algae on glass....... help!

[twflys]

Alright, not exactly on the glass, it's on the acrylic. Spots of green algae is showing up everywhere on my acrylic/glass. At first, i tried to just remove it with an un-used yellow foam kitchen pad, which i think is the same thing they sell in fish stores for acrylic tanks. Needless to say, it won't get it off. So, the only way to get it off without scratching that I've come up with so far, is by scraping it with my fingernail. But, I must of released some spores or something, they are all over the place today.

 

The turbo snails aren't helping much, they are too happy chewing up my coraline algae. Any ideas?

 

Please help, it's getting ugly.

 

12 gallon eclipse tank

[Xwhite]

My one and only Trochus snail spends ALL of his time on my tank glass. You might want to give one of those snails a try. Other than that, use a magnet cleaner or something and figure out what's going on in your tank that makes algae grow so readily.

 

John

[caja]

I use an old credit card on my acrylic tank. The algae scrapes off really easily with it. I've only scraped my front glass so my snails have something to munch on, but if your algae is that bad you might want to scrape as much as possible and do a good water change to get out some of the floating debris after you scrape.

[freakaccident]

Most good LFSs sell little plastic scrapers. Check it:

 

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/m...e=Algaecleaners

[twflys]

I used the credit card trick and worked great! Seems credit cards are essential for this hobby! Didn't change water though........ i know, I'm counting my lucky stars and praying to the nano gods.

 

Thanks!

[printerdown01]

1) Credit card (the best thing I have found yet are those little "key chain club cards" i.e. the ones from the supermarket or Petco)

 

2) Airline tubing (handy for sucking things up and water changes

 

3) A cheap throw away plastic cup (great for mixing foods and additives before you add them to your tank)

 

4) A 1ml pipette. These guys come free with a lot of products

 

5) A dental pick. You can usually find them at hardware stores. These are great for peeling zoos or other softcorals off rocks, as well as getting alga roots out of your rocks (especially caulurpa).

 

I have found each and everyone of these to be cheap and indespensible for the hobby. How I ever kept a tank without each and every one of these I will never no!

[freakaccident]

2) Airline tubing (handy for sucking things up and water changes

 

Also great for slowly siphoning water into a bowl for acclimating new frags.

[Brianc_4]

My favorite turkey baster, blowing detritus off rocks, sucking up cyano from sand bed etc etc

[freakaccident]

Turkey baster is too much IMHO for a nano. I use a medicine dropper for those duties. Free from local pharmacy by the way. Just ask for a couple and they will gladly hand them over. 10ml I think.

[Masoch]

Racking tube from homebrewing/winemaking stores. Rigid plastic tube that fits inside a standard 3/8 hose. Fantastic for sucking out (fish) crap from hard to reach crevices without shoving one's hands in the tank.

[freakaccident]

If you use 5g plastic water jugs for your saltwater:

 

While your at the beer store get the solid stopper for a 5g carboy, drill two holes in it. Stick solid line all the way to bottom through one hole. Short piece through other hole. Attach airline to long line and turn air pump on to mix. Switch airline to short piece and attach another piece of airline to long end to pump water out of container. Adds the water slowly enough that the temp in my tank doesn't drop at all.