Algae control ?

[aussiefish]

Hi all
I think I am getting a bit of algea build up in my breeding tank, as it is looking a but murky and I am doing a 20% water change every day in there 80 ltr tank, there was a bit of gunk in the exit tube of the filter so I have cleaned it out. does the sponge filter look big enough for this tank ??
http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/aussiefish/new157.jpg
http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/aussiefish/new162.jpg
http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/aussiefish/new160.jpg
Here is a pic of my 5 week old fry :):):)
http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/aussiefish/new156.jpg

[dbfzurowski]

hey
i think its slime from parents as they produce more when caring for fry. i think :)
if it is algae then more water changes will lower nitrate=less algae

[Billy Vu]

Hi,

You might want to cut down on the lighting. What kind of lighting system do you have on it and how long do you have the lights on? I had an algae problem a few months ago and I just cut down on the lighting from 10-12 hours to 5-6 hours and the algae dramatically reduced.

Cheers,
Billy

[kaceyo]

I agree with dbfzurowski. It looks more like typical buildup in a discus tank, especially bad when feeding and raising fry. There may be a bit of algea too but that's not the problem.
I wipe the sides down the inside walls and bottom of tank daily when fry are with parents and very frequently in grow outs to prevent buildup. It keeps the water much cleaner and keeps pathogen count down.
You can also use bristlenose pleco's to help keep the tank walls clean.

Kacey

[Scribbles]

It looks more like a slime coat buildup to me. I would wipe down the sides and bottom when you do wc.

Chris

[aussiefish]

Parents are not feeding fry just now, I took the fry out of the tank 2 weeks ago. How do you suggest I contol the slime?? Water changes? Wipe down tank? is the filter big enough? is the slime harmful to the fish if there is to much?

[dbfzurowski]

hey,
theres two ways to control the slime:
-manually wipe it down while doing a wc, filter has nothing to do with this
-like kaceyo sugested get a bristlenose pleco but i dont know if that wil work with a breeding pair. I have 4 1in plecos in my bb tank and i dont wipe anything down anymore

the slime isn't harmful to fish, but the bacteria that can develop in it is, plus it doesnt look good

[Jhhnn]

Using my microscope, I've discovered that the slime growing on the tank walls and equipment appears to be the same stuff growing in my filters, plus algae. Lots of different kinds of critters in there, but mostly what I think are nitrifying bacteria.

So it's a function of available nutrients in the water column, of normal and beneficial biological processes occurring. Removing the nutrients with larger and more frequent water changes will reduce microscopic biologic processes in general, simply because there will be fewer nutrients. Adding and harvesting live plants will also consume nutrients along side and in addition to bacterial activity.

In your situation, with severe water restrictions, an algae filter might serve you extremely well. I have no personal experience with them, but I think the theory is sound...

[ValorG]

I have snails in all my tanks and they take care of all the algae/slime on the walls. Yes there is more poop to clean up at the end of the day but never having to clean/wipe down the glass is great. I usually throw out the biggest snails when I notice they are reproducing too much, so i never get overcrowded with them. I also dont have to worry about extra uneaten foods.