Algae Outbreak?

[Emperios]

The size of my tank is 40 x 30 x 30 . A rather small tank and I am using Aquasoil Amazonia + power sand special + Tourmaline BC.
My filtration is Eheim 2213 + Bio Rio + NA Carbon.

I apply brighty K daily and do water change every 3 days or so.
I am also using CO2 system with UP-Aqua Pro z series lighting.

This algae outbreak happen last weekend as I was not able to monitor my tank for one day because I had confinement from charging my phone using power bank.

When I reached home, some of my rocks and sand were covered in algae. Some algae was even pearling!

I added in 2 RC Shrimp and 2 yamato shrimp to deal with it but it looks like it's still there.
I was told to add in 1 SAE and 4 otocinclus.
Added them ASAP but the next morning a few of them died and I'm left with just 2 Oto...
Any idea what i should do now?

[Urban Aquaria]

How long was the tank setup for and is it fully cycled yet? Brown diatoms and filamentous algae are very common in new tank setups that are still cycling.

Otos are good at consuming brown algae and shrimps are good at clearing filamentous algae.

But you should wait until the tank is fully cycled, then add in algae eaters to help clear up algae, otherwise they will keep falling ill and dying due to the fluctuating toxic parameters. Algae eaters can't do their jobs well if tank conditions are still unstable.

In the meantime, reduce light duration as your plant density is still very low... all that extra light is just shining on bare substrate and helping to grow algae instead.

Adding more plants (especially fast growing and floating types) will also help to soak up the excess nutrients that your other plants are not using.

[Dylan Chin]

I would say, reduce CO2 and light usage. Your algae outbreak looks serious

[skytan]

Since no one mention it yet.
Do abit of manual removal maybe?

And check if there is any dead livestock hidden somewhere?

[Emperios]

Ahhhh . I did water changing today. Tried to scrub off some of the algae...
I suppose my lighting might be too much....
Do I have to stop using CO2 or keep at 1 bubble per sec?

[Urban Aquaria]

Ahhhh . I did water changing today. Tried to scrub off some of the algae...
I suppose my lighting might be too much....
Do I have to stop using CO2 or keep at 1 bubble per sec?

You should still maintain Co2 injection in the tank, it'll help with plant growth... in fact, most people actually increase Co2 injection during the initial start-up period to accelerate plant growth.

But since you have already introduced livestock into the tank, you'll have to moderate the Co2 injection so that its still at safe levels for the fishes and shrimps.

Don't just rely on guesswork, use a drop checker to monitor the Co2 levels and make sure they are at ideal range.

[Emperios]

I do use Drop Checker with 4kdh solution for reference.
It's still in green but the Oto doesn't last long.. Only 2 survived out of 6......
This is a waste of my money haha...

[Urban Aquaria]

I do use Drop Checker with 4kdh solution for reference.
It's still in green but the Oto doesn't last long.. Only 2 survived out of 6......
This is a waste of my money haha...

Yeah, otos don't fare too well in a tank that is still cycling. Hopefully you can top up their numbers later once the tank parameters are more stable.

[Emperios]

Another question.
how would I know if my tank is cycled enough??

[Urban Aquaria]

Another question.
how would I know if my tank is cycled enough??

You'll need to use a set of test kits (ie. API Freshwater Master Test Kit) to measure and check the parameters.

The test kit should measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Once the ammonia and nitrite measurements are zero (and stay consistently zero) and only nitrate shows readings, then the tank can be considered cycled.

[Emperios]

API Freshwater Master Test Kit is it very easy to use ?
I did saw this product several times before but I was unsure of how good it is and how is it feasible for my usage....

Furthermore, how much does this cost ?
Can you please advise?
Thanks =D

[Dylan Chin]

API Freshwater Master Test Kit is it very easy to use ?
I did saw this product several times before but I was unsure of how good it is and how is it feasible for my usage....

Furthermore, how much does this cost ?
Can you please advise?
Thanks =D

I think it's easy to use, however its a bit expensive. But if you look at it in the long run, its a worthy buy

[Urban Aquaria]

API Freshwater Master Test Kit is it very easy to use ?
I did saw this product several times before but I was unsure of how good it is and how is it feasible for my usage....

Furthermore, how much does this cost ?
Can you please advise?
Thanks =D

Its relatively easy to use, just mix 5ml of tank water with the prescribed drops of reagent in the supplied test tubes, shake well and see the color results (its the common method as with all liquid test kits).

A set can do a few hundred tests so it works out quite economical over time.

Only thing is some people might be color blind, so they may have difficulty differentiating the colors, then just have to get family and friends to help check the results.

The API Freshwater Master test kit usually retails for around S$40-$50 (depending on the shop). I ordered mine online from an overseas eBay seller, so managed to get it abit cheaper, it can be worth doing a quick check online to find good deals.

[Emperios]

Its relatively easy to use, just mix 5ml of tank water with the prescribed drops of reagent in the supplied test tubes, shake well and see the color results (its the common method as with all liquid test kits).

A set can do a few hundred tests so it works out quite economical over time.

Only thing is some people might be color blind, so they may have difficulty differentiating the colors, then just have to get family and friends to help check the results.

The API Freshwater Master test kit usually retails for around S$40-$50 (depending on the shop). I ordered mine online from an overseas eBay seller, so managed to get it abit cheaper, it can be worth doing a quick check online to find good deals.

I went to Yishun Polyart to see. It cost $59.....
too expensive I guess

[Emperios]

Hi . As I thought NH4/NH3 & NO2 is more important. I bought them for test at home.
After 5minutes, it was indicated that the NH4/NH3 was at 0.25mg/L (Light yellow) and the NO2 was at below 0.25mg/L ( Light blue ).

Can anyone tell me the future my tank holds for now?
Thanks!

[Urban Aquaria]

Hi . As I thought NH4/NH3 & NO2 is more important. I bought them for test at home.
After 5minutes, it was indicated that the NH4/NH3 was at 0.25mg/L (Light yellow) and the NO2 was at below 0.25mg/L ( Light blue ).

Can anyone tell me the future my tank holds for now?
Thanks!

The ammonia and nitrite measurements indicate that your tank is still in the midst of cycling phase... you'll just have to let it complete cycling before adding in livestock.

If you still have livestock in the tank, do extra water changes to reduce the ammonia/nitrite levels and minimize their harmful effects.

Btw, although nitrate (NO3) is not as harmful to livestock at low levels, it can become toxic if allowed to accumulate to higher levels, so its still best to get a nitrate test kit too.

In addition, for planted tanks its good to test for nitrates to help determine if its too low (plant growth stunted, have to add more ferts) or too high (algae blooming, have to do more water changes to flush it out).

[Emperios]

Thanks ! I'm still a bit worried though . My HC cuba not sure is tying or not growing at all. It turned a bit yellowish. I suppose it's covered with algae. Any idea what should i do? Should i remove them all together?

[Urban Aquaria]

Thanks ! I'm still a bit worried though . My HC cuba not sure is tying or not growing at all. It turned a bit yellowish. I suppose it's covered with algae. Any idea what should i do? Should i remove them all together?

It's best to remove the yellowish/melting portions but keep the healthy green portions to support re-growth. For the algae, just try to manually remove as much as you can (without pulling out the plants).

Quite often algae tends to grow on melting plants because they are rotting and releasing nutrients back into the water column, so algae take advantage of those leached nutrients and thrive in those areas.

Usually shrimps will help to clear those types of algae that tangle amongst carpet plants, they can get into tiny spaces between small plants to consume bits of algae (way more effective than us using our hands and tools)... though how efficient they are at the algae removal work also depends on the rate of algae growth and the population of shrimps too (more shrimps = more algae eating power).

[Emperios]

It's best to remove the yellowish/melting portions but keep the healthy green portions to support re-growth. For the algae, just try to manually remove as much as you can (without pulling out the plants).

Quite often algae tends to grow on melting plants because they are rotting and releasing nutrients back into the water column, so algae take advantage of those leached nutrients and thrive in those areas.

Usually shrimps will help to clear those types of algae that tangle amongst carpet plants, they can get into tiny spaces between small plants to consume bits of algae (way more effective than us using our hands and tools)... though how efficient they are at the algae removal work also depends on the rate of algae growth and the population of shrimps too (more shrimps = more algae eating power).

Wah thanks teacher ! Hahaha.
I have 2 yamato and 3 red cherry shrimps in my tank. I'm not sure if they are effective.... And i'm not sure if my HC are rooted yet.... It's already been 3weeks

[Urban Aquaria]

Wah thanks teacher ! Hahaha.
I have 2 yamato and 3 red cherry shrimps in my tank. I'm not sure if they are effective.... And i'm not sure if my HC are rooted yet.... It's already been 3weeks

If it's 3 weeks since you planted the HC, then they should be rooted in by now (and they should already have transitioned to the new tank environment too)... you can check them by simply pulling out a small HC clump slightly and observe the root growth/density, then plant it back into the soil.

As for shrimp population numbers, just for reference, i usually stock minimum 50-60+ cherry shrimps in my 2ft planted tanks as part of standard algae management crew (along with otos and horned nerite snails).

The shrimps help keep all the plants clear of filamentous algae. In the case of my tanks, i've found that if the shrimp population are stocked below those numbers, their efficiency tends to drop significantly and algae starts to appear more noticeably.

A few shrimps may not make much of a difference, but a small army of them can work wonders. It's the magic of teamwork.