grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 28, 2016 Is red algae fine for bristlenose to eat? Coz it's covered my rocks in my African tank, was thinking about putting a female bn in there. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donny@ageofaquariums 855 Report post Posted May 28, 2016 Picture? Sounds like diatomaceous.... which bn love. But if its cyanobacteria..... it could be more toxic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 28, 2016 It's a dark red furry algae, I have my light on a fair bit sonic guessing that's why it's growing a lot, but I'll take a photo when I get home today so you can tell me exactly which one it is Thankyou! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 29, 2016 Picture?Sounds like diatomaceous.... which bn love. But if its cyanobacteria..... it could be more toxic. There it is, more like a maroon colour. Think it would be ok to out a bn in there to eat it? Or is it toxic? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 29, 2016 (edited) Not sure if the photo has come up... Edited May 29, 2016 by grokzy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donny@ageofaquariums 855 Report post Posted May 29, 2016 Yea I see it. A common one in the lake so..... authentic biotype. Looks rather cyano so not a good one for bristlenose. I would try an old toothbrush taped to a hose.... so you can scrub and syphon it out. Low nitrates and high phosphates? Could also try black out the tank for a few days. Could try a bn i spose.... but if its a prob in need of an urgent fix I would try the red slime treatment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 29, 2016 Ok cheers mate, I've got this Aqua one stuff to get rid of algae but will it work or will I need to buy the red slime stuff? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donny@ageofaquariums 855 Report post Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Its more a bacteria than an algae. So antibiotics are more likely to work than algaecides. Keep in mind the algae shouldnt kill fish..... so make sure you are careful with treatments to kill algae.... as they are more risky to fish health if you dont follow instructions. Likely the rocks are old and loaded with phosphates. As they leech from rock into water column their surface is perfect spot for algae to grow. Its a common reef problem thats often solved by a technique called cooking or by the addition of gfo to compete with algae for phosphates. How long has it been blooming? You may be able to do nothing and just wait it out. But if aesthetics is doing feng shui damage in house hold splurging on some chemi-clean should end its reign. Oh and lets try get some one elses opinion too It might be dead black beard after all. Edited May 30, 2016 by Donny@ageofaquariums Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 30, 2016 Ok yep, to be honest I don't really mind the look of it haha but missus recons it looks dirty. It's been going for a couple of weeks now, when I had red zebras in the tank it wasn't a problem because they would always eat it all but they didn't die. Do you know of a product I could buy to get rid of it? I've got a broken leg at the moment so it's a bit difficult to even clean the tanks at the moment so if I could buy something that was easy would be a lot better for me. Thanks for the help matei appreciate it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donny@ageofaquariums 855 Report post Posted May 30, 2016 The usual is stuff called chemi clean red slime remover. If you cant water change after using due to leg, i would hold off feeding fish for day or 2 that way we dont have to worry about overloading bio filter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted May 30, 2016 Alright sweet I'll have to get some. Lucky enough the hose is nice and close to the tanks so I'm sweet doing water changes with some help from the wife so that's no worries. Cheers again bud Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grokzy 57 Report post Posted June 8, 2016 Quick question [MENTION=9246]Donny@ageofaquariums[/MENTION] if I buy a UV sterilizer for the tank will it get rid of the algae for good? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donny@ageofaquariums 855 Report post Posted June 8, 2016 No. It will reduce the "spores" in water but you cant put whole tank through uv kill chamber at once..... therefor some usually remains. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites