More algae problems.......

art vandalay

art vandalay

New Member
Howdy all.......
I have a 29 gallon tank, 2 damsels and one small trigger. they seem happy. algae grows everywhere, especially on the sandy bottom, to the point where by time I do a water change (once a week) the tank looks like i decorated it for St. Patricks day!
Ammonia is fine, nitrates/nitrites are admittedly a bit high. feedings are minimal. temp is around 77F. Tank has been up and running for about 2 months.
what kinda fish can i get to eat my algae? i bought snails and the trigger ate them. from what im reading Tangs are good but my tank is too small for them. any suggestions? i cant afford to upgrade the tank size right now but i really dig the hobby (except for the algae, of course :mad: ). i'd hate to give it up, or worse, do something to harm the fish.
thanks...
 
art vandalay

art vandalay

New Member
all good questions....
im not too sure with the algae... it looks a bit on the hairy side i suppose. im not too familar with the different types.
and i didnt get a phosphate test with my kit. how would i test for that?
as for nitrites and nitrates, both were reading at the highest level on the kit (1.0ppm and 50ppm) if i remember correctly. but again, no one in the tank seems stressed at all.
sorry if i sound naive, but im new at this!
 
dindi

dindi

Member
Well..nobody knows everything thats why this place priceless. You need to buy a phoshate test kit. it doesn't come with your pet shop type kit. You also should check your calcium level. The alk test and cal kit are very different. unbalanced water chem will cause alot of things, but algae is fine. a very good thing to get are 1. green crabs or if you have boat loads algea get a lawnmower blennie. Be ready to be able to provide food when your water is at it's best. you won't get alot of green algae when your water is premo. Just from experience
 
oceanjumper

oceanjumper

Member
Well, since you're not overfeeding, cutting back on the light and perhaps use PhosGuard for a while.
Though it is normal that new tanks undergo an algae bloom, your nitrates & nitartes are high. Do you have a skimmer?
 
col

col

Active Member
If your'e Nitrites are so high you may need to think about a water change.
Did your tank cycle or is it in the middle of cycling?
 
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