# Tank in Trouble



## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

My tanks is a few years old and uses nothing but a heater and an empty canister filter to move the water. My problem started a few months ago when I added some hornwort to replace the floating plants which were thinning out. I should mention that I also added some trumpet snails as recommended in Diana's book. OK, should also say I added some little fish - see the picture.

Algae, the green goopy stuff, started forming around the floaters and brown nasty stuff started getting a grip on my swords - see the second picture. I quickly ordered some sprites but a SNAFU (pardon my french) prevented them from arriving for a few more weeks. Now the tanks walls were getting brown. The 50/50 lights are on 12-13 hours a day. After 2 weeks, the sprites have rid the water of that oily film but they too are attacked by the green algae. What to do?


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

What are your water parameters? Nitrate? Phosphate? i r o n? Does the tank get any sunlight? Have you been feeding the tank so that there's some mulm in the substrate to add food for the plants? Off the top of my head, without knowing anything else, I would say to get some floating plants and encourage whatever plants can to grow emergent. Also, you can try adding carbon to your filter. If you have too much i r o n reducing the i r o n level with carbon should take care of the algae. 

-ricardo

PS I have some extra water lettuce and duckweed that I was just about to get rid of so if you want, let me know and I can send you some. Just drop me a PM w/ your address.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

If it's brown algae, ramshorn snails would polish it off for you.


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

Unfortunately my tank gets no sun light. The 55 gallon corner tank has tons of sprites now, mostly as floaters and a few planted. Duckweed seems to take over so I have avoided it. There is plenty of mulm. I don't want to use the filtration unit as that seems to start down the "un natural" slope - took me a year to let all the floss and charcoal to go. However I might be persuaded to use it temporarily if that's what is needed to get back over the "el natural hump." DW says all her algae dies off in her tanks - I'm hoping that tipping point can be reached with the sprites growing quickly. I hadnt measured the water in years since everything looked fine, but all recent measurements are currently good.


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And so it goes.
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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

I don't think that using a filter is going down an "un-natural" path necessarily. Most people who follow Diana's methods use filters in their tanks, at least for water movement. Adding carbon wouldn't be "cheating" especially if i r o n levels are too high and you're having algae problems.

-ricardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

imported_chrisP said:


> Duckweed seems to take over so I have avoided it.


If duckweed grows this well, you should be using it to remove the excess nutrients that are stimulating algae. Better to have a tank overrun with duckweed than algae. I'd put duckweed back into this tank and be glad for it. You can scoop out excess duckweed whenever it gets too thick.

My tanks all have a little algae from time-to-time.


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

*I'll try it then*



dwalstad said:


> If duckweed grows this well, you should be using it to remove the excess nutrients that are stimulating algae. /
> My tanks all have a little algae from time-to-time.


The goopy green seems to hang in there, even covering the sprites a bit more. I changed the angle of the filter's exhaust to move the surface water more - it has helped a bit.


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

It has been quite a while since I have checked into El Natural and I have not taken the best care of my tank. All seemed fine until my last vacation when I set the auto feeder - unknown to me until later -to over-feed my tank! Upon my return, as I often did, I scooped out tons of duckweed but surprisingly, within a few days, the rest of the duckweed died and left me with no floating plants. After that, the fish didn't look to good and I finally lost a couple - haven't lost any in years. I tested the PH and it was at a whopping 7.5 and so I thought I should change the water - something I never do either - with distilled water. I vacumed out extra debris and changed about 20 gallons worth in this 55 gallon tank but the PH is still 7.3. BUT NOW, the tiny snails are heading out of the soil for the top of the tank. I have tried in vain to find a posting I read here long ago on this very item. So I need help again.


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## 01krisp10 (Feb 18, 2007)

NEVER ever used distilled water in an aquarium, atleast thats what I've always read/been told, when I remember what they do to it that makes it bad for fish/plants I'll post.

Also if you read the algae section on this forum it is a HUGE help, everthing I've ever needed to know about getting rid of algae was answered there previously. Down to putting willow in my current 20H to rid it of green water. WORKS GREAT!

Good luck.


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

Thx for your thoughts. I read distilled water was the way to bring down the PH? Guess I got to read Diana's book again. I just concluded that I had too much rotten food in the tank and this was what was needed. Algae is not a problem this time around. I bought a bunch of frog bit to replace the duckweed and it seems to be doing well. What about the mass exodus of snails?


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bug, Snails, Malaysian Trumpet.htm

I found the information about my MTS heading up the tank and it means my water quality is bad. Indeed, the distilled water dissolves their shells - I'm a criminal now! :-( Who said "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" or "no good deed goes unpunished."

I will go out and get a new test kit to have fresh chemicals to identify what has gone wrong. Any quick fix ideas regarding the distilled water?


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

imported_chrisP said:


> SNIPMy problem started a few months ago when I added some hornwort to replace the floating plants which were thinning out. I should mention that I also added some trumpet snails SNIP


What you actually did was disturbing the floor with your ramshorn. This would have released a lot of nutrients from the substrata into the water. Presto algae problem. You overreacted.

Perhaps the disturbed floor had some gass releases which resulted in dead fish.Hang on and stay calm the aquarium will come back to normal.


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## Tony65 (Jun 3, 2006)

imported_chrisP said:


> I will go out and get a new test kit to have fresh chemicals to identify what has gone wrong. Any quick fix ideas regarding the distilled water?


The excess food might have caused a NitrIte spike - although it may all be over now.

What is your tap water like?

You could mix in some de-chlorinated tap water with the distilled to give it some GH/Kh (the mix ratio depends on your tap water parameters), then only change up to 20% of the tank water at a time.

I find that MTS run up the sides when I replace the evaporated water with RO - as long as they don't all rise up and stay there I wouldn't worry too much.

A pH of 7.5 isn't that high anyway - photosynthesis can raise it during the day.


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## imported_chrisP (Jul 7, 2004)

Thanks for the advice. The fish seem OK although my rainbow's normal bright orange hue is a little brownish. I hope with time he will return to normal. Plants are growing to so I'll keep my fingers crossed things will even out.


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