Hi Randy I gotta an HTH ?

hpmcbroom

New member
Hi Folks I have a co worker that has a huge nutrient problem in his tanks . We're talking massive water volume . He only feeds sparingly but the algea blooms are killing him Lights are on a timer he has no corals as this is a freshwater system. I told him water changes are the way to go. To reduce the nutrients and reduce the lights even more . But his wife wants him to use HTH to kill the algae once and for all . She said the fish would adjust to the lvls and that they could remove them to another set of tanks if need be . Randy fellow reefers I don't like to use chemicals unless It's absolutily necessary . So I'm asking what are the risks besides wiping out all the life you worked hard to have grow in your tanks . Lots of fish . Will the HTH be hard to remove if they flush their system with it . And what does HTH do besides clean hottubs and swimming pools? Like I said this is'nt for me it's for my friend who has a wife that won't touch the tank but boy does she hate it when the Algea is flying . Is it safe I don't know I told him not to do it . Any info is appreciated just no flames please I'm going to print this out to give to him . :beer:
 
What !!!!!!!!!!!!! HTH in any aquarium, is she nuts !!!!!!!!!!! It will kill everything !!!!!! DEAD !!!!!! Does she even have the slightest clue what this stuff is ? It is Calcium Hypochlorite, in lay terms, a form of chlorine bleach. It often contains 53% available chlorine.

Now for bleaching tanks. Yes, this can be done and it is best to just use Chlorox bleach. They MUST remove anything they want to keep alive.....PERIOD and only animals, leave all pumps, rock gravel etc, in tank. Leave the tank top 100 % open. The bleach can be added directly to the system, as much as you want. They will know when it is working as all the algae will turn white. Once there, there will be a MUST need to drain out all the water, refill the tank with FW, add lots of dechlor and let it circulate WELL for a least 2 hrs. Drain again and repeat the process. Refill a third time wait 2 hrs again and check for chloine levels with a GOOD chlorine test kit that will test total chlorine to 0.1 ppm. If you get 0 ppm it is now safe. They will now have a new system, which will have to go through the complete nitrogen cycle. They CAN NOT put all that life they saved back in the tank until it has cycled...PERIOD. That bleach they used killed all the bacteria.

Randy can post on the other method of leaving things in tank and going the other route you suggested.

I have performed this method above may times in 30 years as have others on SW and FW.
 
What !!!!!!!!!!!!! HTH in any aquarium, is she nuts !!!!!!!!!!! It will kill everything !!!!!! DEAD !!!!!! Does she even have the slightest clue what this stuff is ? It is Calcium Hypochlorite, in lay terms, a form of chlorine bleach. It often contains 53% available chlorine.

Hold on, they also sell algaecides as per my link. :)
 
Hold on you need glasses today :D

and what does HTH do besides clean hottubs and swimming pools?

The do not put alagecides in hottubes :D 99 % of the time when the word HTH is used in the hottube /pool industry is is always calcium hypochlorite
 
Neither sounds like an optimal solution, although I have no experience in dealing with algae in freshwater systems.

I would rather do the bleach method any day FW or SW, much easier. I have never lost an animal

On a side note we used HTH, # 2 method, to render safe nerve agents. Caustic Soda was # 1 though
 
I appreciate the quick responses folks . As I said I'll pass the info along to my friend Thanks for the links They'll help I hope . I still don't like the sound of using such chemicals but as long as it works I guess . I'll mention the clorox thing too . I just think that his wife is crazy . I thankyou both for the info . On this fine sunday morning . Good day
:beer:
 
how bad are his tests? is he using tap water? whats his tap water test at if hes using that.
can you setup a refugium like on a saltwater tank? I would test my tap water and setup some kind of refuge with tons of lights and tons of plants. Or if its not a planted tank and the lights on the tank are enough he could add plants to the main tank.
 
So Randy and I still what to know, what HTH do they have in mind ?
 
aqarium pharmacuticals makes a product called algae destroyer, it works and is safe to use in a populated tank. use it slowly and the algae will die back gradually as to not cause a massive die off.
 
She wants to use HTH shock it and guess what they did it on sat . As for the macroalgae in another part of the tanks they won't do that . It's what I would have done the macro method really does out compete the nuisance algae . On monday he told me they seperated the fish in a closed off tank then used shock on the rest of the system . They then flushed the system after the algae died reflushed it 3 times then put the fish back in and they looked o.k. when I came over to see them . Mind you this is only day 3 since then . I will keep you all informed . I'm disappointed to say the least but I could'nt stop it we all know the ball and chain has more sway . But I'll let ya'll know more later . Now I gotta go to work c ya later .
:beer:
 
HTH Shock. The is is pretty pricey for bleach when the could have used Chlorox. Are you saying they did not dechlor the tank ?? And put the fish back in ? That is living on wing and a pray. The tank is not cycled.
 
They did use declorinator in massive quanity to declorinate the system before they added their fish back . and they siphoned out the leftover granuales those that settled to the bottom of the tank . The fish looked out o.k. when I saw them yesterday . Thankgoodness they looked o.k. maybe I was panicking for nothing . :beer: Thanks again for your responses folks .
 
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