Jaykit Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) For the last few months I have been battling high phosphates in my 120g tank and in-turn a storm of all the various types of algae. This is a non-planted tank with rocks, wood, and playsand substrate as decor. The tank houses my 4 severums and a few other other cichlids and has been running for over a year. In order to try and win the upper hand on reducing the phosphates and killing the algae, I have tried: large water changes, numerous water changes, filter media changes, reducing and modifying the lighting schedule, even changing the lighting system, washing and scrubbing all of the decor many times over, and many other things as well. The first thing that most will probably point to is what kind of water I've been using to fill the tank and how much do I feed the fish. I've tested both the hot and cold tap water that I use for water changes on the tank and the phosphates read 0.00 on the test kit that I am using. I feed flakes and pellets and only what the fish can finish off in less than a couple minutes and only feed them once per day and wouldn't say that the tank is overstocked at all. My question to the group is how do people with plantless tanks keep phosphates and algae under control? What key step am I missing? I see so many cichlid or monster fish aquariums that have no plants in them and look crystal clear. Edited February 15, 2015 by Jaykit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Purigen. Put it in your filter, in a 200 micron sock. Follow the instructions. Another suggestion weeks be a UV filter. Won't remove phosphates etc, but kills any life that passes by the UV, hence reducing the accumulation you do get. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Another note to add... Have a look at the ingredient list of the food your using. A lot of foods actually add phosphate as a preservative. Stay on top of water changes, this is your best tool to keep organic waste accumulation down. Of coarse organic waste accumulation is algea food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 You can cycle a tank with only fish food, that should say something right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Looking at the raw ingredients listed on a fish food label isn't going to accomplish anything. Phosphates & phosphorus are a neccesary evil in fish food, and while there are definitely various grades when it comes to quality among those sources found in foods, a high phosphate level does not equate to a poor quality food. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. As an example, a food that contains a high inclusion rate of low cost terrestrial based plant matter such as corn, soybean, wheat, etc, could have a far lower phosphate level than a food that was high in fish, krill, shrimp, etc. A good read on this subject. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry The way that I beat the battle with algae in my non planted tanks was to get rid of my T5 HO lights (the main cause), perform large weekly water changes (the solution to pollution is dilution), and utilize organic eating probiotic bacteria. A paper on the subject: http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1380706087_Padmavathi%20et%20al.pdf A thread on the subject that was stickied on another forum that I am a member on. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?536531-The-Use-of-Probiotics-in-Aquaculture For the past couple of years or so I have been using a product manufactured in Calgary, called Bactri-Pond. http://www.evenspray.com/Spec%20sheets/Bactri-Pond%20-%20PKG0309.pdf HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geleen Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) The way that I beat the battle with algae in my non planted tanks was to get rid of my T5 HO lights (the main cause), perform large weekly water changes (the solution to pollution is dilution), and utilize organic eating probiotic bacteria. I agree, lights and photo period are the likely culprit if one does 50 % WC For the past couple of years or so I have been using a product manufactured in Calgary, called Bactri-Pond. http://www.evenspray...d - PKG0309.pdf Interesting.... calculating for aquarium use, a bit tricky too measure. How do you do this RD.? I am guessing mixing 1 gm per litre then dosing for aquarium size.......1/2 liter mix for 200 gallons? John Edited February 16, 2015 by geleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 My measuring system is rather non scientific. I use a small kitchen measuring spoon, 1/8 teaspoon, and just toss a bit of the product under the flow of my filter output once every other week. I'm sure that I'm being wasteful, but even so I probably have enough product to last me several more years. What extra bacteria is added to my tanks, simply dies off when they run out of organics to consume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Sounds like the problem my aro tank has. Up to now the only thing I could do,that made a difference was to increase water changes and decrease the amount of time the lights are on. Never thought of supplementing bacteria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.