Algae on fish tanks - keeps coming back!?

Question

Ok, ok, I know it's all natural etc but there must be a good way to control it....

I have a cold water tank - about 40 litres with 3 small fish (present for my 2 year old daughter). It has a pump and gravel (and a plant) but after about a week, the algae return...

I have a magnetic scraper - works ok for about 2 days
I've tried these A--B compound liquids - no apparent difference (although I was probably a bit woolly on following the instructions...
I've tried these tea-bag things (something about nitrates??)

Anyway - ideas welcome!!!

Answer 1

hiya get your daughter some sucker fish they eat the Algae of the fish tank. Two would be enough.They really do work and your daughter can sit and watch them. But one thing the are very hard to catch when you are changing the water

Answer 2

If the algae is on the glass, get a long handled scraper designed for aquariums, or use a new, rinsed dish scrubber by 3M. If you have a light on the aquarium, turn to off for a while. Since algae can be caused by dirty water and overfeeding, change out more than the usual 25% per week for a while. If it is on the gravel, stir it up more when you do the siphon cleaning step so that the gravel on the top with the algae gets turned underneath and out of the light. Algae floats in the air. Get a tighter cover for the tank.

Answer 3

check out the source i listed below. here is a passage from that page, it will have all the answers to your questions on algae. i would suggest against the magnetic algae scraper since they are not very effective. it is better to just get one of those algae scrapingg sponges from any fish/pet store. also, i would suggest on holding back from adding chemicals. they should always be a last resort.

passage from my linked source...

"It is normal for algae to begin to return within two weeks after being removed. Algae multiply rapidly. If, however, algae returns within a day or two, this may indicate a problem with either light or water quality. Algae requires light and nutrients to grow. If the tank receives too much light, is over-fed, or is over-stocked, algae problems will usually occur...

...An over-fed or over-stocked aquarium will result in the accumulation of organics that algae feed on, resulting in rapid algae growth. Warmer aquariums grow algae faster. Fish-only tanks should be 78ºF, and reef tanks and planted aquarium ideally should be 74ºF to 76ºF. If the aquarium receives direct, or bright indirect natural sunlight from a nearby window, draw the blinds or move the aquarium! In a fish-only aquarium, lights should be on for about eight hours. If the lights are on longer, algae will return at a more rapid rate. Aquarium lights should never be on for more than twelve hours. This grows more algae and is bad for the fish. Cleaning an aquarium too thoroughly makes algae grow back faster! Leave a little algae in your tank when you clean."

Answer 4

Is the tank on a window sil or in sunlight ??? if it either move it or cover it.
Try feeding the fish less, over feeding can cause algae ,
Try adding some snails or pleco (be careful tho because plecos have been known to latch onto the side of slower moving fish like goldfish) as they love to munch on algae
How often do u clean the tank, try doing a 20-30% water change weekly.
I would try and avoid using any chemicals while you have fish in the tank

Answer 5

Keep light to a minimum. Do you have living plants in the tank? That, coupled with light either from sunlight or a hood lamp will encourage algae growth. Get a razor scarper to scrape the algae off and then a steril sponge. Add a snail and algae eater to the tank to help with natural algae removal. Get a cory catfish to help keep waste to a minimum.

If your tank is even partially in direct sunlight, that, too is a problem.

Answer 6

reduce the hours of light going into the tank or move away from an area that is in direct sunlight. also try feeding less i only fed once a day and they dont need as much food as you think im also pretty sure that you may be able to get an algae eater for a cold water fish tank so you could try that

Answer 7

Make sure your tank doesn't receive any direct sunlight. Cut down on your feeding. Just give them what they can eat in 3 minutes. Yo could also get a bottom feeding fish like an algae eater or a corydoras. You could also try snails. They all do a pretty good job of eating excess food and algae.

Answer 8

Change your light bulb. Older ligh bulbs produce lower spectrum light which promotes algae growth. Also, you should be feeding less food and changing more water every week. It will help cut down on the nitrates that feed the algae. Use bottled spring water for the water changes as your tap water probably contains phosphates (liquid fertilizer).
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Answer 9

Algae is caused by light, so you should move the tank out of direct sunlight. Snails will also help keep the algae down a bit.

Answer 10

Algae is a natural part of the tank's environment. However it can be controlled naturrally by purchasing a couple of Pleicostamas fish or some nice little snails. These should do the trick.