Algae Options

[Paul]

Ok so it's confirmed, I have algae. I'm officially a dumbarse.

Please keep the insults away till this is over, then slag me off all you like.

Ok as it stands there is the start of algae on the lining of my tubes, and along the wall of my res. I think there's a few dots in my TDX. Note this can only be seen when examining the gear carefully.

It is pale green, so I'm confident it isn't the dye settling.

I ordered 2oz of purple ice yesterday, I'm guessing it'll come later this week, am I ok holding out till then?

Now this case is being kept near a window so it's prime target for algae. Will 1 or 2 capfuls of purple ice alone fend off future algae infestations, or will something else be needed?

Also how do I go about cleaning out my TDX?

Tubing and res are self explanatory really.

Man I feel stupid but I guess the plus side is this'll never happen again, I've learnt the hard way.

[Rockin]

Before putting purple ice in, i'd empty your water out and flush it through, maybe with hot water, that should remove the algae in the tubes

[Paul]

Yeah that was the plan.

My main concern is can it wait till tomorrow or Thursday?

My PI was sent just now, Royal Mail 1st Class.

[Rockin]

Shouldn't be a problem. Depends how thick it is, as long as it doesnt stop the flow of water.

[Paul]

Here it is..



(Pardon the damn ugly round IDE cables... need to "redecorate" them sometime)

This post has been edited by randomPaul: Aug 31 2004, 09:50 AM

[Rockin]

That will be fine. Its only just forming. S'not like the tubes are blocked

[Paul]

I'm not sure... I think there's some in my TDX too.

*Checks now*

Ok yes there is, on the transparent top of it, around the outside edge.

How can I go about cleaning this?

My dad (master of aquariums for a good many years) suggests giving the system a run through with a VERY low concentration of bleach then flushing it all with hot water. I'm not sure how putting bleach through it all is going to affect certain aspects of my cooling.

Also is it fair to assume if it's in the dark, its free from algae? E.g. my rad and pump.

[NatureBoy]

Didnt you already ask about this before a day or two ago? Or was that someone else?

Anyway, yes rinse everything out with a weak bleach solution, and then flush the system through with some clean water after. To clean your block you just take it apart and scrub it with a toothbrush or whatever to get rid of the stuff that water doesnt budge. If i were you though i would bin all your current tubing and get some new stuff, even though the bleach should kill all the algae in the tubes, it wont necessarily clean them, you might end up with a lot of crap left behind on the inside walls. Algae is very persistent stuff, so generally you have to pysically scrub it away, maybe you could find a suitable pipe cleaner or something though.

[Paul]

Woah, I really can't afford new tubing. It's not like there's loads of algae.

Also, taking my block apart? How... doesn't look easily openable. For a start there are "warranty void if removed" stickers on each side.

[BluD]

I got the same problem, yeah it voids the warrenty, i had to do it to clean it out of my blocks.(forgot to ad the purple ice after flushing out the air. )

I just scrubbed it and it came off, as for the tubes, i ran hot water and cleaning stuff through for ages didnt do much, but didnt try bleach, might be worth a go.

[Paul]

Is there not some other way of cleaning out my block that doesn't involve me, a cretin when it comes to "fixing" things, opening it?

[Paul]

Hmmmm it hasn't grown in er... well since I spotted it.

I'm wondering if it's dye settling, cause let's face it... I didn't know the Tygon tubing was UV resistant and put too much in, way too much...

However, I'm still going to clean it out and redo it with PI.

Just a question, I ordered the 2oz of PI, now I know it said 1-2 capfuls, but is that with a larger bottle? How much of this size bottle do I need.

[Rockin]

1 capful will be fine.

[Paul]

okey doke, 1 capful it is.

So... I know the spec of what it does, but in people's experience how well does this stuff do it's job?

Will a water cooling kit next to a window still attract algae?

[Gav2k]

water + sunlight = nasties.

just add something to keep them at bay which you doing.

to get rid of the stuff in your block baking soda will remove it. but the best stuff is a stong solution made from harpic and water. run your system for a bit and it'll kill everything.