Algaeic Driftwood Issue

T

tremper

Members
I have a large sweet piece of driftwood in an awkwardly tall 150g tank. Nice piece with tons of drilled holes for fry and other shy tank inhabitants.

This piece of driftwood has turned into an algae machine of biblical proportions. At this point the tank is bare excepting Algaezilla. I took it out of the tank in late fall and scrubbed every accessible inch of it, removing a quarter inch thick layer of oozing muck and placed it back in the bare tank. A respectful balance of peace seemed to have been achieved for a month or two.....

Now, upon returning from my weekly travels there is a saucer sized deadspot of algae on the bare bottom, easily siphoned out, and a light layer of algae on every square inch of tank interior. I scrub and siphon and the cycles seems capable or endless perpetuity.

Whats the solution here, excepting burning this monster?

Would a few days in a bleach bath get me back to square one?

A power wash?

Any suggestions? I'm a fan of this of driftwood excepting its bad habit of visually fouling my tank.
 
T

tremper

Members
plecos?.... six ABNs in that tank...... I have others as well, royals, regular (not AB's), but my plecos seem to not be all that interested in algae..... or it is simply a function of volume. There also seems to be the fine pleco balance of poo versus algae input. I try to keep my tanks understocked due to being away from home weekly.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
Crossochelius reticulatus and/or Abramites hypselonotus

What kind of algae is it, by the way?

My non-fish suggestion is to add something like water sprite, salvinia, valisneria, or other easy plant that floats/reaches the top for light and sucks out nutrients with its roots (and grows quickly).

Lastly, you could spray the wood down with hydrogen peroxide and rinse, spray rinse, spray rinse, rinse, rinse...
 
T

tremper

Members
Thanks Becca. We've obviously not met yet..... 8)

I can't keep any plant other than algae it seems alive so that won't work for me.

I'm leaning towards the hydrogen peroxide / bleaching solution. I had a good 4-5 years of no algae with this piece so I think it's most likely saturated with algae spores (do they spore?) and seriously, asking me to name the type of algae.... that's cute. verrrry cute!
 
T

tremper

Members
Trust me guys... I appreciate the direction we're heading here, but the problem lies in this piece of wood.

6 fish in a 150 g. 4" plecos. I don;t think it is overstocked. ;-)
Lights are never on excepting a few hours each weekend eve. Lights are therefore not the issue.
Tank is by a north facing window and has no direct sunlight.

It's the wood. My specific q is has anyone ever dealt with a piece of wood so proliferated / imbedded / somethinged with algae and if so, what's the resolution?
 
Becca

Becca

Members
tremper said:
Thanks Becca. We've obviously not met yet..... 8)

I can't keep any plant other than algae it seems alive so that won't work for me.

I'm leaning towards the hydrogen peroxide / bleaching solution. I had a good 4-5 years of no algae with this piece so I think it's most likely saturated with algae spores (do they spore?) and seriously, asking me to name the type of algae.... that's cute. verrrry cute!
Click to expand...


I meant more a description - is it fuzzy, slimy, hairy? I've got tanks full of this really nice stuff that doesn't attach to the tank and grows in a cloud like java moss, but isn't, and it was free (unlike java moss!!!).

Bleach may permanently change the color of your driftwood if you are dumb like me and forget you're soaking in in bleach :wacko:.
 
T

tremper

Members
Matt et al.....

Let's go with green dust. For the technical details....its about 0.5 to 1 mm long, flimentish in execution, navy drab in coloration, and awesome at proliferation.

Sorry guys, it's technically a plant and therefore you are asking rocket science of a child here......
 
Becca

Becca

Members
tremper said:
Sorry guys, it's technically a plant and therefore you are asking rocket science of a child here......
Click to expand...

Actually, it's not. Algae are single celled organisms that form colonies. What you see, be it a strand, slime, puff, or spot, is a colony of single-celled organisms. Algae, as much as it drives us all nuts :angry3:, is actually pretty cool!

If you're getting blooms it's because there are nutrients available. I'd say scrub it off/bleach it/ whatever, but try to figure out what you can do to prevent it from being able to come back so easily, be it extra filtration, some floating plants (I will give you BUCKETS of duckweed and salvinia if you want it :eek:), or some sort of chemically absorbent filtration. Give it a 1-2 punch - obliterate it, and then starve all of the lonely little cells floating around searching for their once plentiful colony so that they cannot reestablish...
 
Localzoo

Localzoo

Board of Directors
Becca said:
Actually, it's not. Algae are single celled organisms that form colonies. What you see, be it a strand, slime, puff, or spot, is a colony of single-celled organisms. Algae, as much as it drives us all nuts :angry3:, is actually pretty cool!

If you're getting blooms it's because there are nutrients available. I'd say scrub it off/bleach it/ whatever, but try to figure out what you can do to prevent it from being able to come back so easily, be it extra filtration, some floating plants (I will give you BUCKETS of duckweed and salvinia if you want it :eek:), or some sort of chemically absorbent filtration. Give it a 1-2 punch - obliterate it, and then starve all of the lonely little cells floating around searching for their once plentiful colony so that they cannot reestablish...
Click to expand...

So silly question would carbon solve his issue by absorbing these nutrients?


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Localzoo

Localzoo

Board of Directors
I don't either that's why I couldn't offer advice on it.

I've used polyfilters when I had a saltwater tank but managed to figure out it was phosphates leading up unwanted algae...so maybe a good water testing kit might help?


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T

tremper

Members
OK. I'm in on the duckweed. Becca, bring a bucket of DW please.

The 3% HO2 sound significantly weaker than what I would have tried (pure bleach) but I'm on board. I'll pull it once the snow passes and give it a dousing or two.

Thanks all. 8)
 
Becca

Becca

Members
tremper said:
OK. I'm in on the duckweed. Becca, bring a bucket of DW please.

The 3% HO2 sound significantly weaker than what I would have tried (pure bleach) but I'm on board. I'll pull it once the snow passes and give it a dousing or two.

Thanks all. 8)
Click to expand...

I'll bring you some duckweed, and other fast growing floating plants at the feb meeting I toss piles out in the trash every week.

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