Will sun kill algae?

[Lemon]

I have a 15 H gallon freshwater tank that I took down last summer because of black algae. I think the algae was a result of leaving the CF light on too long.

I chucked the gravel and driftwood. I removed a large lava rock that was very furry, scrubbed it, rinsed it, and left it out to bake in the hot August Texas sun for a week, flipping it over occasionally. The tank and rock have been in the garage since then. I want to set the tank up again.

Did the sun kill the algae? Would the algae have died if I put the rock in the freezer for a month? Could I have just left the rock out of water for a month or two? Would the same be true of the driftwood I threw out with the gravel? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

[Mzungu]

This is a tough question. With some algae (hair algae comes to mind) it seems like absolutely nothing will get rid of it, no matter how long it's been out of water.

I would HOPE you'd be safe by now, but anything's possible with a life-form such as algae.

Give it a try. To be on the safe side, keep an eye on it. Also, changing out your bulb for a new one can sometimes help matters tremendously.

Was this tank planted? Are you thinking of making it a planted tank this go-around?

Truth be told, algae's always going to be there somewhere. But keeping a tank clean with water changes and a decent bristlenose pleco or a few nerites can really help you win the battle. :)

[Lemon]

Yes, it was a planted tank, very lush with just gravel and Flourish tabs. I had guppies, cories, and a pleco in it. It was beautiful, but, I did not do weekly w/c and kept the light on for 8 hrs. I did not want to chemically treat the algae because of the pleco, so I moved the fish to a tank that did not have the algae (still doesn’t.)

This time, I am going to set it up with gravel around the sides and back for the plants, and black sand in the front for the cories and khulii loaches. I don’t know what a nerite is but I’ll google it. Thanks.

I learned my lesson about weekly water changes, and test the water every day. I also put my lights on a timer for the 4 hr. on 2 hr. off schedule.

Thanks for the quick reply and for the tip about a new bulb, the only 16” CF still sold is 10,000. The plants loved it, but so did the algae. :)

[Mzungu]

You could also try Flourish Excel. It tends to do a wonderful job on algae. Especially, from what I've found, if you do the following:

Do a LARGE (greater than 60%) water change
Overdose with Excel
Wait about 2 or three days
Do another LARGE water change
Overdose slightly with Excel

That practically eliminates some of the harder-to-kill algae.

Also, have you ever tried Realux bulbs? I've had lots of success with these over my planted tanks. They make many different kinds, and I've tried almost all of them that are catered to FW/planted tanks.

Example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/36W-Realux-PL-Light-Bulb-Daylight-7-100K-/390166515388?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad7bc8ebc#ht_756wt_804

Or you can just search for "Realux" on ebay or similar auction-type site, whatever your preference. :)

[PlanB]

I'll use a syringe and squirt Flourish directly on to problem areas, and it seems to have a pretty good effect. I got the syringe from my sis when she got some cat medication. Also, if you have room, certain barbs seem to enjoy eating hair algae. Rosy barbs Puntius conchonius (not to be confused with cherry barbs) and to a lesser extent, roseline sharks. Otos only seem to like grazing on it when it's still really short.

[Lemon]

I’m pretty sure it was the dreaded black brush algae. That’s a great tip about using the syringe to treat specific areas. I also have syringes from treating a diabetic cat. I knew I kept them for a reason. Now I have to get a bottle of Excel.

The tank and lava rock still have some dried algae on them even though I scrubbed them really hard before putting them away. I think I’m going to shoot it with my portable steamer. Hopefully, it won’t melt the silicon.

I just looked up the Rosy Barb in my fish book. Whoa, there’s 4 pages of barbs! I really like the Long-Finned Rosy Barb. While looking through the book I came across a picture of a fish that Petsmart sold to me as an Oto, turns out they are actually Chinese Algae Eaters.

[PlanB]

The larger Petsmarts with an expanded aquarium section carries both regular and long finned rosy barbs. Grabbed a few from the on one at 1960 and I-45. Shouldn't be any difference in their appetite for stringy type algae.

Chinese algae eaters aren't very effective for algae control, especially when they get older/larger (chain petstores usually just generically label them as "algae eaters"). Like the common plecos, they'll start to prefer prepared fish food. You'll have better luck with the siamese algae eaters if you can find them. As of last weekend, Petsmart was having a sale on Otos for $1 apiece.

I have a planted 75g, so fortunately I have a room for a pretty large algae crew to tackle different kinds of algae. Nerites and otos for spot algae, amano shrimp, rosy barbs and roseline sharks for hair/stringy algae. Nobody seems to want to eat the thick cladophora type algae that grows on a few of my stones (stuff marimo moss balls are made of), but I don't mind since it's so lush and green and adds a natural look to my tank.

[Lemon]

I just called my Petsmart and they’ve got the $1.00 Otos, but they’re “still in the bag” so I think I’ll wait a bit. Thanks for the heads up.

My next tank is going to be a 75 gal. It was a toss up between a 100g and a 75g. I decided I liked the added height of the 75g. I don’t want it in the house until I’ve got it planned out as far as substrate, filters and lighting.