SO SICK of this recurring algae!
 

I have a 5 gallon freshwater aquarium with four GloFish (zebra danios). The tank is naturally cycled, and kept aroud 75ºF.

A few months ago there was a massive green algae bloom. I couldn't see inside the tank. I took a water sample to Petsmart and he said that all the levels were perfect. So I got a toothbrush, scrubbed, and replaced much of the water. I also decreased the amount of time that the tank is exposed to light to about 9 hours.

It was like new for about a week. Then, another bloom came. This time, I went to Walmart, bought some quilt badding and activated carbon. I made a new filter cartridge and scrubbed the tank down again. It was successful for probably two weeks. I also increased the flow of my filter, in case the slow flow was causing too much stagnancy. However, the bloom is back. My tank is impossible to see. Also: there are really massive bubbles that keep forming on top of the water. They pop as soon as they hit the glass, but I've never had that before.

Could there be some other problem that I'm missing? What can I do? I try doing weekly water changes, but the algae always comes back.

What are your water parameters? What is your lighting and how often is it on?
Often algae problems are the result of high nitrates and/or lights that are too brights and/or on too long each day.

Yes, more data on this is needed. In additionto what AbbeysDad asked, are there any live plants in this tank? What is your normal water change schedule, i.e., how much of the tank and how often regularly?

Byron.

Are there any live plants in this tank? Yes, one "Argentine Sword."

Water changes: How much of the tank and how regularly? Usually 50%, once a week.

What are your water parameters? Not exactly sure what you mean by this (still a beginner). The water is kept at or around 75ºF, 5 gallons, filtered with a decent flow.

What is your lighting and how often is it on? 10W, fluorescent aquarium lamp on from 10a.m. to 7p.m. (9 hours).

Water parameters are the indicators of water health. Water can contain Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates which in specific quantities can be harmful or fatal to fish. There are test kits such as the API Freshwater master test kit (about $25 online) that will tell you the levels of those and PH.

If you don't have the kit taking a small sample of water to petco or petsmart they will test it for you and give you an idea of the levels in your tank.

Sounds like "green water" which is caused by unicellular algae. We just happen to have been discussing this in another thread,
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/f...y-water-95805/
and in my post #27 therein I detailed the causes and ways to treat this, or more accurately, I cited the cause and treatment from another aquarist. There are also some photos to compare.

That info should help you.

Byron.

This was a very helpful post, Byron. THANK YOU! Will the blackout kill my plant, do you think?

Also: I've had a snail in the past. Sometimes I just think they ....for lack of a better word... poop too much for it to be worth it. You end up having to clean up just as much as you would without them. Am I wrong?

Others have used the blackout without killing plants, though the plants will be affected and may show it. As for snails, I have the small ones, Malaysian Livebearing and common pond snails. The former is very good in my view, burrowing through the substrate. Larger snails do add to the bioload obviously.

Just another $.02 about snails.... Although it may seem they do, I don't believe snails really add to the bio-load. Without teeth, much like worms, snails survive by consuming algae, decomposing plant waste, fish food, etc. This makes them part of the cleanup crew in the food chain. In a sense, although higher up the chain, they no more increase bio-load than fucultative bacteria that decompose organic waste further in the natural recycle process.
It is true that like bacteria, once introduced, the snail populations will rise and fall relative to the conditions resulting in balance. Some may dislike their proliferation, but in some ways they are a natural part of the living aquarium.

I'm on day three of the blackout, and I've got a question about what comes after I'm done.
While this blackout could potentially sole my algae problem right now, isn't it possible that the green crap will just return like it has every other time? In other words, after I destroy it...how can I prevent it?