i have a 1.5 in f8 in a 29 gal, BW tank running a penguin power head 550 w/ an under gravel filter. also have an aqua clear hang on the back filter, with 3 types of filter media in it. i am currently doing a 50% water change once a week. however i have a small infestation of red algae that refuses to go away.
during the water change, i also wipe down the sides of the tank and decor to remove as much as i can. then the tank looks cleaner.. but by the end of the week it it springs back out to say hello i'm back!
any suggestions?
and really bad eggs... drink up me hearties,
Yo-Ho! ~webdragun
How long has your tank been setup?
What is your SG?
What are your water parameters? (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
What do you feed?
Do you vacuum with each water change?
What are the 3 kinds of media you have in your filter?
Is the algae slimy, or is it sort of furry and rubs off really easily?
Can you maybe get a picture?
UG filters in the classic setup (water pulled down through the substrate) has fallen out of favor for most tanks. If you are running the UG filter in this manner, you may want to read the excellent article by RTR in our library and consider switching to RFUG or OERFUG.
In addition to the questions posted by x0r, you may want to check for elevated phosphates in your tank. Are you on city or well water?
it is slimy furry looking red brown in color, i always vac the gravel for each water change, am using city water.
i did a massive 90% water change and added an extra hang on the back filter. i also kept the light off for a week with no deco or remnants of the algae left on the tank sides. so far, it doesn't seem to have come back.. i'm going to keep the light off till i do the next water change and then see how it does. sorry no pics at this time. he is eating frozen brine and fresh water mussels currently.. still looking for a good deal on some snails.
and really bad eggs... drink up me hearties,
Yo-Ho! ~webdragun
For red/brown ramshorn snails, you could PM TheSmJ and save yourself some gas. I'm feeding my puffers snails that are offspring of adults he sold me.
You are unlikely to have red algae (Rhodophyta) in your tank, although it might be reddish in color. I suspect diatoms - something many of us live with, cleaning them off the glass at water change time with a sponge. Diatoms get into the substrate where they are immune from our cleaning methods. Normal gravel vac doesn't bother diatoms. From the gravel, its easy enough for them to re-colonize the glass, filter tubes, heaters, ornaments, fake plants, etc.
I hope to find some lights with wavelengths less favorable to diatom growth. If you don't have live plants, I would not use lights with plant growth wavelengths.
FW ramshorns will not survive in BW or with an F-8.
BGA (cyanobacteria) is frequenty red and common in high bioload tanks.
Diatoms are dependent on dissolved silicates in the water. If your water has moderate to high silicates, you will have diatoms. They can be controlled by PhosGuard as the phosphate resins also take up silicates if the issue is of sufficient magnitude to justify the added hassle/cost.
On webdragun's tank, I'd second the redo to RFUG or OERFUG to keep the substrate cleaner (no reservoir for nitrate/phosphate/mulm), but the AC alone may not then provide quite enogh current for the tank. Unlike BBA (which loves current), BGA does not handle current well, as it makes formation of its biofilm more difficult.
How is the nitrate level in the tank, and is the pH/KH staying up between partials?
Sorry about the confusion re: snails - got mixed up with a different message! (now where did that one go....)
Yes, some blue-green algae (BGA) are reddish. Filamentous forms would appear "furry" as you say. As RTR said, BGA blooms with high bioload. You can starve BGA into submission by keeping nutrients very low - frequent water changes.
