black algae?

[sweetshannon]

I have a problem with black algae! I keep the front ad sides of my tank clear, but the back actually looks furry....:youtellme:
I have read that it can be high phosphates. Does anyone have any ideas? Anyone hear heard of or used a phosphate remover? Is there such a thing? If it would interfere with anything else in my tank, I will just live with it. This may just be one battle I may not win! But I don't like seeing all the topics that are empty, so what the heck?
My reading are always at 0...ammonia and nitrites. NitrAtes under 20.

[small_ranchu]

Yes. there are several ways to remove algaes.
1. You have to balance everything including phosphate, light from your tank.
2. Or here is DIY algae remover (http://goldfishkeepers.com/scrubber.php)(filter).

[sweetshannon]

Thanks! I will try to have my handy friend come and build me one soon! I have enough room next to the tank, I think. It is a 100 gallon tank....
Thanks so much for the advice!

[Ajno]

Its not black beard algae is it? That stuff is like tufts of grey/black. I got mine from imported plants off ebay. I finally had to tear down the whole tank and bleach EVERYTHING! I seeded my BB's from my other tank. So far so good. I hope you don't have BBA. Keep us posted.

[demdamdemekins]

Trapdoor snails love all sorts of algae (not bba though, only saes for those basically). They're also large enough/have short enough antennae that goldfish quickly learn to leave them alone. I've only ever tried phosphate remover in my reef tank, and its far from a be all end all solution. BBA is a tough one, but a couple of siamese algae eaters will well take care of it. Just good luck getting em back out when they're done eating.

[Ichthius]

If it's black beard algae you might try looking on google for treatments using hydrogen peroxide.

I believe featherless on the gab has had great success with adding hydrogen peroxide in small doses to the tank.

[sweetshannon]

yes, it does look like little tufts......uh oh.
I will try to post a pic later. Maybe I can get a definite answer.
Thanks

[Ajno]

Mine was REALLY bad, thats why I did bleach because it would have taken a lot of peroxide. If you have a few spots give peroxide a chance.

[Ichthius]

Did you kill your plants with the bleach?

Sounds like you'd have to completely start from scratch if you bleach.

The peroxide treatment is a slow and steady treatment.

I wonder if a potassium permanganate treatment might work also. I've treated plants with hair algae with pp and it worked great.

[Ajno]

I didn't have plants at the time of bleaching. Yes I did start all over. The algae was everywhere. It was my last resort. I bleached everything filters,glass tops, anything that had contact with the tank. I seeded the cycle with bio from my tank in the living room.

[Ichthius]

Here's an article I found on the web:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/plants/Podio_Algae_Hydrogen_Peroxide.html

There's a ton of info out there on this working. With a little digging I'm sure you'll find a protocol that will work with out needing to kill your tank.

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[thomasn]

here's a useful website for algae ID and solutions (http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/)

[Veil Gal]

I also have been attacked by black beard algae which has been rightly nicknamed "DEVIL'S algae." Mine also came in from an Ebay seller. This horrible algae has attached itself to not only plants, but all my uptake tubes and colonized to the gravel in my formerly showcase tank in my living room. It has spread to all my tanks. I tried hydrogen peroxide; it didn't work. The thought of taking down all my tanks, chloroxing them and re-cycling all the filters seems like a nightmare. Does anyone have any success with eliminating this black beard alage? I read a post about someone taking down all their tanks, disinfecting everything, and still the algae re-appeared because the live fish carried it into the newly disinfected system. You can't chlorox your goldfish!
This has been a nightmare as I have worked hard to keep my tanks healthy, clean and attractive. If anyone has a solution, I am sure those of us who are dealing with this invader would be very grateful!

[Ajno]

You might want to google Flourish Excel. Some people with planted tanks have had success with ODing excel in their tanks. BBA hates it for some reason.

[sweetshannon]

You might want to google Flourish Excel. Some people with planted tanks have had success with ODing excel in their tanks. BBA hates it for some reason.

Could that affect my fish? Just wondering if you have heard of any negative effects to this? I ill have to check it out!:confuse1:

[Ajno]

Its kinda split, some people have not lost any fish and others have. I'm not sure if anyone with goldies has done this though. I qt'ed my fish to make sure they didn't have any of the bba in their intestinal tract when I moved them back to their tank, you might wanna do the same with the excel, qt them to purge any spores that may be inther system. That would take care of the problem, hopefully.

[Veil Gal]

I inadvertently brought in Black Beard Alagae on plants purchased through ebay. It took over my showcase tank and then spread to all my aquariums. Devil's algae, indeed! As per the excellent recommendation on our site to try Flourish Excel, and being desperate--I did start treating my tanks. And hurray, after only 10 days of daily dosing,the black beard algae has stopped spreading. Also the brown rust that formerly covered all my plants has also slowed its obnoxious ways.
Now I have noticed my fish blowig bubbles at the surface of the water, and so this must mean that oxygen levels have changed. The fish seem fine otherwise. My plan is to continue to dose the Excel daily until the BBA is under control, with a watch on my fish.
I don't really understand the action of the Flourish Excel. I guess it mimics CO2, and I am thinking that could be bad for fish in excess. Carbon dioxide is the by-product of respiration, right?