Yellow Algae On Rocks

Becks1985

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Is there anything I could get to get ride of it are even some of it in my malawi cichlid tank
 
The Malawi cichlids? Isn't protecting rocks covered in algae the main reason they get territorial in the wild?
 
I don't really like plecos they grow very big...

I don't know if it is why they get territorial are not...
 
If you mean diatoms, then that's caused by:
 
1. Too much light
2. Not enough flow
3. Trace ammonia levels and overfeeding, overstocking.
 
Don't know wat diatoms are?
But my flow is high on the top third of my tank I have it pointed slightly upwards to cause surface movement when the fish are on top half you can see that the flow is good.. Should I point it down towards the rocks ??
My lights only be on for bout 6 hours a day maybe bit longer at weekends...
I only feed once a day not much just 2 small pinches...
 
Diatoms look brownish and sometimes dusty, covering surfaces of the tank, even the glass. Do you have a picture of it?
It's pointless advising anything if it's not diatoms, could be something else.
 
Don't point the filter downwards as the tank needs surface movement for oxygen.
However, the filter may not be strong enough to spread the flow all around the tank. I second filter will help, especially that tanks like that are normally overstocked to work well with the cichlids.
 
What's the intensity of the light, as in Watts and how big is the tank?
 
Diatoms are common in new, unestablished tanks and once the filter starts coping with the biload, they stop appearing. But that's not the case if the filter isn't large enough to cope with them.
 
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Filter has been running since January got a new tank it's 350 litres I have a 2000ef all pond solution filter running in it... Think its 4ft x 2ft x2ft
I'm using to a juwel light bar with 2x 45watt bulbs one coloured an the other is a daylight

I only have had the malwai cichlids an rock in the aquarium bout 3 weeks I had angelfish an stuff in tank before that with driftwood...

I know the surface movement creates oxygen should I use a air stone an point the filter downwards...
 
Airstone will help too. The filter will cope, but I've got a slightly smaller tank (330l) and I've got two more filters besides the APS 2000. So another filter won't hurt honestly but it can be expensive. You can do even better, connect the air pump to a sponge filter if not too obstructive. It will cost you just a few bucks for the sponge filter part.
If you removed all the substrate and rescaped, then it could be temporary as you've also removed beneficial bacteria that had established on old substrate and decor, so in a month or two once the surfaces repopulate, it can disappear on its own.
 
Yes, it's diatoms. For the time being you can try disabling one of the bulbs if possible till it recedes. If you've got no plants, you don't need much light.
 
I might get a sponge filter an put it in for a while running filter is very expensive...
I have my spray bar on my 2ft side of my tank pointing towards the inlet ant the opposite side...
Where should I put the sponge filter what size of one would i need...

Also if I take one of my bulbs out the light unit won't work...
 
The spraybar on the APS filter reduces the flow of the filter in my opinion. So I use mine without any at all.
 
You can get as big sponge filter as you can fit, but make sure you find one with a coarse sponge, not fine one if you can.
As for positioning, see at which side debris gathers most, possibly with the current position of inlet/outlet, it should be somewhere under the spraybar side.
 
Yeah I have only one filter though so I was thinking it might push more water towards the inlet... I might to with out the spray bar.. Should I point the outlet nozzle towards front glass are straight towards the inlet pipe... I order a 200 litre sponge filter online before work this morning...
 
Try pointing it towards the other side where your intake is,  rather than towards the front.
It's powerful enough without a spraybar.
 
I took the spray bar off.. I have the nozzle pointing diagonally towards the fron for corner would that be ok..
 
No, put it straight flowing straight, not diagonally, either at the back side, slightly hitting the back glass, or if the aquarium is open top, put it at the front side, flowing towards the other front side.
Then have on intake at each back corner, counting the sponge filter as an intake positioned on the side where the outlet is.
 

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