How can I keep my fish tank free from algae?

Answer 1

Keep in mind that algae is not bad for the fish in any way. You probably will not be able to rid your tank of it completely. The best way to control it is with regular water changes and cleaning the inside of the tank with an algae scrubber. Also, limit the time you have the light on. If your tank gets light from a window, you may want to close the curtian to limit that light from getting to the tank. I personally don't like to use the chemicals that are sold to control algae because I feel that the more chemicals that are in your water the less healthy the fish tend to be.

One more thing, some are recommending an algae eater or snail. Most "algae eaters" do not eat algae. The ones that do, tend to get very large (2 ft or more). Snails are fairly small and do not eat much due to their size. Also, the snails will reproduce rapidly and take over the tank before you know it.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Cleaner tanks do not grow algae faster. Like MM said they need a few items to grow. Heat/light and CO2. That is what will make algae grow in your tank. Keeping it in check is what you want to do. Eventhough you may not like the way a little algae looks, it is beneficial to your fish to have some. Which you will, even if you think you cannot see it.

Having some algae is a good thing and should be left for your plant eaters of the tank.

Cutting back on the daylight hours like your light will help control the algae. Heat is another growth spirt for algae. Not that all fish can survive in a cooler water, but most can survive just fine with the temperature turned down a few degrees (Gradually).

Weekly or every other week water changes also will help, however you must clean the sides of the tank, the filter and the decor. Remember no more than a 25% water change at a time. Also, sometimes your tap water or bottled water source is higher in the "Unwanted" items for algae. Nitrates which can be over 7 ppm acts as a fertalizer for your algae.

Be sure your tank isn't near a heat source or direct or even indirect lighting from outside sources. Also aiding in this can be long hours of overhead lighting.

If the problem begins to get out of hand email me and I will help you then. Sounds to me like your tank is healthy. Avoid any chemical that claims to kill algae. Sometimes adding chemicals to kill algae, also kill your fish.

Good luck

Answer 3

First, don't put the tank in a sunny area. Don't leave the light on for 24 hrs. a day. Put light on in evening for awhile to enjoy fish. A small amount of green algae is a good thing. You can buy a plocostomus, a weird looking fish that really does eat algae. The so called algae eaters really don't eat it. Is best to avoid getting algae in your tank as it is hard to get rid of once started.

Answer 4

Algae needs two things to grow: light and nutrients. If you cut back one or both of these things you will reduce the algae. Be sure to do regular water changes in your tank. Change 25% each week and clean the gravel as you do. That will cut way down on the nutrients for the algae. Also take care not to over feed the fish. Uneaten food feed algae. Another way to remove nutrients is with floating plants like java moss, frogbit, crystalwort or bladderwort.

Try to leave the light off as much as possible. Even if it's day time, if no one will be there to look at the tank turn off the lights and be sure to turn the light off at night.

Do these and you will get rid of most of your algae problem if not all of it.

MM

Answer 5

I got something at my pet store called phos-x. It supposedly gets rid of the phosphates in the tank that the algae feeds off of. It was a while ago when I tried it, and it didn't work too good. I would restate what everyone said and suggest you get an algae eater, like an otocinclus. I've never had one, but I've heard they are very good at eating algae and are very peaceful. I have a siamese algae eater and its 4 inches long and peaceful, but it doesn't eat that much algae.

Answer 6

This is a difficult concept to understand, but cleaner tanks grow algae faster. It’s important to remember that algae growth is a natural, normal process in any aquarium and is not harmful to the tank or the fish, in fact, some fish, such as mollies, require an algae-laden tank. If a section of the ocean floor is swept completely clean of life by a hurricane, the first organism to start growing back is algae. Just like after a hurricane, when you clean your aquarium and all of the decorations thoroughly, you leave no algae behind. In this bright, squeaky-clean environment, algae grows back more rapidly than it would if you left a small amount of algae somewhere in the tank. This is especially true in aquariums, where there is bright white coral or gravel that reflects more light. The reason for this accelerated growth is that, if there is no algae left in the tank, there is no competition for nutrients that the algae feeds on. If you leave a few rocks or pieces of coral in a tank with a good growth of algae on them, that algae will consume nutrients in the water, which helps to control new growth. It is actually better for your aquarium to allow some algae to exist somewhere in the tank, especially if your aquarium has chronic algae problems. Additionally, algae is a relatively primitive organism, so it doesn’t stand a chance when competing against more advanced plants or photosynthetic corals in these types of aquariums. It's normal for algae to begin growing back in an aquarium within three weeks after the tank is cleaned. Light and nutrients in the water are the major causes of algae growth. You can help control the regrowth of algae in your aquarium by moving your aquarium away from windows or other light sources; turning your lights off as much as possible; not overfeeding your aquarium; Don't allow dying fish, plants, food or other decaying material to remain in the tank; keep one or several pieces of rock or coral in your tank. Don't use light colored decorations, rocks or substrate. If you do not already have an external canister filter on your aquarium, install one. By using large quantities of chemical removal material in these filters, you can help prevent algae growth. Protein skimmers in marine tanks also help to reduce algae growth in the aquarium. Install an ultraviolet sterilizer on the tank. Besides controlling parasites in the water, these devices also kill algae cells in the water before they can grow in your tank.

Answer 7

Try cleaning your tank more. Make sure you use cleaners that are fish safe, such as the ones you buy at your local pet store. You should also change the filter often. Also, if you have a fresh water tank, you can invest in an algae eating fish.

Answer 8

Added to that, do more water changes since nitrites are aiding plant growth. Daphnia will clear out free-floating algae (diatom) but fish will eat the daphnia quickly. Olive nurite snails will keep the tank sides clean and don't eat planted plants. Algae shrimp will clean off algae from plants, rocks, decorations (but some fish will eat those shrimp). Decrease the amount of light your tank gets.

Answer 9

it's impossible to completely keep your tank free of algae. a little bit of algae shows a healthy tank. Doing weekly water changes, lowering the amount of food so there is no uneaten food laying everywhere, wiping the glass down every week and lowering the amount of light will help control the algae. btw, sunlight will cause massive algae growth.

Answer 10

Panda physician fish are super algae eaters and don't consume fish eggs. I surely have them in with my glow gentle danios and there are consistently small glow gentle fry hatching out and swimming in faculties around the tank, and hordes of infant cherry shrimp clinging throughout. they have been interior the tank ( a seventy 5 gallon) for variety of 5 years and nevertheless look doing high-quality. look them up with the names Garra flavatra - Panda Garra. in the journey that your angels are aggressive, the different fish interior the breeding tank may well be a aim.making use of oblique (room) gentle interior the tank might scale returned the quantity of algae if so.