Habitat - Indoor :: Blue green algae?

[cprcheetah]

HELP! My hubby said we have blue/green algae in Zeke's tank. I have been using an Algae treatment in the water, I did a COMPLETE tank change on Saturday, scrubbed the crap out of the tank with salt. What else do I need to do? He's still in the 30 gallon tank...working on upgrading to a larger tank....but have to save up will probably be may or june...hopefully. How often should I be doing partial tank changes? Once a week? I am very worried about this, as I know it's very dangerous...I know I'm allergic to it, holy cow my arms went bright red after cleaning out his tank.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Well, unfortunately I don't know anything about blue/green algae, but I can tell you that for Siobhan (1 3/4 hatchling), I do partial water changes about twice a week & filter gets changed once every 10 days or so.

With Sheba I don't bother doing a partial water change, I just completely change the water every month now that I have a python. I clean out her filter weekly though.

If there is any green algae that forms on the glass, I just scrape it with one of the 2 algae scrapers that I bought. I don't use any chemicals to try to get rid of algae.

[SpotsMama]

I don't think blue-green algae is really algae, strictly speaking, is it? I think it's more like bacteria. It may not respond to an algae-cide.

[cprcheetah]

So monthly changes are adequate if the tank/filter is ok? I don't know all I know is that he had dark green algae on his tank walls and it's on the sealer of the tank, also his water was greenish/blue. I haven't been doing tank changes like I should...MY FAULT...but am going to be better about it. I am going to buy a python...this bit about buckets back and forth kills you!

[SpotsMama]

With Spot I do partial water changes about every two weeks and clean the filter monthly. When I clean the filter I replace about 2/3 of the water. I never completely drain his tank because there are minnows living in there. If he ever eats all the minnows I'll drain the tank dry and give it a thorough scrub.

The filter I use is an XP3. I have a 100 gallon tank. Spot is 6 1/2 inches long. I test the water pretty frequently and it tests perfectly, and always looks nice and clear. Doesn't stink!

[steve]

What is the tank's exposure to light like?

[industrial_girl_2000]

So monthly changes are adequate if the tank/filter is ok? I don't know all I know is that he had dark green algae on his tank walls and it's on the sealer of the tank, also his water was greenish/blue. I haven't been doing tank changes like I should...MY FAULT...but am going to be better about it. I am going to buy a python...this bit about buckets back and forth kills you!

Pythons are the best, especially when filling a tank. The only trouble I ran into is that it tends to fill up my kitchen sink with water really fast when I am draining the tank (I have a 90 gal so I have to run the python a long time to drain all the water out). I am constantly running my waste disposal in the sink & when I did the first water change with the python, the waste disposal stopped running after a while & wouldn't turn on again. I thought I broke it!!!! But apparently there is a button on the waste disposal that you have to push in order to "reset" it so it runs again. Whew. I was so happy to hear that. I think next time I will just run my water a little slower so it doesn't fill up the sink so fast.

I do the monthly changes (no partials) for my adult RES now because I use waste degrader weekly when I change out the charcoal/ammonia eater stuff & I don't feed her in the tank. The baby RES gets partial water changes twice a week because there are all those fish in the tank with him/her which tends to muck up the water a bit. Since the baby is right next to the sink, I just use a regular syphon tube & just drain right into the sink. Easy & quick.

[cprcheetah]

What is the tank's exposure to light like?

His tank was in a corner of my basement. There was a window across the room but it was covered. Now in my new house he is in my kitchen next to the windows with the blinds closed. He has his basking light and his regular light.

[steve]

Sounds a bit unusual. Is it possible that it is something else?

[cprcheetah]

I do not know what else it would be. It DEFINATELY was algae of some sort.

[scripta_elegans]

If you see it again, post a pic, and I will have a look in my botany books to see if I can ID it. Fun!

[cprcheetah]

Ok...so far it's clean...but it's just been less than a week since a complete change.

[marisa]

There are a number of species of blue-green algae, and not all of them are poisionous. A picture would help determine what kind you have. Are you sure the skin irritation you have isn't from the salt you used to clean the tank? If your arms rubbed against salt on the glass, the salt could be what's irritating your skin.

Why are you using salt to clean the tank? Diluted white vinegar and water would work fine...

How long had it been since you cleaned the tank?

I have 80-85 gallons of water in a 110-gallon stock tank, and I try to change about 30% of the water weekly (if longer, then I change more) and I do test the water to see what's going on. Partial water changes help dilute nutrients and substances, especially phorphorus and nitrogen (from decaying debris in the water), which help algae to form (along with light and warmth). I do have green algae on the edges of my RES's basking area, on some of his rocks and on areas on the walls of the tank, but since they pose no problem for him, I just let them be. (They give a more natural look to the tank.)