Hi I have just set up a 10 gallon aquarium and am concerned about alge growth.?

Question

My last aquarium had an outbreak of alge all over the ornaments and plants. In vancouver I have seen a pet shop with aquariums that have virtually no alge for the past 6 months I have visited.How do you think sha manages this?When I ask her she ejust says she changes the water everyday and makes sure most of the food is eaten but however I tried that without similar results, and we are in the same area with the same water source.I was wondering if you could tell me what is the best things to do to keep the water clear and alge free. Bio geek could you please advise? Help would be very much apprciated. thank you!

I have alge eaters and filters and keep the light to a minimum.....i know about that... does algone absorb the clacium in dried coral that i use to buffer for my cichlids? what's an alternative product for algone if I can't find it in my area?

also how to remove detrius from gravel so small grained that it's almost sand? whenever i vaccum it the gravel comes out too.

Answer 1

Those of us with salt water tanks know to use reverse-osmosis or distilled water only. he chlorine in the water is harm-full to the fish and the phosphates in the water feeds your algae. Live plants help to convert the nitrates before the algae gets it and stirring the substrate and scraping the glass every couple days discourages it from developing. Use a turkey baster to move the substrate around and buy a magnetic glass scrubber to clean the glass.

Answer 2

I have had aquariums for 30 years and have had up to 10 aquariums going at once. Your problem is too much light. Move the aquarium to a dark side of the room away from sun/high light areas. Put your Aq light on a timer and only have it on for 4 - 6 hours a day. If you start having brown algae then you need a little more light, green means too much light. Get it balenced.

Get a pleco as stated even tho plecos dont eat all kinds of algae. BUT - if there is no algae then you wil have to feed the pleco algae tablets - that is what they eat. They also eat live plants and fish food on occasion too.

Do NOT change all the water, clean or scrub the tank. This is a fallicy of the aquarium world. You will kill your fish!!!!!! When was the last time you saw an outside pond change all its water? Fish get used to their environment and that SMALL environment is fragile! I change 20% of my water every month. I insure I have adequate filtration - turning the water volume over at least 5 times and hour. IE: 10 gal tank needs a 50gph filter. I even have 2 filters per tank. I also stir up the gravel 4 times a year and let the filter take out the crud (right before a water change). Changing the water can also kill the fish due to chlorine and other 'clean' chemicals in the water. If you are not on a well make sure to only put aged water back into the tank.

DO NOT introduce snails if you don't already have them. They are a pest. I have had them survive in dry aquarium for years down in my basement - they hibernate. They are not worth the algae benifits unless they are the bigger snails.



All this will help with algae.

PS: I have a plant tank with live plants that needs 8-10 hours of light a day. There is no way to avoid algae in this tank.

Answer 3

So many people have problems with algae. It's actually quite a simple thing.

1) LIGHT keep the light off in the tank unless you want to view the fish in light. Light is totally not needed. (unless you have real plants that need it.. and if you did, you probably have enough experience that you wouldn't need to ask about things like this.. I don't even know what to do.. I use plastic crud!)

2) FOOD: Feed only once a day. If you are feeding more food than what is equivalent to the size of their eyeball, you're feeding too much. (in general) You can feed a bit more.. I do., but most people put a ton of food in. My wife.. says. honey, can I feed them today.. and the whole surface of water was coated in food.. Thank God I was too busy frantically trying to get the food out - otherwise I probably woulda had my hands around her neck! LOL.

3) FILTRATION: Use some sort of filtration. Whether it be underwater with those tubes and bubbles or off the back mechanical filter, or bio wheel filter.. it don't really matter. It all works if you ask me. Underwater is just a pain if it gets clogged. That's all.

The biggest thing, however, is the light. And put the fish tank somewhere to where it is away from sunlight - that's the worst thing you could do! - to put it in the sunlight that is.

Don't bother with the algae eaters.. that's if you want them just for the purpose of eating algae. if you have them great., but I wouldn't bother with them. I have two bala sharks, six black skirts, six neons, a angelfish, a dragonfish and a baby koi that I will throw in my pond when he gets a spec bigger. They're all in a 55 gal. tank. I have had no problems in four years now. The koi was a recent addition, he'll only be in there for six months.

Keep the heater at 82 or so and you will never (I haven't) see the ick problem.

I change my water once every two months.. 1/3 of it.

It's all about how much light you give the algae to feed from.

Weekly water changes 25% is usually plenty. If you do daily water changes.. this could be causing the tank to never be capable of cycling. If you need information on cycling a fish tank email me and I'll give you a quick rundown :) It's important information to know, but some people go way overboard - depends on how serious you want to get.

Answer 4

Okay all of these are to one-minded you are looking for an answer go to Wal- Mart and buy"No More Algae" from Tank Buddies. These are tablets that keep the algae away. I had that problem but I leave my lights on on my tanks 24 hours a day and have the filters going and in the right amount of sunlight still got algae. Now since I scraped of the sides and did a water change I added a tablet with the new water with the fish It doesnt huirt them. I've had no more problems with it and it stops the growth on the artificial plants as well . Also dont get a plecotumus. Not worth it and they can ripp the bellies of your fish open if they swim too close. I've had the apple snails and they are fascinating to watch and feed they dont multiply like the small snails. Worth the money . But for $ 2.97 you cant go wrong with The No more Algae By Jungle Products yellow box wiyh fish and blue water. Good uck . Oh and use a tablet every time you add water.

Answer 5

If you are changing the water on a regular basis (once a month is fine) and scrubbing the glass and still have an algae problem, it is probably because there is too much light.

How long do you keep the light on?

The light you give your fish should mimic the amount of light that they would get in nature. I wouldn't leave the light on for any more than 12 hours a day, at the most. If you put the light on a timer you can control the amount of light, keep the day and night that the fish experience consistent, and not have the hassle of having to turn on and turn off the light.

Also, the placement of your aquarium may be part of the problem as well. Keeping your aquarium away from windows and the natural light they cast may lessen algae growth.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I have a 10G tank too and I've had some algae concerns too. I have cherry barbs which are suppose to eat some of the algae; but they're not interested in it.

I eased back on feeding (I got a feeding ring which keeps the food at the top a little longer so they eat more of it; and therefore less waste)

I clean tank 2 times a week. Usually about 10-20% water change and I scrub the sides with an algae brush too wherever it is necessary.

Change the filter 2 weeks to 1 month.

I use city water which has de-chlorinating stuff. Aged water does not always take care of the chlorine (depending on the kind your city uses).

I got it under control; pretty much now. Diligence seems to be the key (but not over-doing it)

Answer 7

The pet shop owner is wrong by telling you to change the water everyday. Change 10-15% of your water every week. Battling algae growth:

1) Add more live plants; especially stem plants and floating plants. these plants will absorb the phosphate in your tank and out compete the algae for nutrients and they will disappear.

2) You do not have to lower the level of your light. lower the time you leave the light on. Lower the light down to 8 hours per day until they disappear.

3) Lower the amount of food you feed the fish. Uneaten food will cause them to grow more.

4) Stop vacuuming the sand for awhile.

Answer 8

You need to check your nitrate levels. If you do not have a test kit to do so, take a sample to your local pet store to have them test it.

Algae needs four things to grow. Food (nitrates or phosphates), light, poor water, and higher temperature.

Try turning off your light for a couple of days. If the tank is in direct (or even indirect) sunlight, either close your curtains/shades, or consider moving your tank in a darker area of your house.

Water should NOT be changed every day. You should do about 20% weekly. If you change it daily, you risk disrupting your nitrogen cycle, which can lead to the death of your fish. If you don't know about the nitrogen cycle (don't worry - it seems most people don't), see the link I'll attach to the end of this.

Do NOT get an algae eater or a pleco. They will quickly outgrow your tank. Instead, consider getting a couple of ghost shrimp, as they will consume SOME of the algae and they will not add anything to your current bioload.

If you are going to get an algicide, remember a couple of things. Certain ones contain copper - you do NOT want to introduce copper to your tank, as this is difficult to remove and some fish cannot deal with it. Also, some algicides will kill any plants you have in the tank now. Also, if you have any snails or other invertebrates in your tank (including shrimp), you have to be careful as most of them WILL kill them.

Honestly, your best bet is to go for the organic algae killer. Unfortuntely, this is also the most expensive available.

Good luck!

Answer 9

maybe your filter isnt working very well or maybe yo dont clean your tank well. try this: put your fish in another conatainer and clean your other tank with soap and water( even though its not advisable every time) and rinse it very well. after that, leave it outside to let sunlight dry it thoroughly. i think the algae will not be there anymore when you put your fish there again. good luck.
ps. i dont really mind if there is green algae in some parts of my tank. i think theryre qute pretty and they do provide oxygen to the fish. its only visibility that i have a problem with. i once had an ornament and a weord brown algae grew in it. im not really sure if its real algae bcause its more grainy and it really sticks on the ornament. i removed the ornament for a bout a week and the "algae" never grew back.

Answer 10

NO SNAILS!!! They will overtake your aquarium!!

Less light will help with the algae problem, along with algae eaters. I wouldn't get too many as for then they will have nothing to eat, and you will have to introduce algae to your tank in the form of tablets just so they can eat.

I would just stir up the sand so that your filter can cycle out all of the junk, since the sand is so fine that the vacuum just sucks it all out. May take several times doing this to get all of your debris out. It also helps to only feed your fish what they can eat in a few minutes; otherwise it could lead to a dirty tank as well. Hope all of our answers combined together will help you. You can also check out fish sites like tetra.com for more advice.