# Algae Bloom or Bacteria Bloom?



## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

What does this look like to you guys?













Fish are all happy and healthy (2 Mollies, 3 Cories, a Dojo Loach, and an ADF), and all of the live plants seem healthy (Amazon Swords, Argentine Swords, Java Fern, Lace Java Fern, Aponogetons)



Ammonia - 0 - good
Nitrate - 40 - good
Nitrite - 2 - HIGH


Could the nitrites at 2 cause a bacteria bloom to look like this? The tank is more than likely going threw a mini cycle after adding the Dojo Loach and 2 more Cories a little while ago, so I know these nitrites are going to eventually settle down, but I just wasn't sure if a level of 2 could cause what I'm seeing here, or if it would have to be a higher number like 5 to cause this much cloudiness.

I've also left the lights off for the past two days in case it's an algae bloom. Usually the tank has been lit up for 12 hours a day by two 15watt CFLs. I've heard stories of good results using API's Algaefix to clear up green water blooms. Any recommendations?



Thanks!


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## Cole (Aug 18, 2010)

Looks like you've got a case of green water. I've never had it myself, but this link looks like it has some good info.

I would try feeding a little less and leaving the lights off for a few more days. I'd also do weekly water changes if you aren't already, it should help the algae and lower the nitrites and nitrates.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

^+1 on keeping the lights out. I would also figure out if your tank is getting a lot of natural light that could be causing it.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

Yeah I've cut the feeding back too. I use to give it a pinch of flakes every day for the Mollies, and the Cories and the Dojo Loach would pick up the scraps that the Mollies didn't eat and sank to the bottom, and I've reduced that to every other day. Any the ADF only gets some frozen blood worms hand-fed to him every other day as well.

The tank get's no "natural light" to speak of; it's too far away from any windows for that to happen, but yeah I've kept the lights off for the past two days, only turned them on for a couple seconds to take that picture just before I post it.

I have been keeping up on the water changes every week. In fact, I do them every Friday, so it's do for one tomorrow. I'll do a 50% instead of the normal 25% and see if that helps some.



Any personal experience with the Algaefix by API?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I wouldn't use it. I'd give a little while.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

First ... don't use chems ... bad things can happen.

Second ... nitrItes ... very bad. You need to do get some water changes done now instead of waiting for a week.

Third ... it does appear to be an algae bloom. Take a glass of water out and look at it. Does it appear to be green? If so...confirmed. Course of action is a three day complete black out. No lights at all. Even cover the tank with a sheet.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I'd be more worried about the nitrites. I think the green water will go away when it runs out of nutrients. It looks bad but doesn't hurt your fish. Did you just change anything in your tank like start dosing ferts or more light?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

+1 to all the above.

Just to keep it simple kill the lights and stop adding food until the tank clears.

You will also find out the nitrItes will drop down to 0 before the tank clears.

Then continue with less feeding and lighting so the plants thrive and the tank remains clear.

FWIW this happens with me sometimes in tanks. the lights out and no feeding has always worked in a few days with no fish loss.

IMHO you just have to get the plants ahead of the bioload and keep it that way.


my .02


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

3 day black-out, and we're still hazy looking 

water levels haven't changed a bit; the nitrites are still at 2


I'm really hoping this clear up quick, the plants don't look like they're taking the no-light very well  my swords are developing black spots...


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

you could have a free floating diatom... i stumbled across this in one of my tanks that had recently been set up, and fought it for months. i actualy grew the diatoms because they are so darned efficient, the glass structures they develope trap almost any light, allowing the cell to use it. i would coat solar cells with them to make them more efficient, but first i had to dissolve their innards with hydrogen peroxide, leaving just the glass shells. thats when i figured out how to get rid of the stuff that kept taking over my tank. ad 2ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide(the kind in the brown bottles you get from walmart,) per gallon of water, and leave the lights on until the next day. as long as the lights are running and there is circulation, the peroxide will break down before it does any serious dammage to plants, and ive never actualy seen a fish die with anything less than about 10ml per gallon, and even then it was only when the lights were turned off prior to treatment. hydrogen peroxide breaks down in light. i only recommend hydrogen peroxide as a last resort treatment for algae, but it will work when nothing else does.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

well it has a week to clear up, lol

I'm moving next Friday, at which point I plan on getting at least a 20 gallon long for the new living arrangement... I'll just cycle the new tank with all of the plants, and maybe the two Mollies, and be done with it

maybe turn the 10 gallon into a Betta tank or something

might even try to breed some Bettas in it; my sister has a male and a female in separate tanks, and I'm sure she'd let me borrow them for a little while


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

I gave up...

all my fish are hardy, so I'm starting over with it, lol, for a week anyhow, before they get moved to a new tank...

all the fish seem quite happy; no signs of stress after the total makeover (they're all chowing down on an algae wafer near the bottom left)















probably wasn't the BEST idea, but oh well...


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