Algea That Wont Go Away!

[electric yellow]

Many of you will know my recent issues with algea i see to of battled in my betta tank. After a thorough clean and removal of silk plants and weekly water chanes....i thought it had gone.

It hasnt.

The stringy, fluffy algea is back and i just dont know what to do with it. My water quality is great and stats are normal. Short of blacking out the tank im not sure what to do. I added an air stone as people thought it was a lack if airation. I cleaned the filter and did a thorough gravel vac....but i cant get rid of it.

While Ramjet doesnt appear phased by it im wondering how to get rid of it, short dropping a bristol nose in. I have thought maybe its getting to much light....but thats not the case.

Im also not sure what that white stuff is but it seems to be IN the algea...

 

[Nick16]

how much and how often do you feed?

did you buy the tank new, or second hand and how long have you had it?

 

[electric yellow]

had this tank for around a year and its been running the whole time. I feed him once a day with small amounts.

 

[Nick16]

have you added any new ornaments/decor?

do you add anything to your water when you do w/c?

if none of these then i would imagaine it is unclean water thats causing it despite your water stats. what size is the tank?

 

[Devorax]

Just see if you can 'borrow' an Apple Snail from someone. They'll have that totally clean in a couple of days and the betta will not take any notice of it. Plus there's no competition for food, so you can't lose! (Of course the gravel vac may need increasing).
It's not a cure as such, just a control method, but it works! HTH.

 

[emeleeliggett]

I have some algae problems too so I got an albino bristlenose pleco, they don't get any bigger than 6 inches at the most so it won't overcrowd your tank. Mine cleaned my 29 gallon no problem and he's only 3 inches now! Maybe it would help you?

 

[Nick16]

NO NO NO NO NO!!

guys come on.

1) address why the algae is there rather than trying to cover it up. this is a far better method than trying to erdaicate one problem by creating another.
2) if its a betta tank it will probably be too small for a BN (correct me if its a large tank)

 

[Truck]

hair algae and other hairy types of algae, are caused by low flow, or lack of CO2.

 

[azulfire24]

i think and i know im spelling it wrong, but octlolgist catfish are only 2 inches max and 3 to 4 to keep eachother comopany would help wtih alge??

as for sloving the problem, its probaly a light / co2 /flow issue and can happen with betta tanks casue bettas need a low current or none at all, so if less light and more airation dont work you might have to get a little alge eater of some sort.

some bettas dont like applesnail and if snail are at higher water temps it engerized their life cycle and they will grow faster, but also die quicker, and some bettas nip at the little arm thingies the snail have, the again i cant spell, octlolgist catfish might be better they move quicker and might not tempt the betta in to lying in wait to attack ,,like mine did with my snails

 

[electric yellow]

I added an air stone over a week ago to put more air in the water.
It is a 28ltr tank.
My water is not polluted and it is not bad quality.
That algea is there even less than a day after a water change.
NO NEW DECOR HAS BEEN ADDED.

 

[Nick16]

if its a 28L tank i would be doing 2 30-50% changes a week. fair enough only one change on a bigger tank as it is a larger volume of water.
Your options if you do want something to eat it is:

get 2 or 3 apple snails or 4 amano shrimp

 

[electric yellow]

I think that is the best option. I even thought it may be the gravel on the bottom not letting flow through or something but i dont have this problem with my other tank and its identical. Even down to filtration. If i was to put in a bristol nose would that be ok? I have two baby ones that are around 3cms. But i hate catching them in the net because they get stuck to it...i could buy a snail...but dont they make a hell of a mess and get big? I wouldnt know the first thing about keeping an apple snail...or shrimp..

 

[Devorax]

Amano shrimp are pretty easy to keep, they just keep themselves to themselves and feed off of anything they will find. A snail will just convert algae in to poop so yes the bioload increases, but if it means extra gravel vacs to have a clean tank, IMO well worth it. A shrimp or few won't make any noticeable difference to the mess though, for some reason they don't do that, although when they moult it is quite alarming as they appear dead!
I am at a loss as to why only one tank has the problem, but a bristle nose plec will also do the job well, I'd put both in there to do the clean up, as it will take one juvenile a long time to do it by himself. They seem to be harmless enough (we have one) and you might have a hard time keeping an eye on them because they attach themselves to anything, usually out of obvious sight! To catch them, I'd suggest using a net to guide them toward a tub or something similar and then catching them in the tub. Their fins etc are quite sensitive and nets can damage them, especially in the babies. Alternatively, catch them by hand, it's not the easiest thing to do but it is more gentle, I do that and it is reasonably simple once you got the hang of it. Just beware of jumping between the tanks!
I know you wanted to cure the problem instead of controlling it, but it would seem that without blitz cleaning everything, using snails/shrimp/plecs is the only alternative, and it's a bit more interesting...lol

 

[Syphoniera]

Many types of algae don't actually require poor aquarium conditions to appear and may do very well in good ones.
And even if plants aren't an option, the suggestion already made of a larger-type, algae-eating snail would help reduce the amount visible by grazing it down as it appears.

http/faq.thekrib.com/algae.html

... There are two categories of algae of concern to aquarists: "good" and "bad". Good algae is present in small quantities, is indicative of good water quality and is easily kept in check by algae eating fish or simple removal during routine maintenance. This algae is a natural consequence of having a container of water with nutrients and a light source.
Bad algae is either an indicator of bad water quality or is a type of algae that tends to overtake the tank and ruin the aesthetics the aquarist is trying to achieve. The label of "bad" is entirely subjective. For example, one type of green, hair-like algae is considered a plague by some American aquarists, yet is cultivated by European aquarists as a valuable addition to most tanks, serving as a dietary supplement for the fish. ...

... Prophylactics for Algae
Algal spores are everywhere and will always be present in an aquarium unless drastic measures are taken. For fish only tanks, a properly set up ultraviolet sterilizer will kill algal spores in the water and prevent them from gaining a toehold.
For planted tanks, this is not a good solution since the UV light will also oxidize trace elements needed by the plants and will limit the plant's growth potential. Unfortunately, conditions that are good for growing plants are also good for growing algae. Fortunately, plants will usually out-compete algae for the available nutrients. However, if there is an imbalance of nutrients, algae will opportunistically use whatever is not used by the higher order plants. Different algae will utilize different nutrients, causing sporadic outbreaks of new algae types in apparently stable tanks when a temporary imbalance occurs. ...

http/www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/algae-randall.html

... There are algae spores in the soil, in tap water, and even in the air. ...

... If water quality is not a problem, and your tank is properly balanced, it is possible that your tap water contains phosphates. In this case you will need to use some filtering system, chemical or R.O. to remove the phosphates. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to solve an algae problem. Other sources of inadvertent phosphate addition are buffering chemicals, water conditioners, rook wool on potted plants, and some plant fertilizers (even those meant for aquariums!) ...

Is it possible to catch the baby bristlenoses by guiding them into a small container, to avoid their defence weaponry getting snagged in a net?
It might also be less stressful for them.
Because nothing beats a bristlenose for the removal of edible algae...

 

[electric yellow]

Devorax: yeah i have no clue as to what its only this one tank. Im going to clean all the things again this weekend and do a gravel vac and scrub and see. Do shrimp grow big?