massive algae problems

[hillmar]

Need advice on how to deal with this massive algae problem. I have very large windows in my living room where my 90 gallon discus tank sits and there is algae everywhere. Its getting so bad that algae even starts to solidify the silica sand. I usually clean up this sand 2-3 times a week but it seems to be getting worst every month. The water is crystal clear but everything else is just dark green. I've had a regular BN pleco in there, that passed away a few months ago( had him for about 6 months) and a L240 Vampire that only lasted 2 months in there. I'm not sure if its the Discus temps (84.5) or the silica sand that did them in. All my discus, cardinals, and even cory cats are doing great and have out lived the pleco's.
pleco's were getting HBH algae wafers and all the left over bloodworms/brine shrimps they can eat left over from the discus.

[Tarobot]

iono if amano shrimps would work in this case but, cant you get bristlenose plecos and just not feed it any wafer and see if it'll just eat the algae? or a sandstirrer of somesort perhaps? maybe even malaysian trumpet snails for sand stirring.

[hillmar]

I'm not sure if the amano shrimps will survive if some of my big discus decide to take a bite on them. As for snails, I'm worried that I would end up with a snail infestation problem, or filter clogging issues. I could retry a team of bn pleco's but it's like sending out a army not knowing if it's to their death.

[mdwflyer]

What can you do to control the light situation? Blinds?

[2wheelsx2]

The reason your plecos have been passing is that many plecos are not really that compatible with high protein diets that are suitable for discus. And bloodworms have been documented anecdotally by various people as causing problems with plecos. Anyway, your main concern is the algae, and realistically the way to control it is to have blinds in place, move the tank, or cover up the tank during daylight hours. Not only do you get excessive light, but your temp fluctuation must be tremendous too.

[waynet]

Wow. I have some thread algae on my java moss in my CRS tank and I am having so hard time getting rid of it. I got four Amano Shrimps and moved the java moss to the Amano Shrimps tank and they did a good job. But in the process I may have damaged a couple of berried females that hid in the cracks of the wood with the moss and they dropped out onto the floor.

My experience with Algae is that they are so hard to be removed.

Looking at this scary algae problem you are having, you might as well move your fish somewhere for awhile and clean the whole tank and equipment yourself.

[tang daddy]

The algae on the substrate is bacteria driven and very similar to a saltwater bacteria otherwise known as cyano, almost the same as blue green slime but abit different. It is very hard to get rid of this bacteria without medication although you have discus which can be sensitive to the fish.

The main reasons for this type of bacteria to thrive is excessive nitrates, uneaten food and poor flow. Because you have discus you have to feed more so even if you correct the problem it may return in time. Having the substrate agitated may help this bacteria from settling although it still remains in the sand.

As for the ornaments and plant it looks like bba also contributed to excess nutrients and low flow. You could try using abit of excel or metricide as this is and antibacterial fungicide, other than this maybe adding more flow to the substrate so that the cyano cant get a chance to settle and I am guessing that when you feed you can turn off the flow that is directed toward the substrate.

Hope this helps!

[hillmar]

I usually have very low nitrate readings in my tank.... ( was concerned a few months back)

Also I'm running dual spray bars with 2 canister filters. A XP3 and a 2028, the amount of flow is pretty good since some of my cardinal tetra swim at a angle sometimes gettting around.
The problem seems to stem around the side closes to the window, the other side doesn't have this algae problem. The windows have blinds already but they are HUGE windows (17 feet tall)......



btw you see the plant that is next to the fish tank .... it's growing so fast that it will reach 10 feet tall real soon, just so much light. I have no where else to put the tank......

[Petah]

I had a cyanobacteria issue awhile ago and i did the blackout option for 5 days. THe cyanobateria is gone, and it's much safer than using meds. I just fed and checked on the fish at night, to make sure no sunlight gets into the tank. My tank is still clean of cyanobacteria to date.

Good luck

[2wheelsx2]

In a planted tank with dosing and lots of light, cyano will appear if your nitrates are too LOW, not the other way around. I had this massive problem when I first kept cichlids. Eventually I dosed EI and injected CO2 and the problem went away.