Habitat - Indoor :: Is there a Liquid solution I can drop in to kill algae?

[CrossKnight]

I remember once someone brought up a brand of algae killer which they put in the water and completly killed all the algae, the person also said it was safe on turtles too.

Does anyone remember that brand?

Also I have a tank away from the window and I just cleaned it yesterday by removing all the water and scrubbing it, but the algae returned within the next day. Darnit.

[marisa]

Sorry, I don't know the brand.

How badly did it come back--are you just starting to see traces of it? If you've got algae the day after you've cleaned, are you sure you removed all of it when you cleaned (it will come back quickly if you didn't). Where is it coming back? Moving the tank from the window will help but won't stop the growth of algae completely.

If you're noticing it on the basking area, it's likely from the warmth of the lighting. What are the temps of the water and basking area? How long do you leave the lights on?

Green algae isn't harmful---there's some in my turtle tanks, and I just leave it because it looks nice and natural.

[CrossKnight]

I don't have the tank near the window, the basking area is about 90 degrees. The algae is on the dock and on the walls of the tank near the dock. A lot of algae has started to grow on the bottom of the tank too.

I use Aqua Clear 110 and some algae has grown in side the tube and on the filter media also.

[marisa]

The warmth from the lights sounds like it's contributing to the growth. What's the water temp? You could try doing partial water changes to put more air into the water and cut down on the nutrients in the water (from decaying matter).

[CrossKnight]

the water temp is at 78-80, my turtles are about 2 inches each. I feed them in a different container everyday. I also change the about 25% of the water everyday too. I also have a large airstone in there. When I first got the tank it was fine, 2 months without algae, but after that it starts growing and it won't go away.

Today I went to petco and I saw many brands of algae killers to put in the water, I don't know which to choose from. The only one I remember right now is the one brand called Tetra (I think) which says its safe for fresh water fish and plants.
Does anyone have any opinion on these algae killer produts?

[SPINNERSMA]

i have 5 res and i use something called algae destroyer advance i dont know if thet will help but thats what i usethere is also something called turtle waste reducer that you can get at petco that also helps keep the tank a little cleaner

[aeo]

The light should be on in 10-12 hours/ day. More lighting cause more algae.

[DavidY]

Something else to consider is that tap water can also contain some nitrates and phosphates, both of which contribute to algae growth. Although the levels in the tap water are fairly small and safe for drinking, they will accumulate over time in the aquarium if you keep replacing evaporated water with tap water. When water evaporates, only the H2O (pure water) is removed from the aquarium, not the nitrates, phosphates or other trace elements. Over time these things will accumulate to potentially unhealthy levels. Your water changes should definitely help keep it from accumulating, but if you have unusually high levels in your tap water, it may not be enough.

I have a saltwater reef tank where it is very important to keep the nutrient levels as low as possible (i.e. nitrates and phosphates undetectable), and most people in that hobby use reverse osmosis and deionizer filters to get pure water for their aquariums (myself included). You don't need to worry that much for a turtle tank, but if you have high levels in your tap water, you might consider at least doing every other water change with distilled water. Or you can usually get filtered water at a local pet store that specializes in coral reef tanks. They're usually cheaper than buying bottled water at the grocery store and you can get several gallons for a couple of bucks.