Nasty Algae Outbreak And Pics

[clivealive]

hi,
not sure what algae this is and therefore the treatement

could it be hair algae or diatoms maybe.
 
basically its got much worst last 2-3 weeks and is taking over.
 
opinions please

 

[Ch4rlie]

Looks pretty nasty Clive

 
Diatoms / Brown Algae 
 
Description
Forms in brown patches on the glass, substrate and plants.
 
Cause
Usually found in newly setup tanks due to silicates and ammonia as the filter and substrate have yet to mature.
 
Removal
Can be vacuumed out or wiped of the glass with a soft cloth. Usually disappears after a few weeks when the tank has matured. Otocinclus will eat it.
 
 
 
From this website i find useful for algae issues.
 
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

 

[clivealive]

thanks for the ID cheers
 
its a 15 year established tank though.
 
will remove what i can and give it a few weeks.
 
I did a change of some of my filter media 2 weeks ago so maybe that.
 
 
mine looks much worse than it the attached link above geeee.
 
anything else that eats it ???

 

[Ch4rlie]

Nerite Snails and otocinlus spring to mind.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Upon closer look, and our conversation on chat, beginning to think this is BBA, Black Brush Algae.
 
Harder to get rid of am afraid.
 
 

Description
 
Often grows on leaf edges of slow growing plants, bog wood and mechanical equipment. Also sometimes it grows in fast flowing areas of the tank. Grows in clumps or patches of fine black tufts up to about 0.5cm long.
 
Cause
 
In a high light tank it is an indication of low or fluctuating CO2 levels or not enough water circulation around the plants. In a low light tank it is often due to changing CO2 levels.
 
Removal
 
In a high light tank you will need to increase your levels of CO2 and/or improve water circulation around the plants. Scrub and cut off as much as you can first. Increase levels slowly to 30ppm or more but watch the fish to see if they are respiring heavily. Make sure you have good water flow around the whole tank along with some good surface movement. Adding a powerhead may help.
If you have a low light tank without CO2 injection then not doing any water changes will help. This is because tap water often has lots of CO2 dissolved in it which causes CO2 levels in your tank to fluctuate. The algae respond to this a lot quicker than the plants do.
Siamese Algae Eaters are known to eat BBA so can be used to control this algae.
Overdosing Flourish Excel, EasyCarbo or TNC Carbon will clear it up.
 
 
The addition of Nerite snails may help eat some BBA algae, no guarantee though. 

 

[clivealive]

any idea of any fish i can get to eat algae 3" plus to go in american cichlid tank

 

[clivealive]

i tried to clean slate and rock with toothbrush but didnt really do it.
cleaned one plant well and throw a plant away.
lights on less so see how that goes.

 

[Xzavier247]

Do you use any ferts?
CO2? How long are your lights on?
Tank size? Filter flow gph? I'll help you with a solution once these are answered

 

[clivealive]

hi,
no ferts , no co2 and lights were on 8-10 hours a day , but cutting down to 7 ish from 2 days ago.
tank is 205 L  - 48 x 15 x 18H  , fliter is fluval 405 flow rate is 1300 L per hour (343  US G per hour I think) .
cheers

 

[DrRob]

It is BBA, not diatoms. Very common when plant growth is exceeded by light available and the curse of low tech set ups. As said, cut the lighting timings down slightly and feeding micro fertilisers (the basic weekly stuff is all you need, none of the fancy high tech things). I suspect that a lot of the micro nutrients that come with the substrate etc have eventually been exhausted by the plants, which have slowed their growth, which is why we tend to recommend at least the trace fertilisers on an ongoing basis for planted tanks, but otherwise you're spot on with mechanical removal, although it sometimes needs a bit of elbow grease to get rid of. On things like rocks you can use a little bit of plain (no added extras) thin bleach and then treat the rock with dechlorinator afterwards, which can remove it, otherwise peroxide or an overdose of liquid CO2 works. All out of the tank of course.

 

[clivealive]

BBA yuk,
confused as i only have 1 plant so surely i dont need fertiliers , do I ?
have cut light as I say and lastly does the algae have any relation to the fact nitrate has been 50 for a while ?
thanks everyone for help/advice so far.

 

[Xzavier247]

What type of lights are they? I would suggest in Excel. Easy to dose and turns BBA red and then dies. But you can risk on getting it again if you are not consistent. Your lights look pretty strong. 

 

[clivealive]

i have T5's 2 of them 42 "
 
Juwel High-Lite Day 1047mm 54w - Colour temperature of 9000 Kelvin ensures bright and invigorating light
Juwel High-Lite Colour 1047mm 54w -  These lamps produce an intense white light with a colour temperature of 6,800 Kelvin, to intensify the naturally occurring red and blue colours in the aquarium.
 
wasnt sure what to get but arnt as bright as maybe they look.
 
in excel     hmmm will have a read up.   *is it Flourish Excel ?? *
 
thanks

 

[Xzavier247]

Your lights are what is causes bba. Those are high lighting.
Yes excel is seachem floruosh line

 

[clivealive]

thanks