# Help....got algae problem



## bucfan (Nov 13, 2009)

Nitrate = 20 ppm
Nitrite = 0.5 ppm
pH = 7.2

I feed the fish once daily and give them one flake per fish

Fish have been in the tank 8 weeks


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## petlover516 (Nov 12, 2008)

Seems like you might have a nitrate problem. how much food do you give your fish?how long have the fish been in the tank? what is the nitrate reading(if you can't answer that question, you need to buy yourself an API master test kit.)


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## bucfan (Nov 13, 2009)

Nitrate = 20 ppm
Nitrite = 0.5 ppm
pH = 7.2

I feed the fish once daily and give them one flake per fish


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## petlover516 (Nov 12, 2008)

nitrites are the problem. the fish were put in the tank too quickly. try doing alot of water changes to lower the nitrites to 0, or get some live plants.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Can you describe the algae?


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## spawn (Sep 21, 2009)

do 30-40% partial water change in an alternate day until it stabilizes...


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## choylifutsoccer (Jan 2, 2010)

When was the last time you did a water change? When I neglect my water changes, algae always pops out to warn me. Nitrates can only be removed by water changes, unless you want to add unnecessary chemicals in your tank.


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## communitywater (Aug 16, 2009)

Algae and nitrate problems aside.....One flake per fish? Once a day? It sounds like you're starving them. Feeding them as much as they can eat for 3-5 minutes once a day is recommended. Even better yet, feed them twice a day for 2 minutes.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Have you been doing water changes during those 8 weeks? If so, how often do you do water changes and how much? Typical is 25-50% once a week or so.

What type of algae are you seeing? Can you describe it?


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## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

Your tank needs to cycle . You need to do water changes daily (possibly twice a day) until your parameters are right. 

As far as the algae. Since you're not overfeeding your fish (actually you're not feeding them enough) it is probably a lighting issue. 
Is the tank in direct sunlight?
How long do you leave the tank light on?


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Well...since the OP still has not described the algae...it's hard to diagnose. Being that it is a new tank...could be diatoms. Possible algae bloom (green water). No clue.


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## petlover516 (Nov 12, 2008)

the OP said the light was on for 6 hours a day, before the OP edited the first post.


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