Anyone know what algae this is?

[ThatFishGirl6231]

This stuff has been growing like crazy in my 20g L tank. I take it ALL out every weekend (i do tank cleaning every Sunday) but it grows back. I bought Algaefix yesterday so that’ll hopefully solve my problem but I still want to know what it is. Also, if you have any other methods of getting rid of it, anything helps. Thanks

 

[BlueJungle]

That looks like blue green algae to me. I had this in my tank several years ago. Ultralife Blue Green Slime Stain Remover got rid of it.

 

[Naughts]

How long do you have your lights on for? Are they dimmed in any way?
Do you add plant fertilizers, which ones and in what quantity/ frequency?
Are you overstocked or do you overfeed?

Algae is caused by an imbalance in the lights and nutrients. It sounds simple but it can be very tricky to get the right balance. Using additive will only be a temporary fix, and is likely to cause further issues with water quality for the fish.

 

[Avel1896]

Hi, cyanobacteria, mistakenly called blue-green algae.
You'll have to check tank parameters as it may effect pH and oxygen levels.

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

Hi, cyanobacteria, mistakenly called blue-green algae.
You'll have to check tank parameters as it may effect pH and oxygen levels.

thank you. i’ll do a water test.

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

How long do you have your lights on for? Are they dimmed in any way?
Do you add plant fertilizers, which ones and in what quantity/ frequency?
Are you overstocked or do you overfeed?

Algae is caused by an imbalance in the lights and nutrients. It sounds simple but it can be very tricky to get the right balance. Using additive will only be a temporary fix, and is likely to cause further issues with water quality for the fish.

The lights are on from about 7:30am-7:30pm every day. I use flourish root tabs, API Leaf Zone, and API CO2 booster

 

[Avel1896]

thank you. i’ll do a water test.

Before and after Ultralife Blue Green Slime Stain Remover use

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

Does anyone know if blue green algae is harmful to my fish,plants, and snails

 

[Avel1896]

Not in small quantities.

 

[Spyro]

Does anyone know if blue green algae is harmful to my fish,plants, and snails

It will kill your slow growing plants if you have any. Apparently
And it starts as tiny bit but takes over entire tank. Apparently

Only read about it. GL

 

[Colin_T]

Blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). This is a photosynthetic bacteria that loves nutrients, low oxygen levels, minimal water movement, and red light. It loves dry food that sinks to the bottom of the tank.

It does release toxins and is poisonous to most fish, shrimp, snails and plants if they are exposed to large amounts. However, a little bit will not harm the fish or other organisms.

It can also be harmful to people and terrestrial animals so don't ingest or inhale it, don't touch your face (mouth, nose, eyes) after handling the stuff.
Always wash your hands with soapy water after handling blue green algae or working in an aquarium.

--------------------
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
Reduce the amount of dry food going into the tank. Use frozen or live foods instead.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks. Try to suck the gunk and bacteria out.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Increase water movement and aeration in the tank, especially around the bottom.

If you have old (more than 12 months) fluorescent lights above the tank, replace the globes and fluorescent starters.
If you have LED lights, increase the blue and white light and try to have a light unit with a 5600K (K is for Kelvin) rating.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). This is a photosynthetic bacteria that loves nutrients, low oxygen levels, minimal water movement, and red light. It loves dry food that sinks to the bottom of the tank.

It does release toxins and is poisonous to most fish, shrimp, snails and plants if they are exposed to large amounts. However, a little bit will not harm the fish or other organisms.

It can also be harmful to people and terrestrial animals so don't ingest or inhale it, don't touch your face (mouth, nose, eyes) after handling the stuff.
Always wash your hands with soapy water after handling blue green algae or working in an aquarium.

--------------------
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
Reduce the amount of dry food going into the tank. Use frozen or live foods instead.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks. Try to suck the gunk and bacteria out.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Increase water movement and aeration in the tank, especially around the bottom.

If you have old (more than 12 months) fluorescent lights above the tank, replace the globes and fluorescent starters.
If you have LED lights, increase the blue and white light and try to have a light unit with a 5600K (K is for Kelvin) rating.

Note that even very small amounts can KILL DOGS. (Noting your avatar)

 

[Naughts]

The lights are on from about 7:30am-7:30pm every day. I use flourish root tabs, API Leaf Zone, and API CO2 booster

I concur with Colin_T's advice.

Cut the light time to 8 hours and see if that makes a difference. Add floating plants as they use excess nutrients and reduce the light. Don't add the API products for a couple of weeks at least. Keep removing it manually and it will eventually subside enough to be eliminated, although it can be a long hard road to get to that point.

 

[Avel1896]

Be careful with Api CO2 booster and so-called liquid CO2, it is a gas and a gas can not be liquid. It is glutaraldehyde : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutaraldehyde have a look at pictograms.....

 

[FeliciaLong1961]

This stuff has been growing like crazy in my 20g L tank. I take it ALL out every weekend (i do tank cleaning every Sunday) but it grows back. I bought Algaefix yesterday so that’ll hopefully solve my problem but I still want to know what it is. Also, if you have any other methods of getting rid of it,

This stuff has been growing like crazy in my 20g L tank. I take it ALL out every weekend (i do tank cleaning every Sunday) but it grows back. I bought Algaefix yesterday so that’ll hopefully solve my problem but I still want to know what it is. Also, if you have any other methods of getting rid of it, anything helps. Thanks

Looks like black hair algae, you can put hydrogen peroxide in a syringe and put it right on each tuft or you can use Flourish Excel to kill it. There a good videos on youtube about it. When it dies, it turns kinda of pinkish. Check your water temp, make sure it's not too high. I keep my Angel fish tank at 80 because I have a mated pair. My others are set at 78. I had an infestation of black hair algae when I set up my first tank and used a combo of peroxide and Flourish excel to kill it. Just make sure if you use peroxide that you use very little. The same goes for the Flourish, don't overdose you tank, use the correct amount for the size of the tank, just do it every other day.