Green Tank

[heather]

I did a water change just a little while ago and i noticed after the tank had lots of gunk floating around and the water looked a bit on the green side.
oncloser inspection i found that the glass had a bunch of clear-green algae on it. My snail hasnt been doing his job!
is there anything oher than snails that will take care of the problem (anything that doesnt require too much work for me)?

 

[peter]

Hi Heather

I have used a product called Pond Care AlgaeFix, it's a control for algae bloom. It's made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Amazing stuff, I added the amount required, came back in a couple of hours and the amount of 'green' was greatly reduced. All gone by the next day.

Peter.

 

[heather]

oops i just noticed this isnt exactly the section it should be in,thats okay though.

peter>>is it safe to use with axolotls?

 

[peter]

yes, I had no problems using it. I have used it for the prescribed daily dose for 3 days then once weekly for control. I had my small tank near the window and it was getting lots of light on it, hence the algae bloom. it's all good new.

Peter

 

[cynthia]

Peter and Heather- I did a google search on this product and the information says:

Caution: Do not use Pond Care AlgaeFix with crustaceans, including; crabs, shrimp, freshwater shrimp, and freshwater lobsters.

I don't think I would use something in an axolotls tank that isn't safe for crustaceans.

http://www.pond-o-mania.com/algaefix.htm

 

[vanessa]

I thought that algaes grow in dark? I've moved my axie tank away from the window yeserday.

 

[mik]

I wouldn't reccommend any of the solutions and products for algae control for use with axies. Best if you can just scrub some of the worse affected areas. If the algae is blooming it's possibly down to an over abundance of sunlight and food sources. Can you keep tank away from direct sun and try and clean out any left over food and faeces?

Remember it should top out at a level consistant with its food supply so don't try extreme solutions just watch and see if a new 'balance' is set up.

 

[ross]

In my large fish tank next to my south facing living room window(gets sun all day) I use a product called Phosguard by Seachem. The product absorbs Phosphates from the water which is a major food souce for algae. Elliminate the food source and you control the algae. It shouldn't hurt axies. The most natural way would be to add daphnia. If you use tap water that has a lot of phosphates you are actually feeding the algae whenever you do a water change.

 

[maggie]

Everything I've read says that axies don't need sunlight and should not be in direct sun. It seems like it would be better just to have the tank in a place without sun. I'm in college and I turn the light off next to the tank when I'm not in the room to keep the algae from growing in between cleanings. I have algae remover but I would rather not risk using a harsh chemical that could hurt the axies.

(Message edited by zeek333 on March 10, 2005)

 

[ben-lee]

for me personnelly ..pay nuts get monkeys, a snail cannot do a job its a animal. but life goes on, sorry back to the question hmm well i wouldnt leave a tank in direct sunlight because it makes the algae grow alot faster ( i did a experiment) and to clean the algae i used vinegar and barcarbonate soda, im not sure if this is completley safe with Axies but i used it for my fishys! well i better go help some body in another area Axies just aint my thang! chow for now!

 

[edward]

Algae is not a problem as it reduces the levels of ammonia and nitrate in the tank.
Sunlight is a problem as it can overheat the tank.

Ed

 

[ross]

Some forms of algae aren't good because they actually deplete the oxygen. We have our yearly "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. It's due to the high phosphorous runoff from farming upriver.
I keep my large fish tank in full reflected sun and my light is on most of the time which would normally cause a lot of algae. I also have a lot of plants in the tank that helps. This is a fish tank though and not an Axcolotl tank. I definitely wouldn't put an Axolotl in the sunlight.

 

[edward]

Unless you are getting such a large algae bloom in the tank that everything is getting smothered the algae is not a problem. That sort of algae outbreak is not typical in a freshwater tank. Some marine algaes, cyanobacteria and/or diatoms can rapidly form huge mats and smother sessile organisms.
The dead zone in the gulf is die to the huge amounts of nutrients contained in the runoff from farms and septic systems causing massive algae blooms which when the algae dies causing anoxic regions in the water due to the decompositions.
You would need a massive nutrient load to get anywhere close in a freshwater tank.

Ed

 

[brian]

You can still get mats of cyanobacteria in freshwater tanks though. I've had them a time or two before. Very difficult to get rid of entirely.

 

[edward]

Yes it is possible but they are normally not on the scale of those seen in marine tanks.

Ed

 

[ross]

One word of warning about algae. I wouldn't buy a plecostomus (algae eater)to put in the tank with an axolotl to try to get rid of algae. It's very possible that the plecostomus would be very attracted to the slime coating on the Axolotl and although it might not kill your Axolotl right away it would certainly stress it out. Snails would be OK as long as the snail is too big to fit in your Axolotls mouth.