mdog3000
03/05/2011, 02:58 PM
Hey all, Ive been having an algae outbreak in my tank for the past year and a half (tank is around 5 years old). Its very quick growing and takes two forms, one like very short hair filaments and the other a dust like form. Ill put a pic at the end of this. Anyway, the only way I've found successful in combating it is physically scrubbing the rocks with a tooth brush which essentially turns the algae into a bunch of little particles that go into the water stream. Ive tried phosphate removers, cutting back the light cycle, cutting food and nothing helps. The past two times I have scrubbed the rocks my fish have started to breath very heavily and my hepatus tang actually lies down on its side and pants. The first time this happened I thought he was dead. I don't know what do to. My only guess is that scrubbing the rocks and vaporizing the algae is releasing a toxin or something. I'm not sure what to do because scrubbing the rocks is the only thing that gets rid of the algae and apparently I cannot do this anymore. WHAT TO DO?
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b25/Mdog3000/DSC_0170.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b25/Mdog3000/DSC_0170.jpg