Easy tank black-out

[Gahngoo]

I don't know if anybody has ever done this to black-out their tank for algae control or whatever but…

I used to try to cover my tank with towels or put cardboard over the glass. Both ways are a pain & don't work that well. I've found the easiest way is to use aluminum foil. Zero light passes through it & it conforms to all bends around the tank. Just tape the ends. It's easy to do. My DIY tip.

 

[beaslbob]

good one.

actually I just kill the lights for a few days for blackout.

 

[Gahngoo]

good one.

actually I just kill the lights for a few days for blackout.

Turning off the tank lights won't work for me. Too much ambient light from windows & house lighting etc.

 

[Reefnoobz90]

Contractor bags work well also, the thick black ones not the cheaper ones.

 

[TheOne]

I may just try this as I've been scrubbing my rocks with a toothbrush trying to get rid of some algae. Do you still feed your fish daily? How long do you do the blackout?

 

[Gahngoo]

Contractor bags work well also, the thick black ones not the cheaper ones.

If you bag the whole thing, you may have some issues with lack of oxygen. Unless you're talking about just covering the glass.

 

[Gahngoo]

I may just try this as I've been scrubbing my rocks with a toothbrush trying to get rid of some algae. Do you still feed your fish daily? How long do you do the blackout?

I do a 3-4 day blackout to control dinoflagellates "dinos" if I get an outbreak. I don't feed anything at that time. Fish/corals can go weeks without eating if necessary, so a couple days w/o food is no problem.

 

[Reefnoobz90]

If you bag the whole thing, you may have some issues with lack of oxygen. Unless you're talking about just covering the glass.

Just the glass lol

 

[Bbfishb81]

If you have coral, it's safe to do black out for no more then 72 hours. After that, its risky to go longer. Without coral, should be good for 4-5 days, and not feeding the tank would definitely help.

 

[TheOne]

I just did a 3 day blackout on my tank. I just covered the tank with contractor bags since I had some already and covered the top also but left a couple foot open and just covered with a towel to help let in oxygen. I'm pretty sure the return pump is sending back plenty of oxygen anyway.

Tank definitely looked better after. Still scrubbing with a toothbrush a couple of times a week to get the last of it. The algae I have looks like cotton candy or cotton. Not really sure what it is.