[bunnysaur]

Hi,
About a week ago, I noticed that my tank was growing a bit more algae than usual, and it wasn't the normal green stuff. I squirted in some of my Tetra brand algae killer, and hoped it would help, but it didn't
I have 5 nerite tiger snails and 2 or 3 MT snails, and they do a good job keeping the green algae at bay. They didn't seem to make a dent in the black goo, though, and within a few days my tank looked a bit like a black version of the tank in Finding Nemo after the fish plug up the filter!
Yesterday I gave it a thorough cleaning, and scrubbed everything off the tank decor. Even one of my fish looked like it might have algae on it (I didn't scrub him :lol!
Now everything looks much better, my fish look normal, and nothing is out of the ordinary. How can I keep this from happening again?
If it helps, I have a 10 gallon tank, with some fake plants, a plastic castle, and a chunk of petrified wood in it, along with ~15lbs of gravel. I have 2 mollies and 4 platies, and the snails I mentioned above.

thanks!!!

 

[Boredomb]

How do you keep the light on? Does the tank get direct sunlight? How often do you clean the gravel?

 

[beaslbob]

Kill the lights and stop adding food until it clears.


then resume with less lighting and feeding and adjust so the tank looks good and the ugly stuff doesn't come back.


my .02

 

[bunnysaur]

How do you keep the light on? Does the tank get direct sunlight? How often do you clean the gravel?

I try to turn the light off before I go to bed, but I usually forget, so it's on pretty much all the time. The tank doesn't get direct sunlight, and I clean the gravel every few months or so.

Kill the lights and stop adding food until it clears.


then resume with less lighting and feeding and adjust so the tank looks good and the ugly stuff doesn't come back.


my .02

Thanks.

 

[Boredomb]

A set schedule for the lighting is almost a must in aquariums. Fish and plants both are naturally use to a schedule of day and night. You can turn the lights off off a week or so if you don't have plants like beaslbob said to help kill it but unless you find a balance with the light and cleaning the gravel on a regular bases its just going to come back.

I would suggest going to the store and picking up the cheapest timer you can find that will work with the prong on you light. Set it for about 8hrs doesn't matter what part of the day. Then I would also start cleaning the gravle more often. All the uneaten food (if there is any) and the waste from the fish can become food for algae growth. If that doesn't work try lowing the time on the timer.

Btw Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping!

 

[bunnysaur]

A set schedule for the lighting is almost a must in aquariums. Fish and plants both are naturally use to a schedule of day and night. You can turn the lights off off a week or so if you don't have plants like beaslbob said to help kill it but unless you find a balance with the light and cleaning the gravel on a regular bases its just going to come back.

I would suggest going to the store and picking up the cheapest timer you can find that will work with the prong on you light. Set it for about 8hrs doesn't matter what part of the day. Then I would also start cleaning the gravle more often. All the uneaten food (if there is any) and the waste from the fish can become food for algae growth. If that doesn't work try lowing the time on the timer.

Btw Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping!

Thanks!
I'm going out of town this weekend, and I'm planning to just have the tank light off the whole time and then get a timer when I get back. Is adding an undergravel filter a good option for me?

 

[Boredomb]

What kind of filter do you have now? I don't know much about undergravel filters so I can't say much about them. I know some say they work good and others disagree. On my 10 gallon I use a Aquaclear filter and it does a good job as far as I am concerned..

 

[bunnysaur]

What kind of filter do you have now? I don't know much about undergravel filters so I can't say much about them. I know some say they work good and others disagree. On my 10 gallon I use a Aquaclear filter and it does a good job as far as I am concerned..

I think it's an Aquaclear. It has some sort of bio-flitration thing in it, too.

 

[Boredomb]

I have a aquaclear on my 10 gallon and they work good. J see no point right now to switch. Really think its just a matter of having your lights on too much. Have you got them on a set schedule yet?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[bunnysaur]

Just checked, it's actually an Aqua-Tech.
I've been turning the lights off at more or less bedtime and on in the morning, and my algae has already greatly subsided. The lights were also off all last weekend, which made a huge difference.

 

[Boredomb]

The lights here is the key for you and since you don't have live plants you can limit the duration as much as you need to control the algae. If the current pattern you have works then great but if not then lower the time more. The algae that's there can survive off of nutrients in the water so make sure to keep up on maintenance. Another thing you can do is take all the fake plants out/decor and clean all the aglae off and put then back in. Use the same current light duration and see if it comes back. If you start to see it then lower the duration some.