Algae and Clogged Filters Keep Aquariums Out of Balance

“While I was doing my weekly water change and aquarium maintenance. I discovered this creature swimming around in the bucket after rinsing a piece of filter media. Is it a parasite? Thank you in advance for your help ☺️ submitted by /u/ReddyReddy7 [link] [comments]”

“I moved this filter from my 5g shrimp/snail tank into my 20g tank (as I also moved my shrimp/snails into my 20g Cory tank). My Cories seem to nibble at it sometimes. Is that bad? Should I manually grab/scrub this fuzzy stuff off? I have 3 sponge filters in here (long story) and only the one I transferred in has this fuzzy coating. My Cories and shrimp and snails are thriving in general (population booms, cycled, heavily planted), but I don’t want them to eat anything harmful! submitted by”

“Sup! I really want to add shrimp to my 200l aquarium, but I heard that this filter can suck in baby shrimp and that worries me. Is it possible to shrimp-proof it? Also is it safe to put zebra danios with shrimp? submitted by /u/Over_Distance_6263 [link] [comments]”

“opened up the sponge filter on the community tank this morning for a bit of a rinse in old tank water. always amazes me the little world of copepods and gunk that sets up shop in there away from the light. reckon the display tank is just the storefront and the real ecosystem runs behind the scenes. submitted by /u/Local-Pepper9908 [link] [comments]”

“i have tried looking at other posts about this but haven't really found a good solution yet. i have a 125 gallon tank with a fluval fx6 filter and i have platys in the tank so their babies get in the filter and i have to be careful to net them out when im cleaning it. i tried using one of those filter sock things wrapped around the intake at first but that quickly blocked the flow(though i can do it no problem with my fx2 in my 75 gallon?). then i took the strainer off and added a prefilter”

“I have set up this tank about 6 weeks ago, with the piece of wood/trunk on the picture sold as Corbo-root from PetsPlace (NL). After cycling finished I added 6 x corydoras julii, 3xcardinal tetras (survivals from another tank), CRS, amanos and nerites. This floating brown thing keeps coming back and sticks to plants, moss and everything. What is this, how do I get rid of it? There seems to be a biofilm on the surface of the water as well, as airstone bubbles do not pop immediately. When I try to”

“I need a filter that will stop algae from entering my fish filter. submitted by /u/Tealorangetea [link] [comments]”

“Idk what it is but every time I give them bottom feeder/algae tabs. Everything in the tank wants a piece. The amanos, neos, pygmy Cories, and even the spotted blue eyes all gotta get a piece of the pie 😂 It cracks me up everytime submitted by /u/1chiban-Dan [link] [comments]”

“I have a 200-liter aquarium with sand on the bottom where I previously kept African cichlids, but it is now empty. It has heavy filtration (two canister filters plus an internal one—I don't know the exact L/h, but it is overkill for this tank). I am looking to stock it with a single large fish or a pair. Any ideas or advice? submitted by /u/Zepinchaa [link] [comments]”

“20g tank. Currently has otos and endlers/ guppies, so not a lot of space left. Sand only substrate, but is planted. I'm having problems with mulm buildup, keeping the sand clean, and blackbeard algi starting to take over one of the plants. What fish should I look at to add to help a bit? I've already reduced the lights to 6 hours from 8, and only feeding once every other day and its not changed anything, so wondering if im missing part of the ecosystem. submitted by /u/Bitter”

“I’ve just put in a new sponge filter to run alongside my canister filter, and attached the pump to it. Are these bubbles and surface agitation too much for guppies? submitted by /u/SpagBol25 [link] [comments]”

“I’m looking for a new filter for my tropical fish tank to cycle alongside my current one and I stumbled across this: it’s the AQQA 3in1 filter, that seems to just use sponges. Has anyone ever had this or would recommend it? Or would recommend AQQA as a brand? I’m currently using a HOB one with activated carbon that is designed to be swapped out, which isn’t really ideal. Thank you! submitted by /u/SpagBol25 [link] [comments]”

“We have a tank at work. It’s 6 gallons and has a betta and 3 amano shrimp. It’s planted and has driftwood. I boiled the driftwood. There is a sponge filter as well with a carbon mesh wrapped around it. The tank keeps turning yellow and eventually stinky. We have removed dead plants and I do a 20-30 percentwater change weekly. The shrimp are lazy and stay on the filter so there isn’t much eating going on. It was heavily planted but some of the plants died. Fluval stratum topped with sand. We did”

“Dear all, I have a really small deco aquarium (20L) and want to add floaters IF some fit it. Due to the size I don't want anything that quickly covers the whole surface. Also I had suome floaters hab created roots down into th soil ad that would also block the view into the anyways small environment. I know it s the nature of floater to do any of those 2 mostly, so I would just add something if it would fit. Is there something out there? THXX submitted by /u/Practical-Zombie-761”

“My 130g tank is about 18 months old. It's well-cycled and all normal parameters. (10 nitrate, 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, 6.6ph). Tank is moderately stocked (congo tetra, diamond tetra, cardinal tetra, corydoras, apistogramma) Over the past few months, I've noticed this white fluffy mold show up on only one of the wooden pieces in my tank. It seems harmless, and every few weeks I remove it with a toothbrush. Out of water, it looks like a weird, clear jelly. It's not the usual biofilm. Anyo”

“I want to use my old filter sponge from my established tank to start cycling my new tank. Problem is that I’ve been having an issue with hair algae. I’m wondering if the hair algae from the established tank would transfer it into my new tank on the sponge? submitted by /u/Existing_Emergency50 [link] [comments]”

“I’m somewhat new to having fish! I’m nervous because my filter overflowed, completely forgot to clean it (I usually just swish it around in water change water, to only get the big chunks out!) I’m struggling with the flow of the filter. We used to be able to have it push out minimal water, and the fish seemed to like that. Now they keep getting manhandled by the water, and it won’t go any lower than this. I’m wondering if this flow is okay for my fish? I only have cherry barbs & corydoras. I”

“I have a 10 gallon grow out tank I set up for a Senegal bichir. It’s currently the size of a kuhli loach. Just this one fish in the tank. I have a diy filter I set up with a 40 gallon air pump, 20ppi sponge filter suited for a 20-40 gallon tank as well as lava rock. I seeded the tank with some filter floss from my established 75 gallon, a piece of lava rock from my established 40 gallon axolotl tank, a terracotta pot from my 75 gallon, a plant, and a scoop of substrate. For the past few days, I’”

“Sponge filter stopped working, took it apart and found an MTS the size of the rotation blades in it 👀 I clean the sponge regularly with tank water if the flow jammes, but I didn't take it apart to get to the blades since I got it a couple of months ago. It's not constructed in the smartest way, so opening it up is very inconvenient and can damage the casing - so I didn't do it until now. Took the poor thing out, she can now live freely in the sand! submitted by /u/AeosMa”

“Had the tank about 20 days. 5gal Fluval set with light and filter, one betta, a couple live plants, and beneficial bacteria balls in the filter. I zip tied the old mesh filter media bag over the filter discharge to slow the current in the tank. I’ve been changing approximately 30% of the water every 8-9 days and picking off as much of the algae as I can. The growth you see in the pictures is about 8 days old. We’ve cut back on the hours we have the light on to 6hrs a day to help combat the algae”

“I’ve recently set up a 250L tank to move my single angel fish into, everything was going well during the cycling process and was fully set up, but I then added another plant that I thought I’d cleaned well but obviously not well enough as I now have mini ramshorn snails. I hadn’t bleach dipped them originally as I hadn't done it before and was worried. I don’t want the snails at all, I've had an infestation in the past with fish in the tank and it was the worst experience I’ve had so I a”

“This cloudy brown stuff keeps growing in everything in my tank despite regular water changes. I’ve been trying to remove as much as I can but would like to find the cause. 5 gallon, live plants, 1 African dwarf frog, fluval stratum substrate, standard temp and filter. Any tips or advice would be appreciated submitted by /u/Equivalent-Tower-480 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I have a fish tank of two rummynose tetras and I would like to have some help on what I need exactly for fish tank cleaning. I originally got four rummynose tetras but two of them died due to stress during transport or unknown illness (they didn't regain their colourful "nose"). I plan to get more fish soon as they do need to be in schools, I am just waiting for my pay day. My questions are: - When I get the other fish what fish do I get? More rummynose tetras, cleaning fish or”

“This is my 10 gallon planted tank. I have a short finned betta and 4 amano shrimp living in it. I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can add? Preferably fish. I have a feeling that the answer is no, and I won’t be butt hurt if that’s the case, but I was just curious. submitted by /u/Ok_Task8256 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone! I set up this aquarium around March and added the fish towards the end of April. I’ve always noticed that this kind of brown “dust” tends to settle, especially on the bottom of the tank. It often settles on the leaves of the plants as well, making it difficult for them to photosynthesise properly. Three weeks ago, I added one of my Blue Dream shrimp to the tank as an additional test, since they are more delicate. I’ve noticed that it has gradually become more and more transparent. T”

“I have this 5 gallon aqueon we use as a hospital tank and collection area for the ramshorns we pull out of our other tanks. I noticed today that there is this white mold on the little cartridge filter it came with. Is this cause for concern? submitted by /u/forestdude [link] [comments]”

“2 days ago I added 2 carpeting plants and since then foam forms on the surface. Happens where the filter lets out bubbles, but this has not happened before. Checked parameters today, everything is good. (Ammonia 0, nitrate 20-50, ph 7.5) The guy i bought the carpetting plants from told me to add them to the aquarium without ripping it apart, and to let it grow out. I probably heavily misunderstood, but I placed them into the tank with the pots. Only after the fact did i realize that they were mo”

“I've had this tank for about two years now it's a 5 gallon with a heater and filter in it ( the filter is turned off in the photo) and has a beta and a mystery snail in it. How can I make it look better, to me it just looks dirty I clean the tank regularly but no matter what I do the tank isn't appealing to me. I don't know if I should add more plants or less or change it around a bit. I'm open to all suggestions so if you have any please comment them. thanks submitted”

“Hi, hope you can help? I currently have a vision 260l aquarium with a fluval 307 cannister filter. I have been informed that i have dead spots in my aquarium and that's why im having issues with my plants because there is no water movement around them🤷🏼‍♂️. I have been advised to purchase a wave maker to create more movement so the diatoms don't settle on my plants.( i am not very knowledgeable at fish keeping) My question is were is the best place to place a wave maker for th”

“Yes, I made that word up. Been doing the aquarium thing for about two years and I’ve learned a lot. I am transferring everybody from a 5 to 10 gallon tank and have realized that the tank fits fine where I’m putting it, but didn’t take into consideration the HOB filter on top. Do you guys have any recommendations as far as style (not brand) of filter I could use that doesn’t take up much if any space above the rim? I can probably find a shorter HOB, but if I’m getting a new one, I might as well l”

“I set up this 60g breeder tank about two or three weeks ago and in the last 5 days one section right in the front has been exploding with hair algae, it’s only growing in that one area, I have been pulling out what I can but it comes back with in about three days, any suggestions or tips to get rid of it completely would be greatly appreciated, I do have amino shrimp so I would like to avoid killing them with chemicals, I am not running co2 just a fluval growing light. Thanks submitted by”

submitted by /u/Top_Comb [link] [comments]

“The tank is a 20 long. It has an aquaclear 30 filter and a sponge filter. Current stock is 6 glofish tetra, 6 glofish corydora, and 2 mystery snails. I am noticing some minor algae growth. My parameters are .0 ammonia, .0 nitrite, and 20 ppm nitrates. I was thinking adding the oto could be good to add since the root floaters and some of the plants in the tank need high light, so I don’t really want to adjust my light too much. Which is set to 80% for 8 hours a day. If that will overstock the tan”

“I was eating cookies and dipping them in milk in a red solo cup and I usually squeeze my pre filter sponge in a red solo cup. I got the cups mixed up and put the cookie one in the aquarium. There was a bit of white around the cup when it entered the aquarium. I just did a water change and the tank is 40 gallons. Will it be ok? Do I need another water change? The tank doesn't look cloudy submitted by /u/MoreTax6658 [link] [comments]”

“i’ve had 3 fish jump out of the tank so i’ve been trying to troubleshoot, i added this air stone to make sure it’s not an oxygen thing but it seems a bit rough for my 6.3 gallon shallow tank. i have 6 male endler livebearers in the tank, i did have 8 but 3 have jumped in the span of 2 days. does this look too rough for them? submitted by /u/Lopsided-Elk5599 [link] [comments]”

“So I got some white sand for a sand waterfall, but it’s turning brown wherever it stagnant. I don’t even have fish in the tank just shrimp. I remove the brown sand but is there anyways to clean it? I’m almost out of white sand. submitted by /u/Electrical_Chain53 [link] [comments]”

“I was wondering if anyone would know how to help with my fluval fx2 filter, I CLEANED the hell out of it because I have 2 turtles in a 75 gallon tank, currently my fx2 filter is running but it's not putting water from the tank into the canister, ive scrubbed and cleaned the tubing plus the inside of the canister/ all of it, I dont know what to do because I dont wanna spend another 500 dollars, I did take apart the mini backing and cleaned that too but it's still being weird, originally i”

“Hello lovely community! I have a recently established 10 gallon tank with one fish, a snail, and a natural dirt/sand substrate combo with the Aquaclear 40 gallon hang-back filter with already established media. The impeller started stopping a month back where family looked after a previous 5 gallon tank while I was away and they didn't do water changes for algae and dirt. That killed 3 fishes i had there, but they got it working after cleaning the stuff. However, after that the filter just k”

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“I need some advice about how to deal with green hair algae and just general algae. My tank was super healthy before a friend put their filter in with mine to get some of my healthy bacteria but now I’ve been battling algae for months. It got really bad a few times so I completely emptied the tank and started again. It’s starting to come back and idk what to do! I’ve been thinking of getting some snails or shrimp but I’m not sure what to get. He’s in a 10 gallon tank and I included some photos (t”

“Just set up a few caradina tanks and this has started growing on the walls and sponges of my filter. It has also started growing on my moss. Not sure which algae it is. I’ve done one water change after setting it up 2 weeks ago. I’m guessing it was due to me not changing the water more frequently once it was setup? submitted by /u/Difficult-Disk-1052 [link] [comments]”

“For the last couple of days, my cardinal tetras have been hiding behind the filter intake and occasionally gasping at the surface. Tank finished cycling a bit over a week ago, fishless cycle for a month prior. I had ammonia then nitrites and then nothing of anything, but the tank is fairly heavily planted so I assume they’re consuming the nitrates. I’ve added 10 tetras a few days ago, but they just don’t seem settled I’ve got the outflow of a canister filter aimed up at the surface proving a lot”

“I have a 20 gallon long that's waiting for me to decorate it, and eventually add fish. I have a filter attached to cycle the water and build good bacteria before I add anything. Long story short, I accidentally bumped the filter and it quit spitting water (it's an old filter, but I really like it and it works fine most of the time), so I opened it up to try and fix it and found this. I have never seen anything like this before in any filter I've ever owned. It's freaking me out a”

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“Was looking for some replacement media for an old hang on filter. The store suggested I put a small sponge on the intake tube to keep the shrimp safe and use the bio balls internally. Now I am reading that these get too clogged up without more mechanical filtration in front of these submitted by /u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, looking for some help identifying what this slimy substance in my filter is and for help getting rid of it. I have 2 goldfish. 2 weeks ago I opened up my cannister filter to this slime all throughout the filter. I give all the pads a swish around in aquarium water monthly, I remember there being a little bit in previous months but it was really bad 2 weeks ago. I have tiny snails in my tank, there was only one or two in the filter they had obviously had a big die off so I tested my water”

“My Fluval 207 filter has been making a noise like it needs to be primed every 20-40 seconds or so and it is incredibly annoying. I have tried unplugging it and plugging it back in, priming it several times, and tilting and shaking it to get any air bubbles out. What else could be causing this and how can I fix it?? submitted by /u/theferociousmuncher1 [link] [comments]”

“Brief backstory. Kid wanted a fish. Did a bit of research and got her a betta about 2-3 months ago. . Cycled tank. Do water changes. But for some reason some wierd substance seems to be hanging around, fake plants, & rocks. submitted by /u/iStillThinksIts1978 [link] [comments]”

“Hi all, looking for recommendations for how to protect my fish from my Fluval 307 canister filter intake. I can't find the sponge cover for it. LFS doesn't have one big enough and Etsy & Amazon are filled with 3D printed stuff but I was hoping for a softer material to go around it. Does anyone know where they might be hiding on the interwebs or a DIY that works well? Planning to put mostly smaller schooling fish and my blue neos in this tank (40g, 3rd week of cycling so no fish in th”

“i had a 5 gallon tank, all water parameters were good, then i bought a moss rock (roughly 3in x 2in width) and it created a biofilm so massive it encompassed all my aquatic plants and killed them, created a thick brown coat on all the glass, and eventually the dead plant root remnants i could not harvest reeked of death, luckily i didn’t really have anything in the tank and what i did have was quickly moved to a rehab tank, but ive been wanting to get cherry shrimp and i know they feed off biofi”

“There’s this brown substance on my plants but mainly my guppy grass and there’s also this slimy white substance that was on the tank of the water it’s a 10 gallon established betta tank with a mystery snail and 3 albino Pygmy Corys submitted by /u/SorbetCompetitive280 [link] [comments]”

“I have a weird biofilm built up on my 75 gallon cichlid tank. It has a wave maker and a Tidal 110 filter on it. Everytime I touch the biofilm it releases all this white “dust” in the tank. How can I get rid of it? Is it harmful? submitted by /u/mtalundzic98 [link] [comments]”

“Hey all. I have a Walstad 3 month old aquarium and had my first algae bloom after an ich outbreak. Would it be better to add a HOB filter AND algae medication or will the filter do alone? I don’t want to add anything unnecessarily ie meds, but I do want the algae gone as after a 40% water change it’s back 2 days later. I reckon it could be because 2 fish died and decomposed in the mass of the tank either as they’ve disappeared! Thanks submitted by /u/E-3M [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone. For some reason, I always get a vast amount of floating particles in my tank. I suspect that it is the filter that does not clean the water enough as I made a 30% water change YESTERDAY and now my tank looks like this. Should I change the filter? Also is there a possibility that this is an algae bloom? I know that the wood makes the water yellow but is it possible that the particles are because of the wood? submitted by /u/LawyerSmall7052 [link] [comments]”

“Small glorbs of gloop about the size of a pea have started growing throughout the aquarium. Freshwater. Water params are ideal, I have copepods, cherry shrimp, freshwater limpid, loaches, vampire shrimp, and oto catfish. They look like small blobs, don’t seem to react when I touch them, appear every once in a while (like once every two months maybe), the outside is specked almost like many smaller organisms clumping together. submitted by /u/Young-Pug-God [link] [comments]”

“Has been there for a weeks. Tested water (liquid test) and no issues but I did upgrade filter a few weeks ago (seemed to go well - swapped media and tested regularly). I tried treating the tank with esha 2000 but it hasn't gone away. Fish is still very active and eating. No other fish have it. submitted by /u/Ornery-Cheetah-7549 [link] [comments]”

“20gal, 17 Cories, fluval 50 HOB, two sponge filters, gonna check parameters in the morning. It is clearer towards the end of the video! submitted by /u/Meowsthicc [link] [comments]”

“Hey all, so I have a 75 gal tank with the appropriate sized canister filter. A few times in the past I’ve noticed slow flow from the outgoing side, and also air in the intake tube. I reprimed it and the flow issue was fixed. But now the flow seems to be slowing down greatly, with no air lock issues that I can see. The tank is 9 months old. I’ve read that it’s not good to clean out a filter from an established tank. Is there a way I can check the canister for clogs and possibly remove excess debr”