# Worst case of algea ever!



## sasa (Apr 15, 2005)

Hi,

I have a 77 gallon tank, medium planted with the following specifications:

* light 3.0 wpg.
* Pressurized CO2 3bps.
* Canister filter
* KH: 6
* GH: 10
* Amonia NH3/NH4 = 0ppm
* Nitrite: 0
* Nitrate: 2
* PO4: 0.2 ppm
* PH: 6.8
* Total Alkalinity : 180
* Total Hardness: 120 ppm

Everything started with a case of green water, I connected a UV sterilizer and the tank was crystal clear, then, I trimmed the plants and voila! I got algea everywhere (I trim the plants every 20-30 days), I've been fighting the algea for almost three months and I'm losing the battle. The picture below was taken 4 days after last change of water (40%). (I cleaned the glass so you can see the algae)





































So, this time, I removed as much algae by hand as I could, I trimmed all the plants with algea and cleaned the glass. Also I changed the sponges of my filter and Connected again the UV sterilizer. This is the picture after the change, as you can see there is still algea but if a trim more I would end with no plants at all.










I'm using the Seachem products (iron, fluorish, excel, potassium, Trace, Phosphorus and Nitrogen) following the suggested dosing for planted aquarium.

The tank is 2 years old and this is the first time I have this much algae. What else can I do?

Thanks for any help.

Sasa


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## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

stop fertilizing when you see algae. One thing that really worked for me was just flat out turning off the lights for a few days to a week, your plants will still survive and if there is natural light in the room your fish will be fine. When i did this there was dead algae everywhere when I turned the lights back on, requires a bit of cleaning but cant be any worse than what you just did. do an internet search on blackouts for aquariums with algae.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I would actually advise the contrary. Seeing your nitrate and phosphate levels I'd say you're underdosing. If you keep that much light on your tank you need to be dosing to keep macros at 10:1 nitrate to phosphate. Also, how much trace are you adding?


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

More plants... more plants... more plants... more fast growers... more fast growers...


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

I'd agree with most of the above, with a little modification. 

Start with a 4 day blackout, no light, not even ambient light. Use a blanket or towels to cover the tank. You can feed the fish once, after 2 days, but keep the room dark when you do. When that is complete, scrub the algae off, then do a 50% WC to help clean up dead algae. 

Then start dosing adequate amounts of your fertilizers. Keep nitrates 10-20ppm, and phos about 1-2ppm. Be sure you are adding adequate amount of trace and regular flourish. You really don't need to be dosing excel if you have pressurized CO2. 

Get some more plants in the meantime, so they are ready when your blackout is complete. You need more fast growers in there to help suck up excess nutrients. Once you have a large mass of plants, then you can slowly weed out the fast growers that you may not like, for other species.


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## sasa (Apr 15, 2005)

To answer your question AaronT, I'm dosing the amount recommended in the bottle of trace. There is a schedule in the Seachem website that I'm using, I don't have it in here right now but I think is twice a week.

I forgot to tell you that I tried also the blackout for 4 days, and the algea died but it was back after a week.

I will try to increase the nitrites and phos to 10:1 and I will get more fast growing plants and I will do a water change again this weekend to try to remove more algae.

Do you think I should change the light? I have fluorescent tubes and they are quite old. I was thinking compact but I need to get rid of the algea first.


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## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

AaronT said:


> I would actually advise the contrary. Seeing your nitrate and phosphate levels I'd say you're underdosing. If you keep that much light on your tank you need to be dosing to keep macros at 10:1 nitrate to phosphate. Also, how much trace are you adding?


a blackout will kill off algae, dosing more will also, which one is quicker......blackout


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

gibmaker said:


> a blackout will kill off algae, dosing more will also, which one is quicker......blackout


Everyone has their methods I suppose. I stray from the blackout method myself because it can also kill off plants. Also, it doesn't address the issue and as Sasa pointed out through experience, the algae just comes right back.



sasa said:


> I will try to increase the nitrites and phos to 10:1 and I will get more fast growing plants and I will do a water change again this weekend to try to remove more algae.
> 
> Do you think I should change the light? I have fluorescent tubes and they are quite old. I was thinking compact but I need to get rid of the algea first.


I think that will go a long way to helping stave off future algae outbreaks.

I wouldn't worry about the lights for now. Whatever course of action you take it's best to change one thing at a time. That way you know what works, what makes it worse and what doesn't work at all.


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## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

AaronT said:


> Everyone has their methods I suppose. I stray from the blackout method myself because it can also kill off plants. Also, it doesn't address the issue and as Sasa pointed out through experience, the algae just comes right back.
> 
> I think that will go a long way to helping stave off future algae outbreaks.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about the lights for now. Whatever course of action you take it's best to change one thing at a time. That way you know what works, what makes it worse and what doesn't work at all.


i respect your methods, although the balckout is just a way of getting rid of most of it, to speed up getting rid of it completley, get rid of all you can then fix your parameters, dosing without removing any algae what so ever may work but not as well as getting rid of a lot of it then dosing


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Sasa, advise you to get cleaning crew. Yamato, otocinclus, SAE's to help.


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## sasa (Apr 15, 2005)

standoyo, I have some SAE's but they are too lazy, they prefer the fish food instead of the algae. I had before some shrimps too but my botias and betta ate them. I will try with some ottos to see what happen.

But the way, I'm dosing extra excel and looks like is keeping the algae from growing more. I will try to post some pictures this weekend.


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