# Algae Bloom and Phosphates.......



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

I have had a very bad (and very ugly) algae bloom for the past three weeks since changing out my lame gravel for some eco complete.

I had been checking my water quality and it was within norms, however, the one test I didnt have was phosphates (doh!). 

Now after loosing most of my fish and plants I have found out my phospate level is off the charts (litterally, no bs, basically black on the test sheet).

Up until yesterday I didnt have phosphate medium in my tank filters. I purchased medium for both my filters (rena xp3 and whisper 60 for my 55 gallon tank).

What else can I do at this point? 
How long will it take to get the phosphates to a normal level?
Any tips or suggestions


----------



## LittlePuff (Jan 17, 2005)

There are a few products that can be used for phosphate removal. Also check to see if the source is your tap water.


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Some big waterchanges should help, assuming that your tapwater isn't full of phosphate


----------



## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

You can contact your local water company, and they, by law, have to provide you a list of everything that is in your tap water. From nitrates, phosphates, to heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and copper etc. That is why we do partial water changes, as opposed to just topping off the tank. These materials build up in time and will eventually reach toxic levels.


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

*Some more help*

Thanks for the responses so far.......

Here is where I am at with the great algae bloom of 2008.......

I have had phospate removers in the tank for about 4 days now.....phosphate level is still way high. Granted the level was SOOO high that the tester was originally black as soon as the second set of testing dropts hit the water. Now it takes a good 10 seconds for it to turn dark blue.

How long should it take to level off?

The water changes dont really seem to help.......phosphates decrease for an hour or two and pop right back up.

I need some suggestions..........

As of right now I am no longer turning on my tank lights........
I feed my fish (the few that have survived this BS) every three or four days.
Change out 5-10 gallons a day (55 gallon tank)

What can I do? What is causing the phospate levels to spike so high?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

List everything you put in your tank. Normally phosphates come from fish food and tap water, but they can also come from substrate, plant supplements, and buffers.


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

The algae bloom started when I changed my gravel to eco complete about a month ago.

I had no problems before that (other than the ugly blue gravel).

changed the gravel to eco complete and a 1 inch layer of black gravel.

Recently added better lighting (As i said have not had it on for two days, and only 6 hours a day prior to that).

When I changed the water I typically add some conditioning salt and PH neutral (7.0).

For food I was using dried bloodworms and shrimp.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

> PH neutral (7.0).


Which brand? Many of these products are blends of two phosphate buffers. I can't tell you if it causing your algae, but I'd bet this product is the source of your phosphate readings.


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

*Reached the end of the line.........*

I am pretty much ready to bag my tank and start from new.........The algae bloom just doesnt seem to want to go away.........

Before I throw everything away and start from fresh does any have any radical ideas I can try to kill the algae?

I have tried Algae killers, removing the phosphates (I cant get the level to go down, even massive water changes didnt help for more than a couple of hours).

Tips, suggestions, and ideas or methods to ease my pain? Kind of bitter since I just spent $250 bucks on new lights and new subtrate only to have a month plus of green o water!!!!


----------



## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

Do any fish people around you have daphnia cultures? If so, go get a bunch of daphnia from them, dump 'em in the tank, and it should clear up. Also, as others have said, find the source of your phosphates. If it's tap water, you may want to look at an RO unit or some other water purification technique. A simple way to find out: put your tap water in a glass/jar and test it alone. Let's hope it's very low.
I would stop adding any additives, do a massive water change, including gravel vac, and replace all filter media. 
A perhaps very radical solution would be to remove your fish and dose heavy hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, in the brown bottle at the drugstore) in the tank. Dont even consider this with living fish or plants in the tank, you'll kill them. But the algae will burn as well. Again, I may consider this in an emergency, but I'd probably do the above stuff first. If you do have to try the peroxide, do a massive water change after as well. Never too many water changes...


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Let the algae grow and get something that eats it. Maybe 3 ottos. If you added phosphate buffers, you won't get rid of them without a 100% water change.


----------



## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

Otos for tiny algae cells suspended in the water column? Daphnia would be a far better choice, I doubt the oto's would do much to clear the water.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If the problem is green water, you are correct fishboy. I'm not quite clear on what exactly is meant by "algae bloom"


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

by algae bloom i mean green water. and by green water I mean Incredible Hulk/Frankenstein green water that you cant see through.

Where can I get the daphnia? Will that eat the green monster?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

daphnia eat green water. Fish eat daphnia. So try a local fish club or mail order a sample culture.


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

I ordered the daphnia here:

https://www.tricker.com

Any idea how long it will take the little buggers to work?

Should I clean my media out of the filter?

thanks for the help


----------



## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

Turn off your filters when you add the daphnia. You want them in the tank, not stuck to a filter pad. 
It's hard to say how long it would take, as it depends on the number of daphnia, density of algae, type of algae, etc. But expect some improvement over night, I'd think. Unless you leave the fish in...then they may eat the daphnia overnight...netting them out into a bucket w/ an airstone would probably be a good idea.
Also, if at all possible, add an airstone (with pump and tubing) that's just bubbling a little bit. This has been a small but vital part to some daphnia tanks that some local friends use. Just enough to send a few bubbles up every second or two, but it makes a difference. The stone does not have to be submerged very far either.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I suggest you take some of the green tank water and put it in a bucket or glass jar in the sunlight and put some of the daphnia in it. If you manage keep a daphnia culture alive (you can also feed them yeast, milk, or soy flour), you will have a source of fish food and more daphnia to use if you ever need to try this again. 

I think the daphnia will definitely have an effect. They eat the green stuff right up. Whether they can keep the problem away depends on whether they can breed faster than the fish and the filter can kill them. 

If the daphnia don't work, the only other things I can think to suggest are very-fine filtration (like a diatom filter) & a UV-sterilizer.


----------



## johnmoss (Jul 24, 2007)

Thanks for all the tips.

I am hoping the daphnia work.................

One more question. My gut tells me the phospate reading is from the eco-complete I just put in my tank.

The thing is, when I changed out the gravel I put my aerator on the bottom of the tank and the eco complete on top of it. The air bubbles up nice and slow through the eco complete (looked cool when I could see it prior to the green hulk). Could this be a primary cause of the phospate reading? IE.....the air coming up through the layers of eco complete?

I have had the phosphate remover in both of my filters for a week now and the level has not gotten any lower.

Also, I have had my aerators running 24/7 to make sure that the algae doesnt kill off all the air in the tank (and therefore my fish). Should I cut this back/stop the air for a while?

Thanks again for all the help!


----------



## jamesandmanda (Sep 17, 2008)

i use a product called cleanwater in my canister witch removes phosphates. it also removes rates pretty well too, claims to remove ammonia but cant vouch for that as my readings are always 0


----------



## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I am curious if you have had any changes in this situation?


----------

