# Algae help please...and slimy stuff



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

Hi guys!
So i'm really new to the hobby. I recently set up a 15g tank. This was about 3 weeks ago. Since then i've done water changes ( also due to the fact that i was stupid and listened to the guy at Aquatic Kingdom and bought some crazy aqua soil which made the water brown)and ive been running a filter.

The problem is that i have algae...its on the plants. My dad seems to think that i already bought sick plants. I'm such a newbie  The plants looked healthy and i did cut off all the pieces that looked off. Then i put in a piece of wood and now some weird slimy stuff is on it-which may also be algae? I bought it from Big Als and soaked the wood for about 2 weeks, changed the water 3 times and scrubbed it. Now i'm wondering if i should take it out and try to boil it. it wont fit into a pot so i will have to boil it and rotate it. Do u think using a steamer would do the trick?lol

So should i do a complete water change or just try to kill off the algae? i tested my ammonia leves and they are crazzzyyyy...so now i'm lost as to what i should do. i should mention that i don't have any fish in there! lol My betta is safe in his tiny home for now.
I'm attaching two pictures one is of the algae thats on my plants and then the weird slimy stuff on my wood.
Thanks


----------



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

betta_o said:


> So should i do a complete water change or just try to kill off the algae? i tested my ammonia leves and they are crazzzyyyy...so now i'm lost as to what i should do. i should mention that i don't have any fish in there! lol My betta is safe in his tiny home for now.


When your water is not cycled, weird things happen. Good thing you don't have any fish in there. I would just leave it be and let things run its course.

If the algae really bothers you, you can try a total blackout for a few days. Your plants should survive while the algae won't.


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

It doesn't bother me at all...i just dont want my plants to die...so i'll just wait.
By blackout do you mean not turn the light on at all? Should i still continue running my filter?
sorry i'm such a newbie...and there is conflicting information online and in books ^_^


----------



## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

The stuff on your driftwood looks to me like it's normal bacterial film that sometimes grows on driftwood. It wont harm anything, and some fish will happily eat it.

The algae is a little harder to tell. By your picture it sort of looks like a long clear slimy string... Like if fish slime was growing off the plant or something.

If that is the case then it is bacteria, not algae. But doesn't sound like cyanobacteria, so again, I probably wouldn't worry unless you have real problems starting.

New plants often take awhile to adjust when first planted and will do poorly for a week or more until they've established themselves. Some more than others.

Other than that there's no way to explain why your plants are dying without knowing more about your setup.

I'm not sure what you meant by "aquasoil" but if it was ADA aquasoil, that's good stuff.


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

qwerty said:


> The stuff on your driftwood looks to me like it's normal bacterial film that sometimes grows on driftwood. It wont harm anything, and some fish will happily eat it.
> 
> The algae is a little harder to tell. By your picture it sort of looks like a long clear slimy string... Like if fish slime was growing off the plant or something.
> 
> ...


I bought the soil from Aquatic Kingdom. Its Netlea Brown Soil- the guy really recommended it...but i think it was a waste of $
http://www.aquainspiration.com/productlisttype.asp?PNAME=SS&PTYPE=AQUA SOIL
the package said not to rinse it but i tried to rinse it and it kept being brown so eventually i gave up and dumped it in my tank....the water was brown for a week, then i changed the water...added half an inch of other gravel and the water has been clear...until this algae infestation.
So do you think i should just leave this film on my wood? or should i try boiling it?
As for my plants, the soil is suppose to be fertillized enough but perhaps my plants are not getting enough nutrients?

Thanks for your help!


----------



## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

I didnt know Aquatic Kingdom distributed Netlea...


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

Kerohime said:


> I didnt know Aquatic Kingdom distributed Netlea...


Do you have experience using this stuff? so far i'm not impressed with it-it took over a week and a full water change for the water to clear up!


----------



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

betta_o said:


> It doesn't bother me at all...i just dont want my plants to die...so i'll just wait.
> By blackout do you mean not turn the light on at all? Should i still continue running my filter?
> sorry i'm such a newbie...and there is conflicting information online and in books ^_^


Leave the filter running, turn the light off, and if possible, cover the tank with something black, like a garbage bag. Let no light into the tank for 3 days. That should kill all algae. However, if your plants are weak, they might not survive either, so it's a risk.


----------



## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

betta_o said:


> Do you have experience using this stuff? so far i'm not impressed with it-it took over a week and a full water change for the water to clear up!


I only have experience with the Netlea shrimp substrate and I quite like it. 
I didnt wash it, washing it just breaks up the soil. I poured it dry into my tank, and slowly poured the water in with a dinner plate blocking the water, and it cleared up within an hour or so. Mind you I was using a Fluval 105 Canister filter on a 15 gallon tank, but the substrate has successfully kept the ph to lower optimal ranges. You should check out the thread dedicated to the substrate...

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23221


----------



## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

your plants will do fine during the cycle. They will help absorb excess nutrients (nitrite and nitrate). 

the white slime is common on driftwood when first placed into a tank.


----------



## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

I don't see the point in doing a blackout... It's a brand new tank, and the plants probably aren't even established. I mean yeah, it will get rid of the algae... But the algae's just going to come back once you start turning the lights on again because you only treated the symptoms, not the actual problem, except now your plants are doing worse, too. 

It's not like the tank's being overrun with algae to the point where it's so thick that it's blocking your plants from receiving light. Once the problem is corrected the algae will go away on its own if you're patient.

I think the most likely problems are either too much light (since I don't know the details of your lighting/CO2/window light reaching the tank/ferts), and/or not enough healthy plants (since it sounds like your tank has weak and unhealthy plants, and I don't know how many plants you actually have).

You could maybe float some pothos or frogbit at the top of your tank or something just to help outcompete the algae, and just finish planting your tank up. Give the plants some time to establish their root systems and start growing. As far as the wood goes, if it was my tank I would just ignore it. Something will probably eat it and I've personally never heard of it being so persistent that it's remained a major eyesore in anyone's tank for the long run.

In short, I think the tank is too new to really start mucking around with things. The more you go taking down and setting back up the tank, the longer your cycle will take to complete, and the more frustrated you'll get.


----------



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

qwerty said:


> I don't see the point in doing a blackout... It's a brand new tank, and the plants probably aren't even established. I mean yeah, it will get rid of the algae... But the algae's just going to come back once you start turning the lights on again because you only treated the symptoms, not the actual problem, except now your plants are doing worse, too.


I've had experience with algae taking over the tank. The plants were completely covered in algae, and there was no way to save them.

It's also not certain that algae will appear out of thin air. It's my experience that algae usually won't appear unless it's introduced into the tank. The idea of a blackout is to completely kill algae so that it won't re-appear.

So it depends on whether the OP thinks his plants will make it even with algae growth. If you think the algae isn't that bad and the plants can still survive, then just leave it alone. If you think the plants won't survive if nothing is done (if, for example, the leaves are entirely covered in algae), then you can try a black out.


----------



## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

While I can only comment for certain on my own experiences. My reading into eradication and avoidance of algae as an effective solution has lead me to feel that it is more possible in theory than in practical practice, and generally not a solid approach for long-term stability.

General advice pertaining to algae (that I've come across) has always emphasized fixing the cause of the algae problems as a solution, rather than trying to remove the algae and keep it out forever. One such source of this advice to give as reference being Tom Barr. 


> I'd say it's impossible to avoid virtually any species through spore removal/avoidance.
> 
> The real issue is to address prevention of GERMINATION of the spores.
> Some are air born(most FW species).
> ...


Diana Walstaad also seems to advocate using plant growth and mass in combination with appropriate light levels to combat algae, rather than eradication and avoidance.

So given the limits of my knowledge, I can only draw conclusions given the research and experience of others more knowledgable than me that I have found and read, and the general trends of advice I've found throughout communities that I've seen. Given this, I remain skeptical of your approach, but would like to see any information you might have found regarding it as a practical and reliable way of running an aquarium.


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for all of your advice guys!
I'm just going to leave my tank alone for now and let it cycle...if the stuff doesn't disappear in a bit i'll try a blackout and hope for the best


----------



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

qwerty said:


> While I can only comment for certain on my own experiences. My reading into eradication and avoidance of algae as an effective solution has lead me to feel that it is more possible in theory than in practical practice, and generally not a solid approach for long-term stability.
> 
> General advice pertaining to algae (that I've come across) has always emphasized fixing the cause of the algae problems as a solution, rather than trying to remove the algae and keep it out forever. One such source of this advice to give as reference being Tom Barr.


Well, the problem here is that the tank is cycling, so there's really not much the OP can do for now. Really, the only reason why algae would even be a concern at this stage is if it suffocates the plants (which it very well might). Thus, you could say that the goal isn't so much algae control, but rather how to save the plants.

Again, the disclaimer is that a black out might end up killing your plants altogether, in their weakened state, but it's my experience that if algae ends up covering a plant, there's no way that plant can recover on its own.


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Actually, it kind of helps if you pull the algae out yourself for now. Atleast until it finnished cycling. Then you can take action (which method it may be) to fix the algae problem.
The mold will go way eventually.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

I am new to this hobby too so I feel for you. In fact I bought the same kind of wood from Big Als (http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Decorations_Driftwood_Aquarium-Wood_8493569_102.html?tc=reptiles) so I can share my experience with you. I soaked the wood for about 4 weeks before I put it in the tank. I had the same slimy stuff in the beginning and eventually they will be all gone. They either dissolved or got eaten. If you don't like the look, why not just remove it by hand. My bigger problem this wood is its tannin that turns the water brownish. That lasted at least two months even though I do WC frequently. I didn't take the wood out to boil it because I already tied flame moss to the branches. If you are experiencing the same problem&#8230;boil your wood and it should cut down the wait time. I think boiling would be more effective than steaming.

From your 2nd picture, I believe you either have hair or staghorn algae. If its hair algae, you should be able to remove them easily by a hand or toothbrush. If its staghorn, they attach to the leave quite firm so I would spot treat the area with Flourish Excel. It should kill it in a day or two, cut them off afterwards. But these are not your long term solutions. Once your tank is cycled, you'll need to pay attention to your light period, ferts, and water parameters and create a balanced environment. Right, its easier said than done&#8230;something I am forever learning. Unless you quarantine all your livestock and plants and treat them with chemicals, you are going to have many big and small battles with algae and snail. I guess that's part of the fun and pain of this hobby. You always have something to do. Now I am battling BGA (Blue Green Algae), IMHO hair algae is a child's play compare to BGA. Your algae problem is far from out of control...I suggest you try the above first before blackout.

I don't think you can go wrong with Netlea soil. You plants should love it. Very sorry for the long post!!


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

03pilot said:


> I am new to this hobby too so I feel for you. In fact I bought the same kind of wood from Big Als (http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Decorations_Driftwood_Aquarium-Wood_8493569_102.html?tc=reptiles) so I can share my experience with you. I soaked the wood for about 4 weeks before I put it in the tank. I had the same slimy stuff in the beginning and eventually they will be all gone. They either dissolved or got eaten. If you don't like the look, why not just remove it by hand. My bigger problem this wood is its tannin that turns the water brownish. That lasted at least two months even though I do WC frequently. I didn't take the wood out to boil it because I already tied flame moss to the branches. If you are experiencing the same problem&#8230;boil your wood and it should cut down the wait time. I think boiling would be more effective than steaming.
> 
> From your 2nd picture, I believe you either have hair or staghorn algae. If its hair algae, you should be able to remove them easily by a hand or toothbrush. If its staghorn, they attach to the leave quite firm so I would spot treat the area with Flourish Excel. It should kill it in a day or two, cut them off afterwards. But these are not your long term solutions. Once your tank is cycled, you'll need to pay attention to your light period, ferts, and water parameters and create a balanced environment. Right, its easier said than done&#8230;something I am forever learning. Unless you quarantine all your livestock and plants and treat them with chemicals, you are going to have many big and small battles with algae and snail. I guess that's part of the fun and pain of this hobby. You always have something to do. Now I am battling BGA (Blue Green Algae), IMHO hair algae is a child's play compare to BGA. Your algae problem is far from out of control...I suggest you try the above first before blackout.
> 
> I don't think you can go wrong with Netlea soil. You plants should love it. Very sorry for the long post!!


That's actually what i was thinking of doing-just removing it with my fingers or a small brush...cuz it only seems to be on the one plant and it hasn't spread to the other plants. Mind you some of the other plants aren't looking too well  my dad ( who claims to be an expert on everything) says that i bought already unhealthy plants. So we trimmed them. 
Funny enough, the plant that's got algae on it ( i forget the name but i have them written down) already has a few daughter plants...so it seems to be the healthiest? lol
Yeah so i can see what you mean about "having something to do" lol....i guess this will keep me busy


----------



## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

betta_o said:


> Mind you some of the other plants aren't looking too well  my dad ( who claims to be an expert on everything) says that i bought already unhealthy plants. So we trimmed them.
> Funny enough, the plant that's got algae on it ( i forget the name but i have them written down) already has a few daughter plants...so it seems to be the healthiest? lol
> Yeah so i can see what you mean about "having something to do" lol....i guess this will keep me busy


Give it a bit more time. Plants adapt to new environment differently. Some would not grow too much in the beginning or look sick but it will take off when its ready. Some would even melt down completely before new shoots started to grow. If you have proper lighting and water quality is reasonably well, your plants would do well. Study the plant and try to give them what they need. Don't be afraid and enjoy the learning!


----------



## betta_o (Apr 14, 2011)

03pilot said:


> Give it a bit more time. Plants adapt to new environment differently. Some would not grow too much in the beginning or look sick but it will take off when its ready. Some would even complete melt down before new shoots started to grow. If you have proper lighting and water quality is reasonably well, your plants would do well. Study the plant and try to give them what they need. Don't be afraid and enjoy the learning!


I hope you're right
So far the plant with the algae is the one that's growing the most, lol....we will see i guess. Its true, i'm learing something new every day. Thanks for everyone's help


----------

