I have a 2.5 gallon tank with one male betta. Though there is no need, I use the tank's filter. The problem is no matter what I do, a few days after cleaning the tank algae starts to form on the walls. The water is clean and has been tested. No problems found. I considered cory fish but realize they live on the bottom of the tank. They won't clean the walls.
Any suggestions? I'm frustrated that this keeps happening.
2007-02-03 13:30:06 · 10 answers · asked by Bobby B 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's very tough to get rid of algae once it's gotten a foothold in a tank. Algae can live on very little nutrients in the water and that makes in difficult to starve. With such a small tank your choices are quite limited. You can try an Otocinlus sp. catfish, they stay quite small and are good algae eaters. The only other option I can see would be to use an algae destroying chemical in your tank. Those work fairly well, but I would say certainly try the Oto cat first.
2007-02-03 13:41:13 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had an algae problem with my tank too and I'll tell you what I did to fix it. First off, do not use algae chemicals. From my experience, they do not work and can only hurt your fish. The best thing to do would be to put the tank in a dark room. Sunlight is the reason why you have algae in your tank. If you had a larger tank, I would also tell you to get a Plecosthomus (I think that's how it's spelled) fish. They chomp down on algae like it's nobody's business. Since you can't get another fish, just put the tank in a dark corner with as little sunlight as possibly. If you find a good spot, your algae should disappear in about a week. Also, make sure that you scrape off all the algae that is growing on the tank walls and rocks before you move it just to get rid of it all initially.
Good luck!!
2007-02-03 15:46:50 · answer #2 · answered by skater60016 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, THANK YOU for using a filter for your betta's tank. There IS a need for it.
Algae feeds on excessive light and dirty water (from overfeeding and/or lack of water changes), so you need to rule these two things out.
I STRONGLY suggest you not put another fish in your tank to try to solve this problem. Firstly, because the tank is too small for another fish, but also because none of the fish recommended here would be healthy in that tank even without the betta. Plecos and algae eaters get WAY too big, and otos are small enough but still need more space. Even a single oto would starve to death in that small a tank (after an initial feast getting you cleaned up -- 2.5 gallons just won't grow enough algae to feed the poor little guy.
Check out the page I'm listing below to identify the type of algae you've got. There are solutions for each suggested there too. Good luck! and be patient. Algae can be tough to deal with, but you can do it without resorting to crazy measures, and without dosing harsh chemicals into your betta's environment.
2007-02-03 15:23:57 · answer #3 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Algae forms for many reasons. Don't keep your tank lights on for more than eight hours. If you have direct sunlight going into your tank this will increase algae growth as well. I had that same problem. I purchased a piece of self adhesive background. Solid color and placed it where the sun was coming in. Solved my problem. I also keep algae remover. A few drops works great.
2007-02-03 13:44:59 · answer #4 · answered by kayjay 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Green is good leave it alone! You are doing it right not wrong. Green stuff is a sign of a healthy environment. My goldfish tank is carpeted in green and the water is usually the color of pea soup no matter what I do. The only way to get rid of green water is a lot of water changes or an ultra-violet light filter, which I don't think they even make one for a 2.5 gallon.
2007-02-06 04:30:34 · answer #5 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My next door neighboor fish tank was horribly covered in algae so my fiancai gave him one of our GOLDEN ALGAE EATERS and with in 10 mins you could actually see clear lines on the glass from the algae eater eating it away and by the next morning it was all gone and he hasnt had a problem with it since so ya get one
2007-02-03 14:09:59 · answer #6 · answered by tammy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi! a couple of months ago I had a HUGE algae problem and I didn't know what was the problem! So I decided to get two Chinese algae eaters and they vibrate walls and everything that has algae on it and gets rid of it like that! ever since then I haven't had any algae problems! Hope that helped! good luck
2007-02-03 14:56:42 · answer #7 · answered by guppylover 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Get a natural algae eater (pleco for instance) and have him suck your tank windows dry. If you do choose to go with this option make sure you clean you tank often as algae eaters have a tendency to poop a lot.
Otherwise try to find an algae scraper from your local pet store.
2007-02-03 14:08:43 · answer #8 · answered by FishMan 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Have you tested for Phosphate? For algae to grow it needs plenty of light & Phosphate. Best thing is to perform 20% weekly water changes until your phosphate levels have gone down.
2007-02-05 09:04:51 · answer #9 · answered by ispooky2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get one of those fish that stick to the aquarium wall.
2007-02-03 16:05:52 · answer #10 · answered by Guti 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋