How to Control Algae in Your Aquarium
It is impossible to eliminate algae altogether, and you should not be frustrated by the persistent nature of algae to accumulate. What you can do is control the condition under which plant life and fish thrives and algae does not. First, how much light are you allowing into your tank area? If you have light for more than ten hours a day, you are assisting algae grow in your tank, so don’t keep the lights on 24-7. You can purchase algae eating fish if that would fit with your aquarium’s motif. Some fish types that consume algae are three breeds of suckermouth catfish, the Ancistrus, Peckoltia, and Otocinlus. In addition, the Siamese Algae Eater, Crossocheilus siamensis is a great choice for controlling the algae in your tank. If you have a large tank, then the Common Plec is a good choice as well. But they are aggressive fish and do grow to huge size. Saltwater fish that are excellent for algae consumption are most tangs/surgeon fish, or any grazer.
The next step in controlling algae is to consistently change the water itself. By doing this, you are controlling the nutrient levels in the tank, which is crucial. Controlling nitrates, phosphates, and silicates are especially important. Another thing to look for is how you are controlling the iron in the tank. You can include different kinds of plants in your setup so they will compete for iron and other nutrients algae feeds off of in order to how a low opportunity for algae to survive.
Your first battle is likely to be with brown algae, or diatoms, because it appears first by siphoning silicon from the new aquarium tank itself, and unlike other stages of algae, it is unaffected by low lighting levels, so controlling light will not stop it from thriving. You can effectively combat it by changing water and gravel often. Diatoms thrive in conditions where phosphate is low and silicon is high, and this is generally what your scenario will be when you first start your aquarium. As time progresses and the environment changes, brown algae is usually replaced by green algae, because green algae thrives in a higher phosphate environment.
Green algae is apparently delicious and the best way to get rid of it is to bring in those algae eating catish and/or Siamese. Combined with keeping your aquarium only lit for a maximum of ten hours a day and simple manual removal of clumps of green algae, you can control what is typically the most usual and common algae growth in your aquarium.
Red Algae, or Brush, is a real problem because it is difficult to remove manually and most fish won’t eat it. Take care of this pesky nuisance by changing your water to RO/DI water and let your Siamese fish tackle it.
Blue Algae, or Cynobacteria, have photosynthesis, meaning the more light, the more it thrives. It is extremely harmful to both plants, by smothering, and fish, by poisoning. Treat your aquarium with erythromycin but be sure you know what you are doing, as you will need to check for ammonia and nitrate.
Richard Gilliland
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-control-algae-in-your-aquarium-694858.html
What is the best way to control my aquarium's ph levels?
I have a 30 gallon tank and am fighting a losing battle against low PH levels. I was trying to adjust it in with Ph UP and balancers, but it seems to not have the effect that I need, as it continually drops until I treat it again. The low ph level has had a very negative effect on my ability to grow plants for my aquarium.
I have no other problems with my tank, other than an algae bloom that I defeated successfully about 2 months ago. I do regular 20 to 25% water changes about every 10 days to 2 weeks and change the filter (I use Ammo Carb, so Ammonia isn’t an issue) as soon as I notice that the water flow begins to taper off.
I have 4 Neons, 11 Tetras(Various breeds), 1 Emerald Cory and a Betta. I know that it’s a little crowded and hope that it’s not an issue if I keep the tank well-maintained.
Hope that this is enough information and look forward to your answers.
OK Holey rock will help stabilize it you can it is at you local pet shop. It is a white dusty rock with lots of holes in it. There is also a substrate that will help . It is live gravel like you would put in a saltwater but for fresh water. They make it specify to help pH, also at local pet shop. I can’t remember the name for it but if you ask someone in the fish dept they should know. Hope this helps.
References :
avid aquariun buff, proud owner of 2 healthy 75gallon, and 1 healthy15 gallon
There are many reasons why your pH keeps going down. Are you using CO2? CO2 can be one reason why your pH goes down. It could also be from your fishes since you have a large group. It makes the water more soft, thus decreasing ph. You can try putting crushed coral to raise it. But you have to keep testing the pH.
References :
The best idea is to leave it alone as long as the pH is 6.0 or higher. If it is lower than that, I would suggest a small amount of crushed coral in the filter. Maybe about 1/4 cup if that much. Once the hardness is up, the pH will stabilize at a higher level and also be easier to adjust. Remember though, this will require you to adjust and stabilize the hardness and pH of the replacement water for every water change and that can take a few days to happen.
Remember too that your fish love a low pH and plants from that area should do well i a pH down to 6.0 or even a little less.
Hope this helps and if I can help further drop me an email.
MM
References :
first check your food some foods may contain lemon extract as a flavor additive and as an antioxidant provider also check your ammo carb to see if it says anything about pH fluctuation. Low means acidic in pH so to give some base properties to your tank like baking soda but only a little baking soda is a strong base(13). remove your fish during the process because the lower the level of your pH will differ the reaction between the acid and base like vinegar and baking soda but if your tanks pH is as low as vinegar (2) you’d have lemon seasoned fish. also remember every pH level is sixty times stronger or sixty times weaker depending which way you go.
References :
Usually, the only reason the Ph keeps dropping would be one of the following: too much CO2 if you are using it for plants, not enough carbonate hardness to buffer the water, too much waste decaying in the tank (ie. overfeeding, overpoulation, under filtering)
References :
20+ years in the aquarium business
Well the water you are using is low the only way to keep the ph up is to continue dosing. Consider it part of your routine maintenance.
References :
best way to control PH level is to balance the water by adding 1/4 reverse osmosis water to your tank, then add PH up to the tank water. This will save your plants and less stress on your fish. Don’t have to worry about PH level dropping again. If you do regular water changes, then disgard the ammonia. You will need to buy a RO filter from a water source store, Home depot, cheapest place to get one….ebay.
References :