Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my Missisippi Map Turtle for 2 months now and they are doing really well but i've having a huge problem with brown algae. Its forming on the aquarium glass, rocks and plants. It is easy to clean off but i'm having to do this every 2 or 3 days. The algae is only forming on surfaces which the light from the lights above reach.

Does anyone know how i can get rid of this without causing any harm to the turtles. I'm desperate now. I've tried everything i can think of.

Do you do partial or total water changes? (hopefully partial).

How many hours a day do you have the lights on?

If you turtles won't destroy them (not likely) you could put some plants in your tank. They will remove the nitrates from your water instead of the algae and crowd the algae out. Try some sword plants or tougher leaved plants. I have also noticed that mine tend to shy away from eating water sprite. You could let that grow over the surface of your water and it will also filter the light getting down to the algae. These suggestions might help.

Steve

There are basically three cures for algae that don't change the light/ heat situation:

first clean the water
second clean the water
third get some water plants (these are good food for turtles anyway) thoughg miss maps might not eat tons of them.

You can use a UVC Sterilizer. They're designed for algae, bacteria, parasite, and fungus kill and removal.

That UV sterilizer is only useful for removal of "free floating" algae (green water). The algae that is on the rocks and walls and anything else in the tank does not get killed by the UV sterilizer. This is algae problem that is present in this case. UV sterilizers are still a very useful thing to have though for both fishtanks and ponds.

The question was "How can I stop algae from developing?" Not how do I clean a tank with rocks, plants, and sidewalls covered with algae. You STOP algae or retard the growth of algae with the use of a UVC Sterilizer.

Well since you have gone to the effort of NIT PICKING -- if you go further into what was written and NOT respond only to the Re line you would see that this person wrote:

i've having a huge problem with brown algae.

LOOK -- [Its forming on the aquarium glass, rocks and plants. It is easy to clean off but i'm having to do this every 2 or 3 days. The algae is only forming on surfaces which the light from the lights above reach.]

So you see this is the problem not free floating algae. So if it is so if you are feeling like what you stated earlier in the this thread is being challenge and this is annoying you so much that you have to be obnoxious about what I wrote then take heart!! YOU ARE 100% correct! Anything "free floating" will be destroyed BUT the stuff wil still grow on the rocks and glass and gravel all the same and THAT is what this person was actually asking about.

Just in case you feel the sudden need to trash the spelling and grammar in my previous post -- well feel free to do so. I responded to your post in a hurried fashion as I was at work and had a quick moment of downtime. I sacrificed proofreading in lieu of addressing, at that moment, the rude manner in which you responded to my portion of this thread. So if trashing some spelling and grammar will bring you some pleasure -- have at it!