Algae Fighting - West Texas Style

[jones57742]

Folks:

I have several comments which might be of some benefit and have placed them in this thread.

Please note that the comments are based on my experience with freshwater fish keeping. These comments may or may not be applicable to saltwater fish keeping. I have no experience in the "saltwater world". (09/14/2007)

These comments are based on my experience from "becoming more than a newbie at fighting algae" due to tank conditions which "I inflicted on myself" several months ago .

These conditions included but were not limited to
a) Diatom/radiolaria colonies occupying approximately 30% of the tank walls,
b) Heavy covering of the remainder of the tank walls with green algae,
c) Hair algae growing on the wood, rocks and plants and
d) An algae bloom (green water in your post).

These conditions sprang "into full bloom" (no pun intended) in just a week and I believe that this was due to the nutrients for the algae reaching "critical mass".

These conditions were principally caused by:
1) Overfeeding
2) Over lighting
3) Lack of good maintenance procedures
4) Lack of adequate biological filtration

1) Overfeeding
I now overfeed (or right feed) as I am raising mostly juvies and I enjoy watching them grow but I was way, way overfeeding.
I discontinued this practice.
Even though I now feed extensive quantities of the foods set forth in
when I observe that excess food is present I feed flakes until the excess
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/fyi-...xas-style.html
food is consumed.

2) Lighting
Part A
I had two blue actinic bulbs and two white bulbs in my two compact lighting units.
I replaced one blue actinic bulb with one white bulb.
Part B
I had been lighting the tank for a period of 10 to 12 hours.
I now light the tank for a period of 8 to 10 hours.

3) Lack of good maintenance procedures
Part A
I did not know that "gunk" would "build up" on the bottom of my 30" deep, planted tank which I could not observe.
I now vacuum the tank bottom, including areas which cannot be observed, at least once a month.
(The vacuuming is done with a Python with a 30" tube attached.)
Part B
I did not know that gunk" would accumulate under the bioballs in my wet/dry filtration system.
I now thoroughly clean the sump area at least once a month.
(The cleaning is done with a Python without a tube attached.)

4) Lack of adequate biological filtration
I had "no idea" that 2.5 Cubic Feet of bioballs would not provide adequate filtration (Tenecor published this tank to be "marine ready"),
I now have porous glass and ceramic cylinders under the bioballs in the 1st chamber of my sump as well as ceramic cylinders along the "underflow" from the 1st chamber to the 2nd chamber of my sump.


Additional Items

Believe it or not fine filtration media will also help (ie. 50Mu, 100Mu or quilt batting).

After a review of the literature with respect to algae eating fish I decided to purchase Siamese Algae Eaters. Even though now 4" to 5" in length they are not aggressive and are still consuming algae.
I am also anticipating purchasing several Otocinclus in the near future.

TR

[emc7]

Believe it or not fine filtration media will also help (ie. 50Mu, 100Mu or quilt batting)

I believe this or my filter media wouldn't get clogged with algae.

One question can hair algae ever be good? I've been trying to eradicate it mainly by scraping it everywhere I see it and feeding live plants with Flourish. Now my angels are feeding their babies in the hair algae on the glass. The babies are picking at the algae like there is food there. The parents are moving the cloud from hairy area to hairy area while avoiding the clear spaces. I tried to get pics but the camera focused on the hairy glass. Should I "let it be".

[jones57742]

Originally Posted by emc7

I believe this or my filter media wouldn't get clogged with algae.

Emc:

I am just basing my assertion on experience.

The following photograph depicts the principle algae:
a) Diatom/radiolaria colonies occupying approximately 30% of the tank walls,
b) Heavy covering of the remainder of the tank walls with green algae,
c) Hair algae growing on the wood, rocks and plants and
d) An algae bloom

As you can easily ascertain by observation I had "a real disaster going on here".



When I replaced my typical coarse mechanical media with the fine mechanical media cited below I noticed a significant acceleration in the algae reduction rate.

I induced the fine media as a laminate:
1) The bottom layer was the 100Mu media (a portion of which is depicted on the left in following photograph);
1) The middle layer was the 50Mu media (depicted in the middle of the following photograph) and
3) The top layer was the quilt batting (a portion of which is depicted on the right in the following photograph).

The photograph depicts media when had been in the filtration process for approximately 24 hours and was the approximate Day 5 media (from the initial introduction of these laminates into the filtration process).

The 1st day the fine media appeared similar to the media depicted in the photograph but was being replaced at 8 hours and not 24 hours.

Originally Posted by emc7

One question can hair algae ever be good? I've been trying to eradicate it mainly by scraping it everywhere I see it and feeding live plants with Flourish. Now my angels are feeding their babies in the hair algae on the glass. The babies are picking at the algae like there is food there. The parents are moving the cloud from hairy area to hairy area while avoiding the clear spaces. I tried to get pics but the camera focused on the hairy glass. Should I "let it be".

This one is tough but I will give it my best shot based mostly on literature research prior to reentering fish keeping after 35 years but has "some experience thrown in".

1) Every established tank contains algae.
I can already hear the "waling and gnashing of teeth" but the above assertion is true.
Just because algae cannot be observed on objects inside the tank or in "crystal clear" water does mean that it does not exist.
If anyone doubts the veracity of the sentence above please place 50Mu media in your filtration process.
(I strongly recommend that you check the media after 6 hours because it will probably need replacing or a "disaster" may be possible.)

2) If the fry are very, very small (ie. the cloud) I believe (as I indicated this one is tough) that they may be feeding on ciliates and/or flagellates which are present in the algae mass.

3) IMHO I would "keep the algae under control" as you do not want the conditions which are depicted in the first photograph and which I had to deal with but I would not try to eradicate the algae.

4) Once the fry are no longer feeding in the algae masses then IMHO implementing the protocols set forth in my original post would be appropriate.

TR

[Damon]

Your methods might work (probably do) but your theories are not founded........

Overfeeding does cause algae, basic principle of excess nutrients.......

Different types of algae are caused by different things.............

Diatoms and green spot are triggered by 2 very different situations......

Heat always plays a part in algae.......

Diatoms are caused by inadequate waterflow, LOWER lighting, and high levels of silicates.

Green spot is an imbalance between Nitrate and po4, not directly an excess of nutrients. One can have 4ppm of po4 and 20ppm of No3 and have neither algae.

These are only 2 of the many types of algae one can get, even in a non planted tank.

Green spot algae is easy to take care of as are diatoms..........
No special filter pads are needed.

[Fishfirst]

Thank You damon for clearing that up.