA is more palatable than the live stuff. Check the product page on the Seachem website to make sure you don't have any animals for which the Excel could be dangerous (ADFs come to mind).

 

[Fishfunn]

You definitely are not the first person this has happened to. The last time I was at the LFS, a guy came in with a bucket that had 3 dead goldfish in it. He said most of the other fish in his pond also died. Tried blaming it on the LFS's guppies that he added to the pond, but then mentioned he'd used AlgaeFix too. Algaecide is potent, and even dosing it correctly can be detrimental.

Looks like you might have black beard algae, or something similar. It's tough to kill, but something that will be a bit gentler on your tank is Seachem Flourish Excel. It's a "liquid CO2" product meant as a plant supplement, but putting it in a syringe and squirting it directly onto the algae can kill it, or so I've heard. After that, you can either brush it off and siphon it out, or let your algae eaters work on it. Apparently dead BBA is more palatable than the live stuff. Check the product page on the Seachem website to make sure you don't have any animals for which the Excel could be dangerous (ADFs come to mind).

I had to treat a display tank with erythromycin for popeye that also had a black algae and green algae bloom. The erythromycin killed most of the green algae, and I was able to clean up any black algae that was left. I used one dose, and I cut back the light intensity. It did a good job on the popeye and algae as a bonus.