Algae Killer will harm clown loaches?

[ckk125]

hey all, will it affect the clowns?

I just want to be sure before i put it into my tank..

Thanks!

[Total Package]

What type of algae is it?

It is usually best to treat the cause, since algecides will just eliminate it in the short term and can cause other negative side effects (like ammonia spikes).

Often, shorter light periods with more frequent water changes will eliminate a fair number of algae problems.

[ckk125]

green water...

Cant do anything about the light...tropical country..12 hours of sun light...

Water has been great.good bio filtration.

[KLKelly]

Personally I wouldn't risk it. On another forum a member lost one of his beloved fish immediately after using an algae killer. None of us on that forum will ever use an algae killer now. He was a very experienced fish keeper and followed directions to a tee. It was really sad

[newshound]

tank black out for 5 days
Your clowns are new if i remember correctly so that would be good for them too.
a 5 day black out will not harm plants if you have any (I think your clowns were 9 inches)
don't use chemicals

[ckk125]

11 inches...but not important.

Black it out and after 5 days open it up and the algae will be back..?

[distrbd]

green water...

Cant do anything about the light...tropical country..12 hours of sun light...

Water has been great.good bio filtration.

The best way to get rid of green water is a UV sterilizer.you could also use a diatom filter but it's not as efficient.

[ckk125]

Well, i know that...but to get one, is quite costly..

[Emma Turner]

I wouldn't advise on adding uneccessary chemical treatments (such as this algicide) to fish tanks. Chen, can you do a couple of water tests for us - nitrAte and phosphate? Either one of these, or both of these is/are likely to be quite high.

Phosphates can be reduced by adding a phosphate-reducing resin to your filter (such as Rowaphos) and nitrAtes can be reduced by cutting back on feeding and more frequent partial water changes and gravel vacuuming (if you have a gravel substrate).

If you can't change the amount of light the tank receives, then these ways of cutting down the nutrients the algae feeds on is the way to go.

Emma

[Bitey]

A UV sterilizer should do the trick and your fish would be less likely to get sick as well.

I just got my smallest UV unit ever, a 5W submersible unit, to take care of green water in my 10 gal planted tank and it's done a wonderful job.

For ponds that get a lot of sunlight, they're almost a requirement.

[crazy loaches]

If its getting a lot of sunlight that you cant control then algae killer isnt going to do much good, it will just come back. Id probably run a UV continuous duty (or atleast on or off with the lights). How big is your tank? And can you not cover it from sunlight (just curious)?

[ckk125]

wow...5 watts? the minimum i can find here in Malaysia is 9 watts..

[ckk125]

Because it is outside of my house..? not getting any direct sunlight though..

its a 4 feet tank..and i tried covering it...it caused my loaches to go nuts..smashing their heads against the tank..

[shari2]

Do you have any fast growing live plants in there? Sounds like you can't really regulate the lighting, and UV is on the back burner. Fast growing plants can out compete the algae for nutrients and bring things back into balance once they get established.

Green water, while unsightly, is not harmful to the fish. In fact it's full of infusoria which are excellent food for newly hatched fry of many varieties. If it's a newish tank it may be part of the process and given time, may resolve on its own. I definitely would NOT use an algaecide, myself.

[chefkeith]

If I lived in Malaysia, I'd probably put my tanks outside too.

I'd probably try add a powerhead to get more water movement and rig it with some filter floss somehow. I read somewhere that daily changes of filter floss will control green water. I've never tried it though.