Sera/algopur

[housefeathers]

At the risk of showing my inexperience once again........has anyone used or no anything about Algopur? I have a planted tank with six Discus and 10 Rummeynose and two little algae eaters. I do not feed the plants and I feed the fish twice a day. All are doing well and have been in my home for about 10 months. I water change once a week and vac with my Mag once a week. Every other week I do a 50% change. I also have a Emperur 400 on my tank. Thing is the algae the filmy bright green kind is a weekly pain! I even have to rub my fingers over the plant blades to have the stuff slip off. So the question is again...is Algopur okay to use with my fish?

[RAWesolowski]

House,

You should be cautious in using any algaecide. Cautious not only for your fish but also your plants. Some products will have a deleterious effect on your plants. I have used similar products in the past and have been very careful to follow the instructions for the product.

A side addect of many algaecides is the destruction of snails. If you have snails that you wish to keep, the product may impact their population. If you have snails that you would like to be rid of, the product may serve a dual purpose.

Key reasons for algae are light and food source. I think that you will knock down on algae growth if you increase your water changes. Higher water changes will reduce nitrites and deprive the algae of a key food source.

[housefeathers]

Thanks for the reply. I have not used anything on the agae yet. It has been determined that the alage is Thread Algae. My nitrate is <0.3mg/l and the ph is 5.8-6.0 however this time of year one end of the tank gets more light but that can be fixed. The reason I'm asking about Ser Algopur is it says "does not harm fish or plants" if one can believe the packaging.

[Carol_Roberts]

Salt will kill thread algae . . . . and all your other plants too

[housefeathers]

Carol I didn't mention salt. I was asking about Sera's Algopur. Does that have salt in it? What is your sugestion for getting rid of the algae ? I think the tank is beautiful with the plants as I only have the one tank. Maybe some more algae eaters? Oh by the way.....I'm I doing okay with the nitrates?

[Carol_Roberts]

I was teasing you . . . . or being cruel and insensitive . . . . I'm not a plant person. I have an African tank with rocks that would get hair algea from time to time. 3 tablespoons of salt per 10 gallons clears it right up. That concentration of salt will most likely kill all your plants.

Seriously, I prefer not to add any unneccessary chemicals to my discus tanks. Perhaps the folks on the "show tanks" section can give you some ideas?