Can you help a beginner id these algea ?
I'm in the middle of cycling, nitrites are spiking. I'd like to prepare an eradication plan for when the cycle will have completed.
1. Small green spots on live plants. 0.5 - 1.0mm in diameter. Microscopic hairs when looked at closely.
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi572.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss165%2Fmagnosis%2FMy%2520first%252060%2520galon%2520tank%2Fday%252023%2520algea%2Falgea_spotty_on_leaves.jpg&hash=2cda79c2acc7ad30da6ec3f7055e756e506825dd)
2. Slime covering my java moss. Detaches/dissolves when brushed. Picture below is 12h after a cleanup.
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi572.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss165%2Fmagnosis%2FMy%2520first%252060%2520galon%2520tank%2Fday%252023%2520algea%2Falgea_slime_on_moss.jpg&hash=499ebe8a5cbc8edc9ff4542cca0f7c1a9d9a0f0d)
3. Darker, hairy tips also growing on java moss & slime.
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi572.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss165%2Fmagnosis%2FMy%2520first%252060%2520galon%2520tank%2Fday%252023%2520algea%2Falgea_slime_and_hairy_tips.jpg&hash=9bce5462da224807aec3ad1e9e4ed02e2d29231a)
4. Dark, hairy tips growing on plastic grass.
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi572.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss165%2Fmagnosis%2FMy%2520first%252060%2520galon%2520tank%2Fday%252023%2520algea%2Falgea_hairy_tips.jpg&hash=7f1b7e1849db82370db5c1ce7028d6b24ae0a4b4)
5. The scary crawling darkness. This is growing partially on driftwood, but mostly on flourite gravel near a buried Flourish tab.
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi572.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss165%2Fmagnosis%2FMy%2520first%252060%2520galon%2520tank%2Fday%252023%2520algea%2Falgea_dark_on_flourite.jpg&hash=1cac2a8a157fe2143ae960ab2cc3e70df7548e40)
Thanks..
1. Green spot algae at first thought, but they aren't bushy:
4. Black brush algae (BBA), it's a red algae actually, I have seen green varieties as well
2., 3. & 5. - Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae (BGA), it's a bacteria, usually smells bad if you take it out of the water
Good luck! First of all, make sure the tank is cycled. Afterwards, I would do a blackout to get rid of BGA if it is still present at that point.
Thanks much !
The BGA does indeed smell bad. Should I let it be, or is it going to hurt the moss ?
I was thinking of getting an SAE after the cycle. Either that or cherry shrimps. I heard they do wonders for algea. Is one more recommendable than the other ? I have 3 8"-long goldfish waiting to move in as well. PH is 7.4-7.6, water temp 19-20c.
I agree with the previous IDs.
Unfortunately these three types of algae are not eaten by most fish and shrimp. Some people say that SAE will eat the black brush algae (BBA). The green spot algae is really hard and scale-like so fish can't scrape it off. You would have better luck with snails, such as a horned nerite. If you are doing any fertilizers another general recommendation is to increase your phosphates - this is specific to GSA and might cause other problems because you've got multiple types of algae displaying.
The Blue-Green algae is not an algae but rather a form of bacteria as Fischkopp mentioned. So standard algae approaches don't really apply. It is not eaten by any fish or invert that I know of. First line of defense against it is a tank blackout of 3 or more days followed by manual removal and a thorough tank cleaning. It is usually caused by too much waste and too much light. Second line of defense is an anti-bacterial agent called Maracyn. Do some reading before you choose that route as using it could also affect your good bacteria.
Only fertilizers I used so far were 1 tab of Flourish at the base of each (5) plants. I started reading on EI and was thinking of giving it a try but I find the 50% water change a hassle. More research is in order.
Regarding the blackout, I read in a few places to dose 10-15ppm of nitrate immediately after blackout and maintain 5-10ppm through the following week.
What can I use to add nitrates to my tank ?
My suggestion is slowdown a bit :)
I notice your tank is new and still trying to get the feel of itself. Patient is the key here. You are experiencing an algae cycle right now. It is common to everyone so don't panic. The more things you change/add might even prolong the cycle.
BGA (bacteria) is an indicator that your tank is dirty.
Other algae means that you have imbalance nutrience in the tank or too much nutrience and light and not enough plant and/or CO2.
So, first thing first. Finish your cycle while syphoning the BGA with airline tubing, you don't want to do too much water change since you are cycling.
When you are done cycling, you might still have the BGA issue, check your filtration, feeding, amount of fish, water change schedule, etc. You need to find the root cause.
After that attack the real algae issue. Many threads on this board address that.
SAE and shrimp are band aid solution, unless you like them to be there permanently.
Ok today I came home, measured water params, and I think my cycle is complete.
Ammonia was maintained (seeded) at 2-3ppm through the cycle, nitrites spiked 4 days ago and today read 0. NO3 dropped from 5 to 2.5ppm in those 4 days.
I would appreciate advise on the best course of action at this point.
There is a few things that need to be addressed, I'm not sure in what order.
- water change (not done since beginning of cycle)
- filter cleanup (not done since beginning of cycle)
- blackout to get rid of BGA / BBA
- increase NO3 (Tom Barr suggests that low NO3, as in my case, are a common cause of BGA)
- start dosing macros & micros for my live plants (I put 1 solid tab of Flourish under each plant 4 weeks ago, that's all)
- find good balance of light / nutrients / CO2 (how?)
- introduce fish (do I need maintain 2-3ppm ammonia until I introduce fish ? even during blackout ?)
I understand why Toss tells me to slowdown :-[ ::)
this is off-topic, but.. can I / should I rename a thread ? I don't want to pollute the forums with dozens of newbie threads, and I try to keep ongoing discussion together even though it diverges from the initial post. For instance, this post here is no longer about "Algea ID" as the title suggests. Let me know if I should better organize myself to this regard.
A few suggestions:
(1)Yes it would be better to give each topic it`s own home/thread,makes for easier reference .
(2) If i`m reading your latest post correctly, you are saying your ammonia is maintained @ 2-3 PPM?, if so your cycle is not over, a cycle is complete when your readings are 0 PPm Ammonia-0 PPM Nitrites & some reading of Nitrates - another observation is the unlikely dropping of your Nitrates without any water change etc & i suspect you don't have enough plant mass in your tank to uptake Nitrates that fast.
(4) Blackout`s does not have any impact on BBA
(5) You will probably get better advise if you provide some more details of your set up - size of tank- type of lights- qty& name of plants -how you are dosing co2 ( DIY?), that info will give a better indication as to if you need to dose anything.
Just my thoughts.
(2) I maintained 2-3ppm ammonia only by seeding. It now drops from 2-3 to 0ppm within 24h, and until today, I would reseed 2-3ppm when it reached 0. I haven't yet seeded today since both ammonia and nitrites are 0 (end of cycle).
(4) Good to know. I'll read the forums for a proper BBA cure.
(1) and (5) -> Let's move the discussion to this more aptly named thread (http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=42366.0).
Thank you all for the much appreciated advise ! The community here is awsome 8)
What would you guys suggest to cleanup spotty algea on Anubias' leaves ?
I think I got a better balance of light vs CO2 vs nutrients now. BBA is gone, so is BGA. But the spotty algea I cannot get rid of. I tried to gently remove it with a toothbrush but I won't dislodge, and I don't want to damage the plants either. I am now worried that it's going to starve the Anubias from light & CO2. They don't seem to be doing that well.
I know this subject as come around a fair amount of time, but it's also one for which I've received the most contradictory advice.
Can I, or can I not mix algea-eating fish/snails with Fancytail Goldfish ?
- SAE: maybe. I think it's my best chance, though some say they can get aggressive.
- CAE: no. Everyone says they are very aggressive.
- Plecos & Otos: some say they will suck the slimcoat off of goldies
- Snails: some say they will cleanup gravel, ornaments and glass, but NOT live plants.
- Loaches: I have no clue.
If any of the above is a viable possibility, please enlight me on which species. There are many types of Plecos, Otos and Snails, not sure which ones are good to cleaning up live plants.
Thanks in advance.