Melafix and algal bloom... any connection

[Blybo]

10 Days ago I dosed my tank with the bottle recomended amount of Melafix. Noticed my tank looking a bit cloudy last Sunday so did 50% WC instead of my usual 30%. This cleared it up a bit for a day. Now it is going green and I'm suspecting its an algal bloom. This is surprising to me as I had turned down my lighting timer by 1 hour only a couple of weeks ago.

Could the Melafix have caused this?

Last night I added carbon to my filter and finally bit the bullet and bought a UV which is now inline on my cannister(eheim 2215) outlet tubing. I have another large WC planned for this evening if things haven't improved.

[Bill T]

That UV should take care of the algal bloom, and water borne baterium as well.

Why did you think you needed the melafix, by the way?

[Blybo]

I hope it will clear things up but didn't notice much change in the 4 hours before lights out last night.

My discus had a open sore on the lip (Swollen Lip thread in Illness section) and I was told this would help. She is well now but not because of the Melafix. A day later I decided to treat her in a hospital tank with flagyl(metro in liquid form) for Hex and all seems good if the display tank clears up.

My cannister is a 2215 eheim rated at 620 lires an hour. Is that too much flow for a UV steralizer?

[Merrilyn]

The UV will gradually deal with the algae bloom, so be patient.

I have several different types of UVs connected to 2215s and they all work well.

How big is the UV unit (how many watts)?

[Blybo]

Hi LR,
Thanks for taking an interest. It is a 5W UV, I got it from Justin at Subscape and he assured me it was big/strong enough as it is designed to work in ponds up to 3000 litres. My tank is 300l SunSun type.

Justin suggested that once things cleared up I did not need to use the sterilizer all the time. What do you think?

Last April I had Velvet wipe out most of the tank and I've just saved a Tiger Turk from Hex. If the likely hood of these returning can be reduced by using the UV 24/7 I will.

I will take out the carbon in a couple of weeks but after that will the UV effect my plant growth or ferts in the water. I am thinking of going with a CO2 system in the next 12 months

Thanks

[Blybo]

Hi LR,
Thanks for taking an interest. It is a Pondmater?5W UV, I got it from Justin at Subscape and he assured me it was big/strong enough as it is designed to work in ponds up to 3000 litres. Aparantly this is Aqua One's brand for pond equipment. My tank is a 300l SunSun type.

Justin suggested that once things cleared up I did not need to use the sterilizer all the time. What do you think?

Last April I had Velvet wipe out most of the tank and I've just saved a Tiger Turk from Hex. If the likely hood of these returning can be reduced by using the UV 24/7 I will.

I will take out the carbon in a couple of weeks but after that will the UV effect my plant growth or ferts in the water. I am thinking of going with a CO2 system in the next 12 months

Thanks

[Merrilyn]

All my UV units stay on 24/7 on planted tanks with CO2 running and in bare tanks.

Doesn't seem to affect the plants in any way.

[Blybo]

Well as LR had suggested my water is now so clear it is amazing! My discus pair have spawned again, with no luck, and my female has made a full recovery from the Hex episode :lol: .

I'm loving this hobby again and can't wait to get my pair into a breeding setup once they've had a bit more pratice in the community tank.

Thanks to all those with advise over the last couple of weeks.

Cheers,
Neil

[Merrilyn]

That's great to hear Neil. Should be plain sailing from here on. :P