Maxwell Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I have (had) a pretty 5 lb white and brown rock (Big Als) that has accumulated a green algae on the surface. During my water change I took it out and scrubbed it with a dish detergent solution followed by a vinegar and then water rinse. It removed about 75% of the green stuff. I wondering if there is a better solution,home made formula that might be more effective and safer once I get fish in there since that method could be detrimental to any livestock. Any suggestions for unsightly algae removal would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) If it is JUST rock...nothing else I will put it in the oven for a couple hundred degrees. An hour or so and everything is cooked. Give a scrub afterwards and things should fall off. Just my 2c Edited March 29, 2012 by ckmullin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Bleach dip, then scrub. Rinse the rock well and then let it sit in a bucket with some extra dechlorinator added to make sure all the bleach is neutralized. Works great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) bn pleco, sae, otocinclus, even suitable inverts are counter-measures that would add to your tank community and health (while reducing wrinkly fingers). edit: once you get fish in your tank Edited March 29, 2012 by Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 If it is JUST rock...nothing else I will put it in the oven for a couple hundred degrees. An hour or so and everything is cooked. Give a scrub afterwards and things should fall off. Just my 2c Reminds of when camping when we were kids. We would pull water logged rocks out of the creek and throw them in the fire. One in four would explode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epiphany Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 If it is JUST rock...nothing else I will put it in the oven for a couple hundred degrees. An hour or so and everything is cooked. Give a scrub afterwards and things should fall off. Just my 2c Reminds of when camping when we were kids. We would pull water logged rocks out of the creek and throw them in the fire. One in four would explode. Yeah, wouldn't reccomend putting wet rocks into the oven. Those things can fly and make some crazy noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 Give $5 for the eager beaver kid on your block and say you want it crystal clean. No more worries for you. If it is JUST rock...nothing else I will put it in the oven for a couple hundred degrees. An hour or so and everything is cooked. Give a scrub afterwards and things should fall off. Just my 2c Reminds of when camping when we were kids. We would pull water logged rocks out of the creek and throw them in the fire. One in four would explode. Yeah, wouldn't reccomend putting wet rocks into the oven. Those things can fly and make some crazy noise. Done many times, with no harm. Never had any issues. The purpose isn't to make the rock glowing red but to heat sufficiently to kill bacteria and parasite. (in this case any algae too) You want to sterilize things, the oven, i've always found is the best. For hobbiests who also have a green thumb...you can easily sterilize soil for your seed, again works like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonNeko Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I just get rid of algae using Nerite snails and a toothbrush. I hate those brushes they sell in the stores, they're too big and I end up slashing water everywhere. Tried a toothbrush, and it scrubbed the algae off easy peasy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbarr Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 you may want to consider the length of time you leave your lights on. Algea thrives when there is plenty of light and nutrients. I would just do w/c once a week and start to tinker with your light timer a bit. If you dont want to do that, I would say that previous biological attacks are good options. Inverts (mts, zebra snails, shrimp) or bottom suckers (pleco, ottos) would be my first thoughts. I have some plecos and I see them sucking on stones all the time. I dont think they are thirsty :P Im against baking or bleaching because the gravel has good bacteria on it that help to maintain your chemistry. Do something agressive like baking or w/e and you will have to start the substrate all over. Not to mention the potential of residual bleach inside your gravel leaching into your tank. In my opinion its probably better to find out why the algea is there in the first place and deal with that rather than treat the symptom and have to do it again in a few months. Just my thoughts on the subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzalcoatl Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 You can get an army of snails, they clean my rocks nicely, also you can get a hill stream loach, they feed on algae. Some shrimp also will go for it. This is a natural long term solution. Also if your tank is heavily planted algae has less nutrients to develop and grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Yeah like the other guys said ,Snails, ottocinclus ,SAE, flagfish ,small pleco's or loaches.A good balance of those and even if you got too much light they should still do the job just increase there numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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