algea problem

[mistymists]

My guppy tank is overrun with green spots over the glass. I scrub it off, do 50% water changes and it just comes right back. Is there anything that eats it? Or something I can do to combat it?

[Chard56]

Close the drapes, blinds, curtains or whatever you have that lets sunlight into the room. The guppies should pick at the algae but Mollies would do a better job. Some of the smaller algae eaters (not the chinese algae eaters that get real big) might help. I have a 13 inch plecostamus in my female Betta sorority tank.

[Blue-Ram101]

Oto's do a good job too and don't get too big

[rpddink]

If its little hard light green dots 1-2 mm then its called "greeen spot algae". Caused by light and low po4 (phosphate) levels and/or a long photo period (lights on for too many hours in a row).

[mewickham]

That type of algae is really tough. I don't know of anything that can clean the glass of it, aside from a good razor blade.

[mistymists]

my tank get no outside light, and I only leave the lamp on for 8 hours a day. Do you think that's too much time? I'll have to take a photo of the tank when I get home, so you guys can see what I'm talking about. It's only on the glass, I'll try the razor blade trick maybe I'm just not scrapping it all the way off. I thought it was green spot algae and I read somewhere that if you let it go it'll form a thick sheet and come right off. Well this stuff isn't growing as fast as the site said it would so I'm super confused. I also read the Nerite snails will eat green spot algae, petco says they carry them but hasn't had them for the last month according to their specialist. I need to go check out some of the LFSs but I just haven't had time lately.

[rpddink]

well the forming a sheet thing is about green DUST algae ( a zoospore ) not greet spot algae. and nerites will not eat it (I have nerites and they will not eat it). you can leave lights on for up to 10 hours with no problems.

I use a fert. system that is based off of low po4 and when get green spot algae (gsa) I know my ferts are in the balance i want. It shows the relationship between the gsa and po4.

po4 needs to be between 0.3-0.5 to control this and co2 helps

do you have plants? What type of lights? how often do you feed? run co2?

[Blue-Ram101]

phosguard from seachem works wonders as well!! I have extra if you want to try some.

[rpddink]

wouldnt the phosguard lower the po4 level even further?

[Blue-Ram101]

It can take it down to almost 0, had the same problem in my tank, placed this in there for about a week, no more issues and you can resuse it several times.

[rpddink]

do you have live plants?

[Blue-Ram101]

Oh yes, my tank is heavily planted. Thats why you don't leave the phosguard in. really only supposed to leave in long enough to get the phosphate levels where you want then remove. Allowed me to get the algea in check and the plants showed no ill effects

[rpddink]

Cool!

[Blue-Ram101]

I had picked up a liter of it, so I have plenty extra a little of it goes a long way. Be more them happy to let you blyth have some to try. Its in free form so you need a fine mesh bag in order to place in the filter.