# *insert lots of screaming and grrr-ing*



## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I'm so ticked off. My tropical tank had been running so lovely for so long and then i got knocked up. I got so lazy and fat that i was unable to look after said tank properly and as a result the levels have not been watched and maintenace has gone to pot!

As a result of that i have had a serious over taking of algae. Three kinds, hard algae on the glass blue algae on the aparatus and ornaments and hair algae on the wood and polystyrene background.

Over the last couple of days i've been using a product designed to kill all types of algae fast but it doesnt appear to be doing anything and i doubt it will remove the algae from the glass and with the tank set up its a nightmare to try to clean so i have descided that in order to fix his problem i am going to have to have a major overhaul and remove my fish to a seperate tank and empty this one. 

I really dont know what else to do and i really don't want to do this to my fish again. It was bad enough last time when i had to empty this tank completely so that i could lay my laminate flooring. At least this time i wont have to move everything upstairs.
Marina


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Why do you have to remove fish? Just do a little everyday, and lots of little water changes. Scrub the front of the glass with a kitchen scrower thingy, or get a metal blade. Take the ornaments out one by one, one a day or something, and scrub them clean in the sink. Got any piccies for us to gawk at?

Ashley


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Not to worry, Marinam - it happens to the best of us. Try doing a total blackout for a couple of days to kill off the existing algae and maybe a combination of this and the algae-removing products will help. :hmm:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

When i noticed the algae becomming an issue i did start turning the lights out dead early. So the tank was only getting say 4-5 hours a day of artificial light. However my livingroom is such an odd shape that where ever i put it its going to be getting sunlight partially directly.

I dont think that doing it partially would be very productive the tank itself has a massive condensation shelf and hood that cannot be taken off without removing all of the appliances in the tank such as the heater and filter.

Also the poly backing is so covered in algae that i want to replace it with new.

I will get pictures and you will see what i am up against.

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

When I came back last June after a three week holiday, there was a light covering of green algae on everything...lazy BN!! :devil:

I took out all the decor and scrubbed them with a clean toothbrush, cleaned the internal glass with an algae sponge and also overdosed with Seachem Flourish Excel combined with a three day blackout. It cleared everything right up and I've been algae-free since. :2thumb:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

During the last water change i did attempt to scrape the glass i have one of those stick things that you can get with interchangable heads most of the heads are scrubbing pads but you can get a head with a blade either side of it and i had a good old go with that but with the water in the tank and the angle at which i had to lean to reach things it was very very hard, after about half an hour i gave up.

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Tbh, I just ignore the hard green spot algae that colonizes the glass as you can only see that in closeup anyway. Too difficult to remove IME and yours, by the sounds of it.


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

HALLEUJAH

I started on monday afternoon at 4pm and finally just have a bit more warm water to add to the tank and for it to cycle throughly through my filter and then to pop the fishies back in and its all sorted. I was going to take pics but you'd have been disguted with me! However now its all clean and with the new plants i'll take pictures once the water is cycled and the sand has fully settled.

Marina


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Personally I would never use an algae killing product...why not do it the natural way?
Leave the lights off, cut back on feeding, do 10% water change every day or 2 for a couple of weeks, take the ornaments out, soak them in bleach solution overnight, then in dechlorinator to remove the bleach then let them dry out completely, this should kill off the algae fo' sho'. Get a few plecs, otocinclus or siamese flying foxes, even algae shrimp or snails....get yourself a little clean up crew, it's a much safer way to go. 
As for the glass, I wouldn't use a metal scraper as they do scratch but a normal green and yellow scourer sponge from tesco will sort it for ya. 
Hope this helps.


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

I posted too late didn't I..........


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## Ferret1959 (Jul 16, 2008)

UV filter and BN's keep my algae in check.
I have a 6x2x2, 5x2x2 and a 4x2 bow front and no green stuff.


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Whats a BN????

And hey you try finding 5 mins to have a bath let alone half an hour to do a water change every day when you have a 5 week old baby!!

Its sorted now and now i'll stay on top of it so it doesnt happen again.

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> Whats a BN????


A Bristlenose Plec. IME these get very lazy as they get older - mine never eats any algae now. It's the Otos that keep it at bay...: victory:



> And hey you try finding 5 mins to have a bath let alone half an hour to do a water change every day when you have a 5 week old baby!!


I know! I used to consider it a success if I was dressed by lunchtime...:lol2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I'll consider myself very lucky if i am out of bed by 11am!! Especially after a night like last night.

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> I'll consider myself very lucky if i am out of bed by 11am!! Especially after a night like last night.


Little Angel pulled an all-nighter, did she? :whistling2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Wench went to bed uber late woke early for her next feed and then took an hour to go back to sleep.

Marina


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Gah, it's all about priorities!


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> Wench went to bed uber late woke early for her next feed and then took an hour to go back to sleep.


The joys of breastfeeding - I used to roll over, latch the baby on and then doze off again...:lol2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I failed misrebly at breastfeeding but i am expressing and giving it to her.
Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> I failed misrebly at breastfeeding but i am expressing and giving it to her.


Good for you. For something so natural, breastfeeding is actually bloody difficult starting out. I was fortunate to have a neighbour who was in the La Leche league and, with my first baby, she visited me every single day for two weeks until I had gotten the hang of it. : victory:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I didnt like the sensation of her sucking on my boobs, i found it really horrible, however by the time my milk came in on day four i didnt get around to putting her straight to boob and once i got around to it she had learnt some really nasty habits from the bottle and i havent managed to get her to unlearn them.
My milk is drying up now because i'm not expressing as often as a should be.
Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> I didnt like the sensation of her sucking on my boobs, i found it really horrible


I know what you mean. I found that "tugging" sensation uncomfortable to begin with but I soon got used to it. Just as well probably as I never got the hang of expressing so good for you for managing to do that. : victory:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Ewww..... *splashes eyes with Holy water*


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

_jake_ said:


> Ewww..... *splashes eyes with Holy water*


Didn't expect that in the Fish Forum, did you? :lol2:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Well, um, sometimes fish can come into these sort of things


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

:lol2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

The little old lady i borrowed the spare tank from this evening after returning it offered me her tropical fish. There were about 4/5 tetras with a thin red arrow like shape towards their tail, a cardinal tetra and a huge cory dory. I did intend to get some more anyway so this will come in helpful.

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Nice one. : victory:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Coool... thats a BARGAIN! (says in David Dickinson voice)


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Okay i obviously didn't look properly. The 
2 "red tetras" are actually harlequins and the cory dora is actually a catfish of some description i think its part of the loach family.

Sadly after only one night in my tank two of them are missing the little cardinal tetra and one of the harlequins have vanished. I know its nothing to do with my levels because i checked them all last night before i went to bed, so i can only assume then that they fell victim to either stress and were then eaten or a preditory fish took them in the night???

Marina


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Awww, that's a shame. 

Corydoras are indeed a species of catfish, commonly known as Cories.


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