ALGEA

Question
QUESTION: A FRIEND OF MINE GAVE ME A BIG TANK ABOUT 20 OR 25 GALLON TANK AND I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALGEA REFORMING IN IT. I HAD FISH ( FANCY GUPPIES ABOUT 6 OR 8)IN IT FOR ABOUT CLOSE TO A YEAR AND I AM DOWN TO 1 FISH SO I DON'T WANT TO PUT MORE IN IT TIL I CAN GET SOME KNOWLAGE ON WHAT IS WRONG AND HOW TO START FRESH. I HAVE NEVER HAD A TANK BEFORE BUT I REALLY DO LIKE THEM. I DON'T KNOWWHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR WHAT COULD CAUSE IT. I THOUGHT MAYBE THE LIGHTING OR THE FILTER SYSTEM AS THEY ARE OLD. THE FILTER IS A WISPER SYSTEM. AND THE LIGHTING IS NOT TRUE TO THE TANK. BUT THEN I THOUGHT MAYBE IT IS DESEASED. HOW CAN I CLEAN IT RIGHT TO START AGAIN.

ANSWER: Hi Pat
Few questions first....
Is it green cloudy water, or is it on the decorations and glass?  What color is it?
Is it hair like and stringy or look like a carpet of algae?

I ask, because there's several types of algae with different causes.

So you currently have 1 one fish in the tank correct?  
And, how often do you do water changes?

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It is on the class and decorations. It is a dark green.When I first set the tank up I put new gravel and greenery (artifical)in it but I used a big rock,a water wheel,a ceramic rock like house,and the old tubing.when i washed them i didn't use any thing on them just water and a brush. Then I put that start right  allantoin in it for clorine. let it set then a few days and got 6 or 7 fish. I lost 2 then a few weeks later I lost 2 more I thought at first it was the fish was stressed out then when I lost the other 2 it bothered me and I thought well I will wait to see what happens. The other 3 was ok but the algae started forming and It is right in the middle of the tank on the sides on each end it wasn't there. So I cleaned the tank out but I just took the fish out and wiped the sides off and rubbed the gravel together with my hands and took the stuff out and washed them with clean water and a brush and took the net and got any algae I could and let it filter each time I have cleaned it. Then I put new filters in it. The other 3 had been doing fine but the algae came back again after about 1 1/2 month later. Then I lost 2 more and it needs to be cleaned again now so I was going to just start over again and I need to know if the tank is contaminated or how should I go about it or should I just get rid of it all together. I lost the last 2 a little before christmas. It seems like it needs to be cleaned every couple of months is this the way it is as to how often I will have to clean it or is it something more. And yes I have just 1 fish left. but I don't want to buy any more until I can figure out what I am doing wrong. My friend said it did that when they had it.

Answer
Hi Pat
That sounds kind of normal really.  How long do you leave the tank light on for?  With no live plants in the tank, the light should be on for about 6-8 hours only.  With live plants, about 10-12 hours is usually good.  

Is the tank receiving direct sunlight?  If so, that can cause algae to grow.  If that's the case, either move the tank,or put up some blinds or curtains to block the direct sunlight.

How often do you do water changes?  For a normal stocked tank, that's fully cycled, weekly water changes along with a weeklygravel vacuum should be done.  I usually recommend changing out about 25% of the water each week.  Leftover food in the gravel and fish waste can cause high nutrient levels, as well as high nitrate levels-which can cause algae to grow.  

Since the algae is growing on the glass and decorations, some people opt for buying a "cleaner" fish, like plecos or even snails to consume the algae.  Say your tank is 20 gallons to be on the safe side, you could add one of the smaller varieties of plecos, a rubber lip, or a bristlenose pleco or a clown pleco to the tank to keep the algae in check.  Also, a Siamese algae eater(not Chinese algae eater, there is a difference) would work great as well. But, they're usually pretty good about keeping the algae cleared almost too good, and will require supplemental feedings of algae wafers and/or veggies like cucumbers, squash, romaine lettuce.  

Or, you could just keep manually removing it.  Those magnetic algae scrapers work pretty good for keeping it off the glass.  That along with the frequent water changes, and reduction in light(if needed) should help.  

Now, not sure how you meant cleaning it, but you don't ever want to completely break down the tank and give it a "good cleaning".   What that will do is kill off all your beneficial bacteria that's grown in the tank, and then you'll end up with ammonia problems.  Like I said, weekly water changes of 25% along with a good gravel vacuum weekly are sufficient, and either a small cleaner fish, or you cleaning it is all that's needed.  For the filter pads, I recommend only rinsing them off in a bucket of used tank water, usually once a month is good, and only replacing them every 3 months or so.  Again, that's back to the beneficial bacteria, since most of that grows in the filter media.  In case you're not familiar with it, here's a link that explains all about the cycle process or nitrogen cycle of a fish tank.  That's what I"m talking about with the beneficial bacteria and ammonia, it's the first article on the link:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

With the other fish that died, I dont' think it was related to the algae.  Fish actually love the algae, it doesn't bother them at all.  It's the people that have a problem with the algae.  Here's a link about algae as well, explains a bit more of what I just said:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/algae/a/attackalgae.htm

I think the other fish may have died more along the lines of water quality issues possibly, but it's hard to say without knowing those readings.  I would also recommend picking up a test kit that tests ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and ph.  API brand makes one, it's a liquid dropper test kit-which is better then the dipstick test kits, for about 30.00 at the store.  You'll want your ammonia and nitrite readings to always be 0 ppm, and nitrates under 20 ppm.  Again, this is related back to that cycle process I mentioned.  And, doing the frequent water changes keeps those levels in check.  I don't think your tank is contaminated, sounds fine.

Hope that helps, and let me know if you have more questions, especially regarding that cycle process information.

Christy