[Looking for a solution to algae problem]

I’ve had a 29 gallon tank set up for 3-4 months now, and for the last 2ish months, I’ve had significant algae growth. I constantly have to wipe down the side of my tank, and I’ve also had hair algae kill a lot of my plants because it blocked them from getting light.

 

I’m wondering if this has to do with how much I feed my fish (I feed once daily, enough pellets or blood worms for fish to eat in 2 minutes), or if it has to do with lighting (I have a proper light for a planted tank and keep it on 8 hours per day).

 

It’s become really difficult to manage, and I would really appreciate any help from someone who can help me out.

 

Thanks! 🙂

 

Erik

[How do I fix an algae bloom?]

My aquarium has recently gotten a bit cloudier each day with a bit of a green tint. There’s a lot of algae I have to wipe from the glass, including some spot algae that’s very difficult to wipe off. 
 

I’m running a 30 gallon hang-on-back Marineland filter on a 29-gallon.

 

I’ve heard some people suggesting using the Mini Green Killing Machine. Does anyone have any tips, whether it’s to use that or any other methods?

 

I would really appreciate any help. Thanks!

[Purigen made water super cloudy! Is this normal?]

The water is running much clearer now when rinsing it, so I’ll probably add it back to my filter soon. Just added a piece of driftwood that’s releasing some tannins and I don’t want the water to get too brown.

[Purigen made water super cloudy! Is this normal?]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:33 PM, Guppysnail said:

Yup that’s what mine did. I rinsed the heck out of it in tap water with prime/water conditioner to make it safe so I had unlimited water. 

Cool thanks for the info!! Just to clarify, yours also leaked small particles?

[Purigen made water super cloudy! Is this normal?]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:28 PM, Guppysnail said:

I used it once…I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed forever until the water was super clear.  It was in my tank 1 hour…it took me two weeks to get the gritty cloudy gunk back out completely 

Got it. Since I’m assuming I shouldn’t rinse with tap water and only have a finite amount of tank water, how should I continue to rinse it? It almost seems like small particles are coming out of the mesh bag it came in too.

[Purigen made water super cloudy! Is this normal?]

I just used Purigen for the first time. I rinsed it quickly (perhaps my main mistake) then put it in a compartment in my filter. The water has become quite cloudy after 5-10 minutes. I took it out to soak overnight in a small cup full of tank water to hopefully lose all its cloudiness.

 

Will the cloudiness go away and when should I add the Purigen back in? Will the Purigen actually end up helping the cloudiness go away once it stops emitting the cloudiness?

 

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks 🙂

Erik

[Unidentified floating object connected to plant]

I believe it was a food pellet. Thanks!

[Unidentified floating object connected to plant]

Does anyone know what this may be? I want to ID it before I simply grab the net and remove it from my tank.

 

Thanks!

[Recommendations for black or darker blue freshwater fish]

On 7/7/2021 at 4:00 PM, Drew Schmidt said:

Whats in your tank currently? That way we can give you a little more directed advice. For instance i would say dark knight or black rams  but they will need higher heat and the other community fish may not appreciate the heat as much.

I currently have a male/female pair of Bolivian Rams, 3 male guppies, 6 julii corydoras, and male dwarf gourami.

[Recommendations for black or darker blue freshwater fish]

I have some room for 1 more species in my community freshwater tank and don’t want to rush to a decision. I’m curious if anyone has some unique recommendations for fish that are darker in color (I have mostly white or lighter colored fish, so I’m looking for a little variety).

 

Any recommendations are appreciated! Thanks!

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

You are all amazing!!! Not even 12 hours later, and this is the improvement. The left was my initial test, the middle after the water change, and the right just now. Altogether, I did a 50% water change, added 2x dose of Prime, and a bottle of Tetra Safe Start.

 

Ammonia and nitrite are both reading as ZERO! Nitrates are between 5.0ppm and 10.0ppm.

 

Is there anything I should do going forward to make sure everything continues trending positively?

 

Thanks again!

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 2:00 PM, GameCzar said:

Just add it right in.   1 drop per gallon I believe.   Our bottle didn't have a dropper, so we just poked a hole in the safety seal with a pen so we can add drops. 

If I’m adding 2x dosage, how frequently can I add Prime? Can I add it every 48 hours or would that eventually end up being too much for the tank to have in it?

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

I’ll probably wait a day or two to see how the Tetra Smart Start impacts it. If it’s the same or worse, I’ll definitely add some Prime. Thanks!

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 1:39 PM, GameCzar said:

You've already gotten great advice, but I just want to also tell you we've had great luck with Prime during ammonia/nitrite spikes.

It's a product I keep handy now, and always will. 

Thanks! Do you have to add it with water changes, or can you add it to a full tank?

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

Levels are much, much lower after a water change. Easier to measure too. Somewhere between 0.25-0.50 (I think) which is very encouraging. Also just added the Tetra Safe Start. Thanks so much everyone!

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 11:30 AM, Pizzafan said:

Pour in a big bottle of tetra safe start- it’s worked well for me 

I just read some great reviews of that. Thanks! How much would you suggest adding to a 29-gallon tank?

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 10:34 AM, erik.hueno said:

Thanks! I’ve never used Prime before. I have a standard Tetra water conditioner. Would you suggest using Prime for the first water change then the regular conditioner for the second?

Tetra brand, to clarify

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 10:28 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

It won’t stop the cycling process. Just arrest it for a bit. It will be a bumpy ride. There may be more fish losses ahead. Stress injuries don’t always show up during the crisis but scar them and they can have less reserve to recover going forward. Hang in there as you said use this as a learning process. 

Thanks! I’ve never used Prime before. I have a standard Tetra water conditioner. Would you suggest using Prime for the first water change then the regular conditioner for the second?

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 9:07 AM, Guppysnail said:

Some fish food release nitrite directly so slow down on feeding. I would do a quick light hover style gravel vac and get the food off the bottom. Do a 50 % wc add prime or another conditioner that neutralizes nitrite for 24 hours but will not neutralize that high of a reading. Stop feeding for a day or so until it is under control that # could cause brown blood and suffocate your fish. Test tomorrow follow same procedures until you are at .5 or below. You don’t want to completely remove them until you bb colony reproduces and catches up.  

 

I’m planning on following this plan. Thank you very much! Will this slow down or potentially stop the cycling process?

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

These are the nitrite levels. Kinda difficult to see exactly where they are.

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

On 7/2/2021 at 8:52 AM, erik.hueno said:

Hi everyone,

I have a 29-gallon tank that is 5 weeks old. I have quite a few fish in it, which maybe was a mistake of being newer to fishkeeping. My initial nitrogen cycle is currently taking place, and my nitrite seems to be spiking (around 5.0ppm). Ammonia is fairly low (between 0-0.25ppm). Nitrates are around 5.0ppm. Should I do a water change or no? And if so, how much and how frequently? I would appreciate any advice as I don’t want to lose any more fish! Thanks!

-Erik

Ammonia was slightly higher a week ago. Not nearly as high as nitrite got though. It maybe peaked between 0.50ppm-1.00ppm.

[Nitrite Spike in New Tank. 1 fish dead. Suggestions appreciated :)]

Hi everyone,

I have a 29-gallon tank that is 5 weeks old. I have quite a few fish in it, which maybe was a mistake of being newer to fishkeeping. My initial nitrogen cycle is currently taking place, and my nitrite seems to be spiking (around 5.0ppm). Ammonia is fairly low (between 0-0.25ppm). Nitrates are around 5.0ppm. Should I do a water change or no? And if so, how much and how frequently? I would appreciate any advice as I don’t want to lose any more fish! Thanks!

-Erik

[I can’t find a tank lid that fits! Help appreciated :)]

I had a custom glass pane cut from a local glass business. It’s working great so far. Thanks for everyone’s help!

[I can’t find a tank lid that fits! Help appreciated :)]

On 6/25/2021 at 1:10 AM, eatyourpeas said:

You could also use plastic live hinges to secure the lid to the tank.

Great idea! Thanks! I’ll look into that to see if it would work for my tank size.

[I can’t find a tank lid that fits! Help appreciated :)]

On 6/24/2021 at 11:53 PM, DannyBWell said:

Dang was really hoping that would help. I would suggest what the other person said with green house siding or what I've done too is get a piece of glass from a home improvement store along with super glue and a cabinet handle and I superglued the handle onto the glass and worked pretty decent for me you can then order aquarium top backstriping for pretty cheap and cutting glass is easy with a square. Good luck

Both are great ideas. I think I’m going to end up getting a piece of glass in the correct size for my tank. Thank you!