Red algae

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Babakapusta
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:48 pm

Red algae

Post by Babakapusta » Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:21 pm

I have a well established tank. It has been running 13 years with the same fish and a few that are 8 years old. I have a problem that started over 2 years ago and has grown worse. Almost 3 1/4 of the glass is covered in red algae. The best way to describe it is that it looks like I stuck a needle in my thumb and left finger prints on the glass that are the color of dried blood. I can't see through the glass with the algae on it.

It isn't like regular green algae that you can scrape off. This almost seems like it is fused to the glass. It take 30 minutes to scrape off a small section if I can get it off at all. I have a scraper with a long metal razor type blade with a long handle. My tank is 125 gallon. I have trouble reaching to the bottom of the tank. I have to stand on something to do that. The front is the glass I can keep clean the best.

The back and sides are completely covered. I have given up on them. I've tried algae killers but they don't work. I think the stuff has spread to my sand bottom.

I went to the fish store and they said, I don't have red algae. I called the Shedd Aquarium and they said, you don't have red algae, red algae only grown in salt water.

I don't put salt in my water, but I do have red algae.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of it. I don't thing it is edible like the green algae. The Shedd gave me the impression it is calcium based almost like coral and I can believe that.

I don't mind the algae but I want to see my fish!

Lupine
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:16 pm

Re: Red algae

Post by Lupine » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:20 am

Are you sure it's not diatoms? If you could post a photo it might help. The stuff you have may be "beard algae" which can be purple, gray, black or red colored. It can have long "hairs" or short ones. It can be caused by low CO2, low pH and high light as well as excess nutrients. Copper will kill beard algae, but can also kill some plants and definitely crustaceans. You may also be able to starve it by keeping the lights off and using a phosphate absorbing type media (agian if the tank is not planted). Siamese Algae Eaters are also supposed to eat it, but you have to remember they grow up to be mean and stop eating algae. They also wont eat it if they have anything else to eat.

Babakapusta
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:48 pm

Re: Red algae

Post by Babakapusta » Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:51 am

It is that color but if you have ever seen a picture of a giant sequoia tree that has been cut down and look at the rings. It is more like that. It is one solid mass of thumb prints. I'm trying the light thing and doing massive water changes weekly hoping that will help. It doesn't seem to bother the fish at all. My fish are so large I don't see how I can break down the tank to clean it really well. One of the problems I have is that I can't reach the back glass of the tank at all below about 1/3 of the way from the top.

Lupine
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:16 pm

Re: Red algae

Post by Lupine » Thu Aug 15, 2013 4:01 pm

I believe thats the kind of beard algae I was describing. If you don't have plants or inverts, try copper like Mardel's CopperSafe. They do make scrapers that are over 24" long, I have one for my 180 gallon tank. You may have to look online to find one tho. You'll have to scrape and vac the dead algae if you manage to kill it or it will pollute your tank.

aiza
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:01 am

Re: Red algae

Post by aiza » Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:28 am

I totally get the kitschy tank thing, it's all just a matter of personal aesthetics. Personally I think it would be cute to have a "radioactive pollution" set up for the glofish since they were originally created to detect pollutants. If you could find some decor of radioactive barrels or some such, that would be awesome IMO.

andrew45
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:32 am

Re: Red algae

Post by andrew45 » Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:11 am

Red algae caused due to lack of carbon dioxide in the water, which is really nasty and hangs in threads all over aquarium. It can be overcome with adding extra oxygen. But often a tank must be cleaned and restarted if it gets out of control.

The Angry Loach
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:03 am

Re: Red algae

Post by The Angry Loach » Sun Jan 19, 2014 7:51 pm

I had something similar to this years ago. It was a reddish brown algae that took the place of the green algae and then ran rampant in my goldfish tank. It wouldn't come off for anything. It's slick like the green and short as well, but it took hours of scrubbing with a kitchen sponge and HOT HOT water to clean it. My gold fish were stuck living in a filtered and heated piece of Tupperware for a while during the reset on that tank. I haven't had a problem with it since then, but starving it of light didn't seem to do the trick. Even when it's dead, it sticks to the glass like it's part of it.
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