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Help, will an algae eater eat this?

I have this moss growing in my tank. The moss began only a few days after I added the TETRA AquaSafe product to help neutralize the chlorine in the tap water. This same problem occurred in my betta's breeding tank and I don't know why I still added it to this new tank. I created this tank to house my female bettas after mating bites and possible scratches. I have only had the tank going for the last two and a half weeks so it is really premature algae, I don't even know if it is algae. But, I don't want to risk my bettas health by dumping them into a bags only a few weeks after I just bought them, mated them, switched containers twice to place them in this tank, and now back out again.

It's killing my plants. Which is a sign for me that it is not Algae. I am afraid it will be harmful to my fish if I don't get them out soon. But, does anyone recognize this? Could an algae eater take care of it or something like a frog, snail, or even pill? Thanks for your time!

Moss_Gravel.jpg


Moss_Plants.jpg
 
What you have is Bluegreen algae which is actualy a Cyanobacteria. It is toxic, so you shouldn't eat it
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and as a result most fish will not touch it. Some catfish will break it up though. Generaly it comes about from having to much Nitrate in your tank. The best cure is lots of water changes and siphoning out as much as possible. You can also use an antibiotic like erythromycin, after all it is a bacteria. But I would try the natural way first, at least two 30% water changes a week. I would not wory to much about the health of your fish, but do try to get rid of it.

George
 
George, by just changing the water will it go away from the rocks and the plants or do I need to remove those and wash them off? Or is your advice just a little advice on how to keep the nitrate levels down in the future?

Thanks for the ID by the way! The pet stores around here didn't have a CLUE about my descriptions of my turqouise algae. You've helped me out ALOT! Thanks!
 
grrrr... I had these annoying pests once... thought it was just algea... anyways, I got that algea killer stuff from the petstore, and it didn't do a thing except kill the plants and the biological bacteria! so I ended up using methyline blue. you should try that, it works really good.

Also, a 20% water change a day for a week or two should solve the problem. Also, do a gravel cleaning with each water change, that way you get all the little buggers sucked out!

good luck!
 
For my excess algae, I have a non-toxic and cheap method of cleaning.
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Use a sponge or toothbrush for the plants,large rocks,equipment, and sides of tank. For smaller gravel, what works for me is using a metal or hard plastic food strainer. You can swish the rocks around with your hand and water, having them grind against each other will remove much of the algae.
 
thistle,

Thanks for the advice.

Spec,

Where can I find Methyline Blue? Is it labeled simply that at a pet store?
 
It might be sold as a product but it could also be part of another product that has it and other bacteria killers. Personally, I try to use as few chemicals as possible, as it can destroy "good" bacteria. You could replace gravel or clean it manually or you can do all three and purchase plecostomus catfishes. They do a decent job of keeping algae cleaned up. Snails end up being a nuisance in of themselves. Then you'll need to get rid of them!
 
Jim,

are these plecostomus catfishes the white ones? Like this:

TheFish_whitectfish_650.jpg


I have only one so far...should I get more?
 
The position of the fish as caught on the picture wasn't easy to discern, but to me, it looks like an albino cory cat. they are not algae eating fish. They more root through substrate to find bits and pieces of food. Plecostomus, like the Chinese Algae Eater and Otocynclus cats all have sucker shaped mouths. they grow large and last a long time. Any place that sells fish will have them. Get one that is three inches or longer. If you can avoid chemicals and clean things manually, that would help.
 
  • #10
Seeing how fast this plant grows, i would take the methyline blue into thought. by sunday, the stuff is going to spread to the filter and kill the bacteria anyways
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  • #11
Seeing how fast this plant grows, i would take the methyline blue into thought. by sunday, the stuff is going to spread to the filter and kill the biological bacteria anyways, and it's already killed the bio bacteria in the gravel
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  • #12
I have dealt with the dreaded "cyanobacteria" as well..
(also commonly called "blue-green algae")
its the worst!
nasty stuff..
as other have said, its not really algae, its bacteria..
and the tetra chlorine drops had nothing to do with it..it came in with something you got a fish shop..most likely plants.

IMO the only thing that will sucessfully kill this is Erythromycin.
which can be bought at fish shops as "Maracyn"
(NOT Maracyn 2! they arent the same thing..)
I used it and it worked..you do need to watch ammonia levels, it might harm the biofilter, but shouldnt kill it outright..
here are some articles:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cyanobacteria.html

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9901/msg00495.html

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/algae_erythromycin.html
 
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