# Help! Weird tank issues.



## badassdesignduo (Aug 4, 2016)

Hello! 

We have had a 60 gallon and a 55 gallon freshwater setup in our home for a few years now and have had very few issues that were quickly handled. However, we recently purchased a 75 gallon tank and stand, and have had countless issues with it that I can't seem to understand or fix. We read many forums about using pool filter sand, and decided to try it out. We washed it THOROUGHLY before placing it into the aquarium, and haven't had any issues with sand floating around or bothering our filter. We are running a Fluval 405 canister filter and have the following media in it:
Biomax 
Peat Granules (to lower pH)
Zeo-Carb (carbon and ammonia remover)
ClearMax (absorbs phosphate, nitrite, and nitrate)
Also have foam filters and polishing pads. 

The problems we are running across are an extremely high ph (8.2) and some weird mold/algae growth. We have an API water testing kit we are using to get our measurements. Our tap water is high in pH automatically, so that is why I went with the peat granules and also add an API pH-down chemical. I'm not sure why we are still having such a high reading with all of those measures in place - any ideas?? The mold/algae growth happened very fast after setting up the tank. The tank is near a window, so I tried keeping the blinds closed and using an API algae-gone chemical to no prevail. Someone please help me get this tank to a suitable condition for fish! I have attached images of the tank to show the growth we are having. Much thanks in advance!!


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Hi there, sorry to hear you're having trouble. Based on what you've said, I think the best course of action is no action. Stop with the algae products, and the ammonia remover and pH adjuster. Break it down to its simplest form and give it time to reach a balanced state. In my opinion the only things you need in your filter are mechanical and biological filtration, and the only thing you should be dosing is water conditioner. The algae growth is due to an imbalance in your system and the easiest way to figure that out is to eliminate all variables and work from there. Sometimes it just takes time, and other times it takes work. I think it's best to see if simplicity and time does the trick before rolling up my sleeves.


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## rawhideshaba (Oct 11, 2016)

My tap water is very high ph as well and my fish need 6-7 so i actually added a lot of driftwood which softened the water and lowered the ph a bit. You may need a bit more biological media as well. 
With more biological media the good bacteria feeds on all of ur ammonia and nitrites and part of your nitrates. So with more bio media than it leaves less for the algae to feed on. With your tank being new has it properly cycled? If not then u may need to add a quick start bottle of bacteria to jump start your cycle. Reduce your lighting probably and as the other post said let the tank stabilize a bit. I dont even use tap water conditioner anymore actually. If you leave the water sit out for a day the chlorine evaporates and you dump it in. I also use pool filter sand and i love it. Give it a stir from time to time and no gases build up so the fish are happy and healthy. Algae eaters or snails are always a good thing as well just do not get a normal pleco as 55 gallon tanks are too small to keep them at full size. Otocinclus are probably your best bet depending on your stock as they are algaes worst enemy. Hope that helps and keep us posted on how you solve ur issue.

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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

You have to find out if your water has chlorine or chloramine, which will not dissipate into the air in the same timeframe as chlorine.

Getting algae eaters to combat algae is a good plan, but if you are going to go that route I think it's best to wait for there to be a lot of algae, especially for ottos which are known to starve to death due to a lack of food. Some people find they will eat algae wafers while others do not. There are a number of small plecos that will do the job too, which are much heartier and easier to feed than ottos. Too, it's important to recognize that some species of fish eat certain types of algae and not others, when deciding on adding fish for algae removal.

And too remember, algae is a natural process - it's okay for the tank to have same algae in it. You don't want the tank to be sterile 


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## badassdesignduo (Aug 4, 2016)

Thank you guys so much for your help and input! We have had the tank up and running for a few months, so I figured it would have already cycled. Sounds like my best bet is just to strip it down to the bare minimums and go from there. Our other tanks have hardly any additives and have been stellar, I guess I got ahead of myself with this one trying to add too much! I will remove the unnecessary media from the filter and maybe add some more biomax and treat it like a new tank. Once things are settled, I will find some guys to help with some of the algae clean-up, but make sure I keep some healthy green in the tank  Again, thanks so much for the advice! I'll make sure to keep posted with how the process goes.


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