Algae in spawning tank

[bigfin]

I have a problem with algae in my spawning tank. I just can`t get rid of it. The tank is in a garage, so no direct sunlight. I changed the water numerous times, but to no avail. I put green away into the tank, and within an hour my fav betta from Roxy was dead. help

[charliem177]

firstly, green away is only for micro scopic algae 'suspended' in the water and im going to assume that the algae is probably growing on the glass as opposed to pea soup water? if so, dont use it - green away is not a solution to green glass, ive bought it in the past thinking it was a quick way to clean aquairum glass but it definitely isnt.

Algae only grows if there is an abundance of nitrates which is a direct result of waste in the tank. Once algae has got a hold in a tank it is difficult to get rid of it completely however...

1, change the water some more!
2, put a load of fast growing floating plants (duck weed or similar) or normal plants in the tank to absorb the excess nitrates
3, if your filter isnt cycled properly and the water wasnt clean enough, meaning that a chemical test shows ammonia and nitrites present in the water (im going to assume you have a sponge filter in the tank - if you dont get one you may have had an explosion of nitrifying bacteria in the tank which has suddenly converted the nitrites etc into nitrates which has caused the algae problem.
4, start again. Clean the tank out completely, ensure your filter is matured.
5, never use chemicals in spawning tanks if you dont have to - my advise, never use green away in a fry tank - firstly it doesnt work on the alage attached to the glass and the algae itself is a good thing for fry, it will encourage the growth of infusioria which the fry will feed on in the first couple of days of becoming free swimming.

hope this helps

charlie

[charliem177]

p.s. im really sorry to hear about your dead fish, i really doubt your betta will have died from the addition of green away but i would check your water quality, algae can be a sign of poor water and that might have killed the betta - get a simple ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tester kit if you dont have one just for peace of mind in the future. its amazing how quickly water quality can get really bad if something happens to the bacteria in the filter, even with frequent water changes!

cheers

[bigfin]

Thanks for that. The water was like thin soup, with just a little on the glass. I`ve used water from my big tank, with the filter and plants, and see how it goes.

[charliem177]

good luck hope thing improve!

[Roxane]

I sell the 9W UV Sterilisers (£24.99 including postage on ebay.) They are fantastic! I had real problems with green water in my fry tank too. So thought it wouldbe a good ideal to test what i'm selling. The tank was pure green. Within 5 days of adding the steriliser the tank was crystal clear. Also, it kills off any unwanted bateria in there too. I swear by them!


Roxy

[charliem177]

uv sterilisers or clarifiers are amazing bits of kit and definitely worth investing in! (as long as you connect them up on the outflow from the pump