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I have a fish tank that I am trying to kill the algae in. I have worked on the lighting and bought an algae destroyer that says it is used with live plants and fish. Seems to be safe except for use with shell fish which we dont have. Is it safe to the other fish? I heard after I put it in it could be dangerous to them.

2007-04-03 16:16:34 · 8 answers · asked by schwalmy 3 in Pets Fish

8 answers

Why not try some natural remedies first? First, Make sure your aquarium is not in direct sunlight. Second you could use grazing snails they eat many kinds of algae. Third, use a gentle scrubbing pad for acrylic aquariums or and Algae magnet( they sell these at wal-mart). Forth, Use a razor blade to scrape glass tanks, which are not as likely to scratch. Fifth, you could get a algae-eating fish, which are your best and most natural line of defense against the stuff. These should have been the first fish in your tank. Algae eating fish don't count towards the max amount of fish you can have in a tank.

Good Luck,
Lucke

2007-04-03 16:36:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Algae Destroyer

2016-10-16 06:35:16 · answer #2 · answered by outler 4 · 0 0

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RE:
algae destroyer harmful?
I have a fish tank that I am trying to kill the algae in. I have worked on the lighting and bought an algae destroyer that says it is used with live plants and fish. Seems to be safe except for use with shell fish which we dont have. Is it safe to the other fish? I heard after I put it in it could...

2015-08-06 08:41:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

While it's probably not directly harmful, the effects can be. All of the algae dying in the tank at once can put a huge strain on the bacterial cycle of the tank and furthermore would cause a spike in nitrates. Yep, the same nitrates that feed algea. Not all of the algae would have died of course, so the high nitrates will cause another, probably larger algae bloom. Which you can treat, cause another spike and a yet larger bloom and so on and so on.

What you really need to do it treat the root causes of the algae and that's light and nutrients. The best way to conrol the light is to leave it off except when you are home to enjoy the tank. You mention live plants so you will want to be sure they get 8-10 hours of light. Controlling the nutrients, mainly nitrate is also fairly easy. Don;t use nitrate rich fertilizers and do very regular 25% water changes. Also take close care not to over feed the fish. A fast growing floating plant like java moss or Riccia would help the algae problem as well. This won't cure it over night or nearly as fast as chemical approaches, but it will comtrol the algae in a much healthier way.

MM

2007-04-03 16:26:25 · answer #4 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1 2

I would not touch those chemicals with a 10 foot pole. This is what it says on a bottle that I mistakenly bought when I was new to aquariums. It says quote:

"CAUTION
Hazards to humans and domestic animals. Harmful if swallowed. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, and clothing. Wash thouroughly with soap and water after handling. Environmental Hazard: Do not apply to, or allow discharge to, lakes, flowing water, or ponds with outflow. Do not contaminate domestic livestock or irrigation water supplies. Water treated with this product should not be used for human swimming or bathing activities."


If it is that harmful then why in the world would you want it in your fish tank? If it is harmful to human skin, just imagine how bad it will be on a fish's skin!

The best way to fight algae is to find the source. The common causes are one or more of the following:

1. Too much light(reduce the amount of time the light is on)
2. Overfeeding(reduce feeding)
3. Insufficient water changes(water should be changed around 10-50% each week)
4. Too many fish in the tank(find a new home for some fish or get a bigger tank)
5. In planted aquariums, an imbalance in light and nutrients causes algae. Usually adding CO2 and/or more ferts will stop the algae from growing.

2007-04-03 19:43:37 · answer #5 · answered by fish guy 5 · 2 2

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All kinds of algae are harmful because they compete for nutrients with the fishes.

2016-04-10 06:56:35 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

I wouldn't. Why not changing the water to get rid of the algae? The algae is natural and good for the system, chemicals are not.

2007-04-03 16:21:42 · answer #7 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0 2

Chemicals should be kept to a minimum in a fish tank or not used at all.

Here is more on algae, and how to keep it from taking over:

There are a few ways to control algae. Also, monitor your lighting and excess food in the tank.

Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.

Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:

Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.

Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment.

When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.

First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).
This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.

be sure to clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.

Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well.

If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them.

You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.

Test your water. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.

If you need any more help, you can im or email me.

2007-04-06 18:34:32 · answer #8 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 0 1

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2015-08-04 08:54:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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