Algae outbreak

[Phoenix91]

Button's 20G tank is going through a bit of an algae outbreak at the minute that i just can't seem to get a handle on. It has the horrible brown crap on the gravel and around the sides which i've been cleaning off with a sponge but i've also got what i think is blue-green cyano. It's growing on the substrate and on the plants. I've been vacuuming and keeping up with water changes but i think the problem might be too little movement/flow.

One of my betta tanks got this problem but it was mostly confined to the leaves on the plants so removal was pretty easy. It's mostly gone from that tank.

I looked online and it basically says manual removal and keep up with water changes and it should be kept under control. Would adding a small powerhead to improve water movement make any difference? Right now the only think i have is the HOB filter.

[J-P]

New tank set up?

are you sure it is not diatoms?

[Phoenix91]

Tanks been up probably around 6 months.

the brown crap probably is diatoms but the green? when i vacuum it it comes up in a sheet or in clumps.

[RTR]

The odds are that the brown is diatoms. The ods are that the green is BGA.

Diatoms are the result of soluble silicates in the water. Contact your local water utility to check on soluble silicate levels. Post back with results if you want to discuss control possibilities.

BGA will not like increased current so will be controlled in part by improved current. How close are your water parameters to the tap water parameters? You may have too much light.

HTH

[Phoenix91]

I'm honestly not sure which water company i use, i'm in a condo and the water bills are paid by the condo association; i'll contact them and ask for the water company's number. I am however installing an RO/DI system in my kitchen today, and i realize that water will be much different to the water in the tank from the tap; is there anyway to switch the water over from tap to RO, maybe doing little changes at a time?

I'll get a small powerhead to improve flow, i think the plants would like some improved flow too. I'll test the tank water and compare it to the tap water as i'm not too sure. I know the water has high pH and is quite hard.

[Pufferpunk]

Thoroug cleaning of all surfaces, while sucking up the offending "algae", during WC.

[Phoenix91]

Yup, i've been doing that. I was thinking of maybe upping the frequency of water changes too. I got a small powerhead so i'm hoping that extra movement and more wc's will help.

[wagner7123]

I have silicates in my water and will someday get a rodi system, but for now i have found that the fewer water changes i do the fewer diatoms i have. This leads me to believe that once the diatoms use the available silicates, they are then removed from the equation. I don't have any experience with BGA but as far as treating for diatoms, if you have stable conditions move to smaller less frequent changes (I have been on a 10% every other week schedule).

[Phoenix91]

Hmm, I got my ro/di installed this afternoon so i'm thinking i might make the switch to that. If it's water quality from the tap water causing the algae then changing the water could help. I did a water change today and added the powerhead, and now the water is moving i can see that the BGA is pretty much on everything. There's stringy bits wafting around in the breeze. Next water change i do i should be able to target it better now i can see it all. I might also take out some of the substrate and manually clean it.

[Pufferpunk]

For FW, you need to reconstitute the minerals back into RODI water.

[RTR]

Huge +1 to PP's comment.

Reducing water changes may well reduce diatom growth, certainly. But I would never subject my fish to the pollution of old and unchanged water. Diatoms are not pollution.

RODI water alone may not support fish or plant life.

[Phoenix91]

Going to have a dumb blonde moment, could you explain reconstituting the minerals back into the rodi water. How would i do this?

How about if i switched off the Di part, and just used the ro water, would that make a difference?

I plan to keep doing the wc's i've been doing and just cleaning thouroughly.

I have noticed a difference to the bga with the powerhead, it doesn't seem to be able to get as established, and i've noticed die off on some things that had a small amount of growth, plus it's not able to cling to the plants as much.

Hopfully i'll be able to get that under control.

[Puffer King]

Remove as much manually as you can , the BGA ...........try putting in some zebra nerite snails , they will consume the BGA quite quickly , also add something like seachem phosguard to your filter to remove phosphate and silica , that will help slow down the BGA . But if it keeps on coming back then your best bet is to treat with maracyn , treat at half the dosage .