General Care Discussion :: Green algae vs UVB light

[smurfette]

Hey! As a new turtle owner, I keep running into problems that I don't know how to solve?! This week's problem: I have green algae growing in my tank. I have changed the water, and am using an adequate filter for the size of my tank. I thought that it might be a sign that my UVB light is no longer producing UVB rays, but I am not sure. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

[BullDog]

Does the tank happen to be near a window? I know that is a sure-fire way to get algae.

[megcornell]

I think that UVB light actually stimulates algae growth so I don't think the growth is connected to the light NOT working.
Is the tank anywhere near natural sunlight?
Usually UVB bulbs are good for about 6 months, that's a good guide for when to replace them.

[smurfette]

No, the tank isnt near a window, and since its really cold here, I keep the blinds closed all the time too. So it cant be that. Thanks for the tip about replacing the bulb, I didn't know that!

[mikee]

smurf – In the first place, if you have algae, it is hard to get rid of. The location of you tank may be an issue. If it is near a window with direct of indirect sun light that will help the algae grow. If your algae are/is established the uvb is more of help than a deterrent but it is not a big factor. When you say that the filter is sized to the tank, what do you mean? Your filter should be able to exchange the water volume at least 5 times. Most of the, “all knowing”, pet stores do not have a clue what a turtle needs. The next time you change your water you will need to sterilize the entire system. That includes anything that touches or is near the water. You cannot sterilize the turtles. You will have to gently brush the entire turtle with salt water as these little guys have algae on them. It is not going to be easy!!

[powerofvoodoo]

My tank has been without UVB light for several weeks while I waited to get the money to order a new one (which was ordered today yay!) and I have noticed that I have had NO algae growth in the time that it has been without UVB (and I have a lot of problems with algae) so your UVB bulb is a major factor in algae growth.
A friend of mine with a saltwater tank told me that he had problems with algae when he was keeping his lights on a 12 hour on/12 hour off schedule and since he has reduced it to 8 on/16 off, he has noticed a big improvement.
I scrub my tank, the rocks in the tank, and the basking dock whenever I do a 100% water change with a toothbrush and that helps me a lot.

[smurfette]

I did reduce the amount of time that the light was on to 10 hours, I guess I should reduce it to 8 hours a day. Anyway, thank you very much for your help...I also just scrubbed everything down in the tank and did a complete water change, so hopefully that helps. But, what do you do to keep the algae from coming back? Do you just have to keep cleaning it? I can deal with that, but would appreciate any suggestions for making my life easier!!

[laurapa]

I haven't found a reason to worry about algae. The pH in my water is unmanageably high right now (I actually just posted about that), so algae growth is kind of a given for ol' Oliver. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of light is on either. Algae seems to be a very opportunistic organism.

As far as I know, algae in and of itself isn't a problem, unless you just don't like the look of it. When you look at turtles in the wild a lot of them are covered in algae, and they look pretty happy.

If algae is a sign of a deeper problem with your water quality, that's a different story. But if you're keeping the tank clean and the water is properly conditioned, I say let the suckers grow!

(I am just learning, so somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on this!!)

[laurapa]

Oh, also, I've read that you should make sure to give your turtle a gentle sponge bath when you clean the tank. I think that if you let the algae sit on your turtle all the time, it can make it easier for fungus to grow on his/her shell.

[marisa]

Light, warmth and nutrients in the water can all contribute to algae.

What's the water temp?

If you have the lights on excessively, reducing the amount of time they're on (or turning them off for a few hours during the time they normally are on) can help discourage growth.

Partial water changes to dilute the nutrient content (often a high phosphorus level) can also help.

How bad is the algae? If it's just growing on the objects in the tank and the water is clear, you might just leave it. It can add a more natural look to the tank.

[smurfette]

The water temp is at 78F. And the algae was just growing excessively on all of the objects and the walls of the tank, but the water still seemed clear. I think that I am going to turn the lights off for a few hours in the middle of the day, hopefully that will help a little.

Thanks a bunch for your help!

[industrial_girl_2000]

I just scrape the algae whenever I get it (there are some really nice tools you can use to do this....check out all the algae scrapers at pet stores...they have a ton of different ones depending on your needs).

The good thing is that algae isn't necessarily harmful for your turtle, just annoying. I just make sure to scrape often & change the water regularly.