My sister and her bf's tank is super nasty right now...his brother, put a bunch of food in the tank for the lobster and crab, and didnt take it out for about a week. Ever since then, they have been getting this disgusting orangish algee...and they clean the tank every week...is there anything they could put in the water to get rid of this?
2007-01-11 10:01:01 · 8 answers · asked by Kari R 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
Take out the critters and put them in a safe container (no soap ever in it) and clean the tank with clorox. Rinse it thoroughly several times and fill it with tap water then dechlorinate it with your favorite water treatment. Sounds like a lot but not really only takes a few minutes.
2007-01-11 10:17:05 · answer #1 · answered by pilot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
brown algae is a sign of poor water quality, but I guess you've already figured that out. whatever you do, do not use an algecide or any chemical that kills algae. Crabs, shrimp, snails, and lobsters are invertebrates and are highly sensitive to heavy metals and chemicals. It will kill them, it says so on the label. The best thing to do is sipohn the tank so there is no left over food. Let the tank sit, doing only a 10-20% water change weekly. this allows the bacteria and fish waste to "cycle". Nitrifying bacteria eat waste, turning it into first nitrite and then nitrate. If you constantly do huge water changes, it inhibits the bacteria growth to reduce the waste. Once there is no more waste, the bacteria will begin to drop off. This combined with water changes will take the bacteria to a normal level, reducing the algae growth.
Lots of stress coat (or other water conditioner) and a lot of time is the best course of action.
oh, and FYI, algae eaters and plecos don't eat brown algae and adding new fish to the tank is a really bad idea right now. Just scrub it and do those water changes. Research the nitrogen cycle too for good measure.
2007-01-11 18:12:14 · answer #2 · answered by lemonnpuff 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They must do a 100% water change. Then leave the tank with the new water for 2 weeks to cycle. Al the gravel, rocks and filters must be cleaned thoroughly before putting it back in the tank. Do not use any chemicals to clean it. The fish that is in the tank have to stay in a other tank for that period
2007-01-11 18:24:14 · answer #3 · answered by Willem J 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely the food has been converted to nitrates. High levels of nitrates tends to allow brown algae to grow. Really they should do 20-30% water changes for about 4 times over the next week.
2007-01-11 18:50:58 · answer #4 · answered by Sabersquirrel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clean the tank. You might be able to get away with doing partial tank cleanings but from the picture I see, they will, more than likely, have to tear down the tank and clean it good using salt.
It is probably way beyond hope now.
2007-01-11 18:09:46 · answer #5 · answered by bluebonnetgranny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing you can do is change a decent percentage of the water. 20-25% should help reduce the water quality issues.
2007-01-11 18:09:38 · answer #6 · answered by JCSquardo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you could put liquid cleaner in there or they could put little dissolving pills or whatever and drop one of those in there that also clean the water. Good Luck ! ;-)
2007-01-11 18:12:39 · answer #7 · answered by dreamgirl542 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes they could get tank cleaner and that is around walmart by the fish area.
@o@sh@.
2007-01-11 18:10:59 · answer #8 · answered by Aoasha H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋