What is this and how do I get rid of it?!?

[Byron]

I concur, do not put anything like Excel in a tank with plants, fish and bacteria. Even at the recommended dose some plants will be killed by this product, that is not something to put in an aquariium.

This is the third thread you have with this issue of the whatever it is. It is better tokeep a specific topic in one thread so everyone sees the responses of others and you will get a better bit of collective advice. I don't know from the photos what that is, I have never seen it.

 

[Essjay]

I have merged the two threads so that all the replies are together in the same thread. Because the posts are placed in the order they were posted this new, merged thread may read somewhat disjointed.

 

[MiracleTank]

I have merged the two threads so that all the replies are together in the same thread. Because the posts are placed in the order they were posted this new, merged thread may read somewhat disjointed.

Thank you. I’m a newbie here. Just very concerned about what’s going on in my aquarium

 

[Aiken Drum]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll attach some pictures. In your opinion, should I use a small amount for what’s on the plants? Some of the broad leafed plants have an “ dust” on them as well. I pruned the really bad ones. View attachment 312343View attachment 312344View attachment 312345View attachment 312346View attachment 312347All water parameters are as close to perfect as I can possibly get.

A small amount of excel isnt going to do anything to help. You really need an overdose of excel to kill off algae and as said, glutaraldehyde is poisonous to fish, so overdosing is risky.
You can get good results by spot treating excel, turn off the filters so you reduce water movement, and applying excel directly to the algae with a syringe. Turn the filters back on after a couple of minutes so the excel then dissipates. But it looks like you have a lot to treat, and i just dont think spot treatment is appropriate. This is often done to treat BBA.
Unless you really know what you are doing i would just forget excel as a method of algae removal.

 

[MiracleTank]

Thank you!

 

[Essjay]

Thank you so very much.
Won’t a plant fertilizer stimulate more algae growth?

Algae can be caused by too much fertiliser or too little; too much light or too little; it's a question of finding the right balance which alows the plants to grow but not algae.
Using a light with the correct spectrum is also important as a light with a lot of blue and little red will encourage algae to grow.

Can you recommend something better than Aquasafe?

I use API Tap Water Conditioner, which contains just two chemicals, one to remove chlorine and another to bind metals.
Some members prefer Seachem Prime, which also detoxifies ammonia for around 24 to 36 hours. Some water supplies have chloramine instead of chlorine. Chloramine is ammonia and chlorine joined together. All dechlorinators split it up and remove the chlorine half but leave the ammonia half in the water. Water conditioners like Prime detoxify this ammonia until the plants/bacteria have had chance to deal with it.

 

[MiracleTank]

Thank you so much!

 

[Naughts]

I wonder if stopping the additives might get rid of the white stuff. I suspect that one of them, or the combination of them, is 'bleaching' regular algae so we are not recognising it. I was surprised that your gravel was still so white after 18 months but these additives may be the reason.
But the additives will not be doing the fish any good, the 'sludge eradicator' especially.
Mulm and a degree of algae are a natural part of the balanced aquarium.

 

[MiracleTank]

Thanks again.
PS: Believe it or not, that gravel has been in various tanks for 18 years! I just vacuum it.

 

[Aiken Drum]

HELP! See attached pics. All water parameters are as close to perfect as I can achieve.
Thank you in advance!View attachment 312368View attachment 312369View attachment 312370View attachment 312371View attachment 312372

This looks more like mold or fungus than algae to me.

 

[Freshyfishy]

No clue, but what a beautiful tank!!

 

[MiracleTank]

No clue, but what a beautiful tank!!

Thank you!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you. I’m a newbie here. Just very concerned about what’s going on in my aquarium

Don't worry, it takes most people a bit of time to get the hang of a new forum!

I wonder if stopping the additives might get rid of the white stuff. I suspect that one of them, or the combination of them, is 'bleaching' regular algae so we are not recognising it. I was surprised that your gravel was still so white after 18 months but these additives may be the reason.
But the additives will not be doing the fish any good, the 'sludge eradicator' especially.
Mulm and a degree of algae are a natural part of the balanced aquarium.

I'm wondering the same. The fact is slimy makes me wonder if it's a biofilm type thing, especially since it's fairly easily removed. I'd stop all the excess chemicals and just work on manually removing it, and trimming back any 'dusty' leaves even if it means cutting back quite hard, and see how things are looking in a few weeks after some maintenance and some large water changes. Seems a shame to cut back such large beautiful java ferns, but they're already impressively sized and green, I'm sure they'll bounce back quickly enough! I also think it's sometimes easier to manage a potential algae outbreak if you're overzealous about removing it before it really gets a good hold.

Wait, what are you using in your filter? Any kind of balls or pillows or anything like that?

 

[StevenF]

Odd! I have no idea, but I bet @Byron or @StevenF would know.

Idon'tknowwhattat white stuff is. As to excel it is sold as an alternative to CO2 gas. It is an organic molecule that is similar to one found in plants and the assumption is that plants can use it as a source of CO2. And yes it is toxic twosome plants and can also harm fish. I tried itin my tank a long time ago and saw no benefit.

You have a air stone in your. The bubbles will help Keep CO2 O2 levels stable in your tank. I don't see a reason to worry about CO2 now. As to the other products you add to your water I agree with all the comment you got with others.

 

[MiracleTank]

This looks more like mold or fungus than algae to me.

I’m beginning to think the same thing. Any treatment recommendations as this is the first time I have had this.