Aquarium - algae on stones
Discussion
I've got all my excess algae under control now. I think I had too high a flow rate in the tank and I changed the lighting setup etc and now its fine and it is only growing very slowly.
However some of the stones are green in places and it would be nice to have them back to normal. I replaced a bit of bogwood as that we covered and was easier to just replace for £7. When I moved it I saw that due to the shade that the stones were all perfect.
I missed a trick that 8 weeks ago I hadn't re done the light tubes and so the plants weren't doing well and apparently you can cover the tank for 5 - 10 days and the fish / bacteria don't mind and that cleans away the algae nicely.
Seeing as I now don't have that option I was thinking of putting down some plastic sheeting perhaps in A5 sections weighed down and see if that would sort it out. Perhaps half the tank at a time?
Has anyone done anything like this? I don't want to use chemicals really ad the other thing to try it trying to remove said gravel and replace with new but seeing as the gravel under the old log was so free of algae I was thinking of trying this for a week and seeing how that worked? It wouldn't look very nice but if it worked long term might be worth it? Still no green colour from the old spot so far after 3 - 4 weeks so that is a good sign?
I will try to get pics. I have also just had 5 guppy fry arrive and are now in a little fry tank in the front corner and seem to be doing well. They are proper tiny!
However some of the stones are green in places and it would be nice to have them back to normal. I replaced a bit of bogwood as that we covered and was easier to just replace for £7. When I moved it I saw that due to the shade that the stones were all perfect.
I missed a trick that 8 weeks ago I hadn't re done the light tubes and so the plants weren't doing well and apparently you can cover the tank for 5 - 10 days and the fish / bacteria don't mind and that cleans away the algae nicely.
Seeing as I now don't have that option I was thinking of putting down some plastic sheeting perhaps in A5 sections weighed down and see if that would sort it out. Perhaps half the tank at a time?
Has anyone done anything like this? I don't want to use chemicals really ad the other thing to try it trying to remove said gravel and replace with new but seeing as the gravel under the old log was so free of algae I was thinking of trying this for a week and seeing how that worked? It wouldn't look very nice but if it worked long term might be worth it? Still no green colour from the old spot so far after 3 - 4 weeks so that is a good sign?
I will try to get pics. I have also just had 5 guppy fry arrive and are now in a little fry tank in the front corner and seem to be doing well. They are proper tiny!
Edited by BluePurpleRed on Friday 9th December 13:33
Then get some amano shrimp in there (assuming only small guppy-type fish) and they'll help keep the algae under control - and more plants will also help as they will compete with algae for food.
What sort of filter are you using? If it is an external filter you could consider a UV steriliser which will help keep algae under control.
Also consider how long lights are left on for, and what levels of natural light the tank is getting.
What sort of filter are you using? If it is an external filter you could consider a UV steriliser which will help keep algae under control.
Also consider how long lights are left on for, and what levels of natural light the tank is getting.
UV units only really work against suspended algae, not algae growing on surfaces.
It is natural for underwater surfaces to have a film of microscopic life over them. Natural, but not pretty. If you want to inhibit the growth of algae, you will need to take away one of the things they require. What they require is essentially light and nutrients - nutrients being nitrogen, phosphorous, iron, silica and various trace elements. I would suggest starving them of phosphorous - you'll struggle to starve them out of nitrogen in a stocked tank, and the other nutrients are needed in fairly small quantities. You can get phosphate absorbing filter media fairly easily - something like this will work. You can often get it pre-bagged in a mesh bag, which makes it easier to handle, but the best form depends on what fits easiest in your filter.
The shrimps do work, and there's no reason not to use them as part of your control, but you do need a lot of them.
It is natural for underwater surfaces to have a film of microscopic life over them. Natural, but not pretty. If you want to inhibit the growth of algae, you will need to take away one of the things they require. What they require is essentially light and nutrients - nutrients being nitrogen, phosphorous, iron, silica and various trace elements. I would suggest starving them of phosphorous - you'll struggle to starve them out of nitrogen in a stocked tank, and the other nutrients are needed in fairly small quantities. You can get phosphate absorbing filter media fairly easily - something like this will work. You can often get it pre-bagged in a mesh bag, which makes it easier to handle, but the best form depends on what fits easiest in your filter.
The shrimps do work, and there's no reason not to use them as part of your control, but you do need a lot of them.
Cheers for the tips. I might try the boiling water and perhaps I might rotate with another bag of gravel and see how the algae fancies 6 months in a dry cardboard box in the cabinet. I reckon it should be gone by then but you never know. Probably just start growing as soon as it goes back in!
One consideration to bear in mind when sterilising bits of your tank furnishings - a substantial part of the biological filtration capacity of your tanks is not in the filters but on all of the surfaces in the tank - glass, gravel, rocks, plants, etc. Just be a bit careful about it, perhaps spreading it over an extended period of time.
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