Algae Bloom / Green water

yeah for sure bud I also bought lots of plants from them a bit pricey but No1 quality

 

yes only online you order online pay and then collect from Richard the owner in Edenvale

 

Online store hey, order early in the week and you get your stuff pretty quick, he doesn't send stuff off later as its a risk letting it sit with a courier over a weekend.

 

If they're walk-in capable I will visit them tomorrow...

 

As far as I know they are only online or used to be 2 years ago

 

HI there I have the same problem in my tank it take time please don't go UV it does more harm than good brake down your fish immune system and everything can make them sick if it comes in your water just keep up with water change and keep less on the food for fish

 

What did you do to get rid of the algae bloom?

 

Where is your water sores coming from test your water for nitrates I yoose RO water don't boost algea your water source mite already have algea in or have the right stuff in for algea too grow find out can be wrong but it's just weird that you don't solve the problem with so much water changes its sepos too clear up or stay clear for longer

 

Leave your Co2 off till problem is solve also a big food source for algea

 

Probably a combo of more light warmer weather and organics, UV will solve this

 

The interweb has conflicting and contradictory information about most things, including the use of UV sterilisers, as well as the use of RO water.
Some people extol it's virtues, while others swear it is the worst thing an aquarist can do.
Apparently UV sterilisers can poison the water in the long run, lower the natural immunity of fish, and is damaging to live plants.

 

Thanks @Reedfish.
Ordered the UV steriliser from my LFS 2 days ago, so just awaiting delivery.

It is an inline system that connects to the inlet line of the canister filter, and runs permanently.
The LFS has it on a 3ft square shrimp tank, and that water looks pristine.

 

CO2 off, lights off for a week and cover tank if possible with daily WC's. 1/4 Dose excel weekly when things clear up. Don't run a CO2 system that's random, had my algae problem because of DIY CO2. The excel will keep the algae at bay till the tank settles and at that low dosage it won't melt the plants. Well that's what I did and it was sorted but with the UV you will be fine. Some fast growing floating plants will also help a lot and you can take them out when everything settles.

 

Don't know where you get this info from, I run uv on my large tanks, never had a problem

 

On bidorbuy you can get them new for a very reasonable price

 

@Jwh - how long do you keep the UV sterilisers on?
Does it run permanently, or only when there is an algae problem?

I have heard that the UV destroys all bacteria, including the beneficial bacteria your tank needs to convert the bad stuff to the good stuff.
It is apparently also detrimental to plants, and for some reason lowers the natural immunity of fish.
Any truth in that?

At this stage I am desperate, and am almost willing to grab at straws.
The next step would be to rescape the tank back to a inert gravel and plastic plant tank.

 

Dory's can get me the Ultra Zap UV Steriliser.
From what I have read the smallest unit is meant for ponds of 6000L though, and is overkill on a 300L tank.

 

@Pezulu
Mine are on pretty much 24/7, should switch them off when I add probiotics, but I pretty much forget most of the time. I added uv as a preventative measure against algae and bacteria, as it's very difficult to catch and remove fish from large tanks to move to a hospital tank.

UV can only kill what is exposed to it, and then it depends on the strength (wattage) of the unit, and the length of time of exposure (flow through rate), with the right setup you will easily kill algea in the water column, like you experience, as well as a number of bacteria and viruses, given the right conditions. You can find tables on the internet that provide data on this, and you'll be able to calculate the right unit for your tank.

Your beneficial bacteria reside in and on the hard surfaces of your tank and filter, and are thus not exposed to the uv radiation, thus uv has no detrimental effect on these. Where you have BB in your water column, and there will be some, these may be killed when exposed to uv, but this should not affect you ammonia cycle.

i have never heard about a detrimental effect on plants or the immune system of fish, assuming the uv system is properly set up and functioning effectively, perhaps you can forward me the link, I'll be interested to read about this. My large tank has a number of herbivores, so my plants snuffed it long ago, so I can't judge any detrimental effect. In my 2m I have plants growing on wood or in pfs, and they do very well. In both these tanks I have never had any outbreak of ich, fin rot, or any of the commonly experienced diseases since I added uv (touch wood). My fish are healthy and I have not noticed immune related issues.
i don't use uv on all my tanks, only the two biggest and most heavily stocked.