General Care Discussion :: Algae???

[Rickiew04]

Ok, so about 2 or 3 weeks ago i had to empty my whole tank and clean the whole thing because I found some green film on the sides of the tank and bottom in some areas. I figured this was algae. I cleaned everything in the tank with either vinegar or bleach. I ended up buying a new Nitrate test kit because I was testing before and it never showed any Nitrates in the water. So I just figured the test kit was bad. (I'm using the API master test kit, and I bought the same Nitrate test kit) Well now, I'm noticing a little bit of green on the bottom of the tank in the same area. I just tested the water and it still shows 0 ppm of Nitrate, and this is with the new Nitrate test. Is there some other causes of Algae in a tank? I'm wondering if the greens that I'm feeding my turtle could be starting the algae growth, I'm not sure. Usually I'll feed him the pellets in his dish pan, then once in a while I'll throw in his tank a small piece of either romaine lettuce or collard greens(these are the only greens I've fed him) for him to eat throughout the day. When I come home from work there is nothing left of these. What could I do to prevent Algae growth?

[Daniel3507]

does your tank get hit by any sunlight?

[Rickiew04]

It's in my basement. I have a couple windows near it, but overall there isn't much sunlight hitting it compared to an average room.

[Daniel3507]

i know that sunlight can cause algae to grow. i think they have things that you can add to your water to prevent algae growth. i would wait for someone that has more information on algae to help you out. im sorry i couldnt be much help.

[ZombieTurtle]

i get this same thing, except i didnt test for nitrate. i think its the uvb/heat light, because the light hits the water/sides of tank etc. i think thats whats starting so much algae. Im still new so i dont know what to do about it.

[octpusgirl8]

I know that high phosphate levels can foster algae growth, have you checked them?

[Deezer]

Hi! Here's some info on algae.
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm
The thing is very difficult to fight especially in a turtle tank.

[Rickiew04]

So does everybody have this problem? I see pictures of peoples set ups on here and I never see algae.

[Deezer]

I've never had a turtle tank and I'm speaking from my fish-tank experience. Yes, everyone's got that problem. In fish-tanks algae is a result of too much light, too much nitrates, nitrites & phosphates. Aquarists fight algae by frequent water changes, algae eating fish, dense planting and control of the three parameters. And the fight is tough We even calculate the quantity of light per liter. In turtle aquariums the problems are too much waste + light. Too much waste means too much nitrates, nitrites & phosphates. Any food or excrements left in the water start to rot and turn into nitrates. Here come a very essential moment in aquariums - filtration. In the filter there are colonies of useful bacteria which transform the nitrates in nitrites and then into phosphates. Then in fish-tanks the live plants feed on those elements and maintain low levels of them. In turtle tanks this is a problem. Because even if you have good filter with all the needed bacteria and working nitrate cycle, there's no one to eat the nitrates, nitrites and phosphates.
In your case - You have working cycle and that's why you can't detect any nitrates with your test, because they are turned into phosphates.
In fish-tanks, as I already said we calculate the quantity of light per liter. And most important we use flourescent (is that the word) light. Because it's cold light. Warm light which is used for turtle aquariums helps algae growth because of it's wide specter. I suppose the algae is very near of your light source (personal experience) My room looks directly North. And there's no direct sunlight through the window at all. I had a fish-tank directly by that window and algae grew incredibly thick in 3 days. So I suggest reevaluation of terms - direct sunlight is very bad but direct daylight is not good either!
So after you've read all that wise-*ss crap I wrote... let's see what can you do.
In your case:
1. You can try changing one fifth of your tank's water every 48 hours for at least 2 weeks. This is done in order to minimize quantities of nitrates, nitrites and phosphates in the water.
2. You can't plant live plants, so the easiest way to fight algae is not for you.
3. Light! Try to direct your light source only at the basking area so few light would hit water. And most important think about the daylight in your basement is it heavily over your tank? Place the tank on the corner with most shadows
4. I guess you won't like this opportunity but I'll say it anyway. Siamese algae eaters (SAE) grow big. And an old SAE's maximum length is 15 cm (6") which makes them hard to get eaten by the turtle.
Good luck!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Algae in a turtle tank is totally normal.

[Rickiew04]

So what do others do about it? Just let it grow? Is there anything I can put in the water to get rid of it? Anything I can do to limit it? Because I don't want to be doing complete tank cleanings every few weeks because algae is taking over the tank. The algae is on the glass on the bottom and before it was on the sides of the tank. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just on the dock or something, but it would cover the glass if I let it go long enough.

[octpusgirl8]

To limit algae growth you need reeeally clean water, low to no phosphates, nitrates, etc. You can get filter media designed specificaly to remove phosphates. The algae isn't harmful, just unsightly. I'd be wary of using chemicals to kill it, but that's up to you. It's not hard to scrape it off once in a while.

[steve]

If the algae is growing on a surface, you should be able to clean by scrubbing it off with a new toothbrush.

Eliminating the cause of the algae is the way to go. It usually sunlight or strong lighting contributing to it's growth. Some do use plecos, chemicals or a sterilizer to control it as well.

[Rickiew04]

right now I'm using the fluval 4plus filter. I know thats not a very good filter in my 55gallon tank. My next investment will be and xp3. Is there filter media for an xp3 that cuts down on algae do you know?

[Rickiew04]

I don't know how to get away from the light though. The only light that the tank really gets is from the basking lights, and the algae grows on the bottom of the tank right beneath them. Theres not much I can do about that.