What's This?

[Shaucid]

Hi everyone, I have a bit of a problem in my stocked 10 gallon tank. It's being overrun by this

What is this? It looks like some sort of algae but it isn't green. It started as a small 1 centimeter diameter dot on that ornament and it's grown to cover almost 40% of it. It's also starting to appear on the sides of the aquarium...

How can I get rid of this?

-Thanks

 

[Chad]

Well, I don't really see much in the photo other than a tinge of green here and there. This is really quite natural microalgae that is especially common in newer tanks. Depending on how old the tank is you may very well just need to wait and once the tank stabilizes it tends to go away. But if it's an older tank you may need to take some corrective action. Can you tell us more about the tank? Size, age, how many fish, what and how often you feed, frequency and size of water changes etc?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Ahhhh the Diatoms, ammonia + light = Diatoms, test ammonia, check the levels, do frequent water changes will the spike has gone or the filter is cycled depending on if its a new tank.

 

[Shaucid]

Well, I don't really see much in the photo other than a tinge of green here and there. This is really quite natural microalgae that is especially common in newer tanks. Depending on how old the tank is you may very well just need to wait and once the tank stabilizes it tends to go away. But if it's an older tank you may need to take some corrective action. Can you tell us more about the tank? Size, age, how many fish, what and how often you feed, frequency and size of water changes etc?

Tank size is 10 gallons.

I've had it for about 2 or 3 months.

I have 1 Opaline Gourami and 3 Red Wag-Tail Platies.

I feed twice a day, frozen bloodworms in the morning and spirulina flakes at night.

And I do a 30% water change every week, I use Prime as a dechlorinator.

 

[Chad]

What Steve picked out as diatoms I just saw as the paint scheme on the decoration, it seems to compliment it in the photo.

In my experience tanks go through a period I call "the uglies" where they get blooms of algae, or diatoms, and sometimes cyanobacteria as the bacterial filtration adjusts, grows, shrinks, and eventually stabilizes. Getting through the uglies in my experience is just a matter of time (and continuing to do your water changes etc.)