Quizzes & Puzzles25 mins ago
Algal Bloom? Fish Tank Problem.
I have a brand new 4ft freshwater tropical community tank. It is a replacement for a tank that split. The new tank is in exactly the same position that the old one was - I never experienced any problems with the old one at all - until it split of course. The old tank was in place for more than twenty years.
When i set up the new tank, I noticed that after a few days the usual 'cloudiness' that you experience after a water change was not going away - in fact it was getting worse. I changed the water again and the cloudiness appeared immediately, the water change made no difference. The cloudiness was a greeny/ browny haze hanging in the tank. I changed the water daily for a fortnight and this greeny/browny haze persisted so I emptied the tank and bought another load of new gravel and the problem has come back. I am thinking that if it was a 'daylight' issue, why didn't I have problems in the twenty odd years that the old tank was in the same place?
I have been emptying the tank, cleaning the gravel weekly since Nov 2012 and the stuff keeps coming back - I'm changing a third of the tank water daily.
I have kept fish for 35 years and experienced some algal issues over the years but I have never seen anything like this before and am at a loss to explain it.
I think they call it an algal bloom, but I can't be sure. None of the algae control products on sale are touching it. The only constant thing about this tank is the fish - it couldn't be those surely? It just doesn't make any sense. Any ideas?
When i set up the new tank, I noticed that after a few days the usual 'cloudiness' that you experience after a water change was not going away - in fact it was getting worse. I changed the water again and the cloudiness appeared immediately, the water change made no difference. The cloudiness was a greeny/ browny haze hanging in the tank. I changed the water daily for a fortnight and this greeny/browny haze persisted so I emptied the tank and bought another load of new gravel and the problem has come back. I am thinking that if it was a 'daylight' issue, why didn't I have problems in the twenty odd years that the old tank was in the same place?
I have been emptying the tank, cleaning the gravel weekly since Nov 2012 and the stuff keeps coming back - I'm changing a third of the tank water daily.
I have kept fish for 35 years and experienced some algal issues over the years but I have never seen anything like this before and am at a loss to explain it.
I think they call it an algal bloom, but I can't be sure. None of the algae control products on sale are touching it. The only constant thing about this tank is the fish - it couldn't be those surely? It just doesn't make any sense. Any ideas?
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Algae blooms are common in newly setup tanks. I guarantee a UV filter will clean it up. Washing the gravel only makes it worse as you've probably washed away the stabilising bacteria and the tank has to be re-cycled. Once the tank has cycled it will be easier to control the algae biologically. Live plants help to keep the algae down as they compete for the nutrients.
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