Algae growing back stupidly fast on the glass

[tzoa]

Got a 20 gallon water box. 35 percent water chance once a week. Only live stock is 2 clown and lightly fed. I left on vacation and forgot to take the filter sock out after that the algae is taking hold on the glass. I took the filter shock out right when I realized what happened and it's been a month or so and nothing has gotten better I've tried scraping it off the glass and doing a water change, etc. nothing worked. It's still growing back ridiculously fast. Btw the rocks and sand bed is fine it's only the glass. in any ideas?

 

[Dan_P]

Got a 20 gallon water box. 35 percent water chance once a week. Only live stock is 2 clown and lightly fed. I left on vacation and forgot to take the filter sock out after that the algae is taking hold on the glass. I took the filter shock out right when I realized what happened and it's been a month or so and nothing has gotten better I've tried scraping it off the glass and doing a water change, etc. nothing worked. It's still growing back ridiculously fast. Btw the rocks and sand bed is fine it's only the glass. in any ideas?

Sounds like there is a phytoplankton bloom. The rapid growth might just be the resettling of the motile algae after you scraped it off. This is not unusual. The filter sock is unlikely to be the cause. I am 90% sure that the bloom will stop. Try not to change anything.

 

[tzoa]

Sounds like there is a phytoplankton bloom. The rapid growth might just be the resettling of the motile algae after you scraped it off. This is not unusual. The filter sock is unlikely to be the cause. I am 90% sure that the bloom will stop. Try not to change anything.

Thanks for the info, how long roughly will it take to stop?

 

[Dan_P]

Thanks for the info, how long roughly will it take to stop?

I would not expect it to last a month. Are their snails in the aquarium?

 

[tzoa]

I would not expect it to last a month. Are their snails in the aquarium?

I got 2 Trocus snails.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Snails won’t be enough to combat glass algae. If anything their little streaks make it look worse. What is your current nitrate and phosphate levels?

 

[Dan_P]

Snails won’t be enough to combat glass algae. If anything their little streaks make it look worse. What is your current nitrate and phosphate levels?

Long story short, enough snails could keep the glass clean.

I have 1.0 examples where snails work to keep the glass completely clean. I was cleaning the sides of my 70 gallon aquarium weekly at which point it was difficult to see the fish. This had been going on for months and getting old. The large Mexican Turbos were just making ragged trails. I purchased 50 Margarites from Live Aquaria to see if they would help out. I have not cleaned the glass in 45 days, the power heads and rocks were cleaned down to the coralline. Just a few small areas of hair algae left. Lately, I started to feed this hoard of snails as there isn’t much algae to eat anymore.