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Algae in Freshwater
Frequently Asked Questions
  

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  What causes algae?

Algae is caused by excessive nutrients in the water.  These nutrients come from fish food and fish poop.  When high nutrient levels combine with light, they act like fertilizer and cause algae to grow.
 

  
  What can I do to control excess green algae ?

Algae is typically caused by a combination of excessive nutrients (from overfeeding and infrequent water changes) and excessive lighting.  To help prevent algae, change at least 30% of your water once a month and feed every other day only what the fish will consume in 2 minutes.  Also, keep your lighting to a maximum of 8 hours a day.  You can best control this by putting the light on a timer.

If you are following all of these steps, but you still have algae, consider adding an algae eater such as a Plecostomus, otocinclus, or other algae eating fish.  Invertebrates such as snails and shrimp are also an option for many tanks.  Be sure to find the right fish or invertebrate for your setup as not all fish and invertebrates get along.

Having good cleaning tools is also helpful.  NorthSide Aquatics recommends  the use of Mag Floats to keep algae off of the glass.  We also have a number of special scrapers and brushes to help clean other surfaces.
 

  
 
Are there any products that I can use to treat algae?

Yes.  NorthSide recommends two products:

Purigen:

Purigen is a synthetic resin that acts like carbon, in that it absorbs organic waste (fish poop - ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate). What makes Purigen better than carbon is that it does not leach phosphate. Cheap carbon leaches tons of phosphate. Good carbon leaches some phosphate. Purigen leaches none, because it does not contain phosphate.

Purigen polishes the water, making it crystal clear. Better still, you can regenerate Purigen by using bleach and water. You will know when it is time to regenerate Purigen because it darkens as it is used up. Follow the directions on the package to regenerate it with bleach, soak in tap water with Prime to dechlorinate it, then throw it right back into your filter.

Using Purigen from the beginning can help to lessen the algae you get during the algae cycle as the aquarium is setting itself up.

Purigen can be run continuously, but remember to remove it if you are medicating as it can pull out medication.

Purigen does not remove trace elements and it significantly increases the REDOX potential. The REDOX potential is basically the measurement of an aquarium's ability to rid itself of waste material. The higher the REDOX potential, the easier it is for your aquarium to support life.

 

  

Algone:

Algone is an all natural product that you add to your filter.  It comes in a bag and is easily added to the filter by dropping it in any canister, hang on the back style filter, or sump.

Algone produces a natural algaecide that is safe for use in fresh and saltwater.

Algone protects and enhances bio-availability of trace elements, assimilates organic and in-organic pollutants and toxins, energizes microbial activity, corrects nutrient imbalances, breaks down carbohydrates, protein, fat and other water pollutants, and restores the chemical and biological balance of the aquarium.

It is safe for fish, plants, algae eaters, snails, coral, live rock, polyps, invertebrates, etc.

Algone enhances the environment of oxidizing (nitrifying) bacteria and promotes a higher dissolved oxygen content in the aquarium.

 
 
Why is my water green?

Green Water, a condition that causes an aquarium to look like it is filled with pea soup, is caused by a unicellular algae that is generally introduced from common tap water.  When high nutrient levels from overfeeding or infrequent water changes meet with excessive light, green water is usually produced.  Green Water is a very tough condition to control once you have it.  It is far easier to prevent than it is to treat.  Ironically, for a water condition that looks so bad, it is not harmful to the fish.  The high nutrient levels that cause it, however, are harmful.

    Prevention of Green Water is simple. 

    1.  Keep your feeding to a minimum.  Feed once every other day and do not feed more than the
         fish will consume in 2 minutes. 

    2.  Do not run your lights for more than 8 hours at a time.   

    3.  Do REGULAR water changes of AT LEAST 30%.  Regular means at least every month. 
         At least 30% means that is the recommended minimum water needed to reduce the nutrient
         levels by a significant amount.  The way to tell how much water you should change is by testing
         the nitrate levels in your aquarium.  If the nitrates are higher than 40 ppm (parts per million),
         you should do a larger water change. 

The recommended treatment:  UV Sterilization

Green water often comes right back after it seems to have gone away as a result of treatment.  The one cure that works without fail is the use of a UV sterilizer.  This kills the algae on a continuous basis and can produce results in a matter of hours.  UV sterilizers are very safe and introduce no chemicals to the water.  They also have the added benefit of killing free swimming parasites in the water. 

As with any aquarium setup, you should be certain to have a good filter with biomedia (such as bio wheels or ceramic rings) on your aquarium to house the beneficial bacteria that fight ammonia.  Failure to have a good filter in combination with the use of a UV filter can result in a deadly ammonia spike because UV light does not discriminate between good and bad bacteria.

Other methods to try to treat for Green Water:

Use an algaecide such as AlgaeFix, turn off the lights, and do frequent water changes to reduce the excessive nutrient levels.  Some people have reported results from using Crystal Clear to help coagulate the algae and remove it through the filter.  While a few people might see results from this approach, it is very likely that the condition will return repeatedly.

Always remember that you should follow dosage directions when adding algaecides and water clarifiers.  You can kill your fish if you overdose!

 

  
 


 

  
  I have black fuzzy algae EVERYWHERE!  HELP!

This is a very pesky algae known as Blackbeard Algae.  It usually starts out as little tiny tufts of black fuzz that soon grow to cover everything in sight. Common algae control products do not typically help with this condition.  There are 2 options for ridding your tank of this pest and both can be dangerous to your tank's inhabitants if not done properly.
 Method 1

Remove decorations and other affected objects and bleach them in a separate container.  Be sure to soak them in freshwater after removing them from the bleach and then add a dechlorinator such as Prime to that water.  Let the bleached objects soak in the dechlorinator for some time before returning them to the tank.  NorthSide recommends having 2 sets of decorations so that one can soak while a clean set is put in the aquarium.  That way, there is plenty of time for the decorations to become chlorine free before you put them back in the tank.

Why Method 1 is dangerous:
Obviously it involves using bleach which can kill the fish when the bleached items are returned to the tank.  The less obvious reason this is dangerous is that many people are tempted to bleach EVERYTHING.  Do not attempt to bleach everything at once because it kills off good bacteria that help to rid your tank of dangerous ammonia.  The sudden removal of the biological filter can result in the death of your fish.

Method 2

Use Flourish Excel by Seachem.  Flourish Excel is technically a plant fertilizer for aquarium plants that is effective at treating BlackBeard Algae.   If you would like to use this method, please be advised that the use of this product with scaleless fish and invertebrates such as snails and shrimp can be deadly, especially if used at dosage levels exceeding the recommended dosage. 

Why Method 2 is dangerous:
Using any product other than the way it is labeled can result in a tank full of dead fish and other inhabitants. 

 
     

7610 Counts Massie Rd.
Maumelle, AR 72113
 501-803-3434
store@nsaquatics.com
 
  

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