How can I get rid of algae in an aquarium?

Question

We have a 20 gallon hex fresh water hex tank. Plastic plants. Mostly tetra who like our RO water source. We have a dark algae that forms on everything. How can I identify the cause of the algae and eliminate it? TIA

Answer 1

Hello, What you may have is brown algae. Algae comes from two things to much light and to much nitrogen in the water. So do a water change and clean the tank. Keep your nitrogen levels low and reduce the amount of light your tank gets. You should also test for nitrogen in your tap water as well. You may even want to think of adding a small algae eater such as a Oto.

Answer 2

Here is a good website on algae

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/algae_types.php

There is many ways to get rid of algae. First, you might not need anything like chemicals it could be that you leave your lights on for too long. They should only be on for 10-12 hours a day. If you do leave them on for too long then reduce it to 10-12 hours a day and you should eventually see results of reduced algae. Second you could use snails and other algae eaters, but that depends on if you have the room and if it is compatible with your other fish. Snails and other algae eaters will only reduce algae so much and if you have a lot then you might not see a significant difference any time soon. They also have magnet cleaners, but I have never used one so I do not know how well it works. Also every one a week or so you could just scrape off the algae while your doing your water change. Finally you can buy chemicals that will clear away the algae. You have to be careful though some types of algae removers can not be used with plants or Inverts.

Algae Magnet Cleaner

http://www.petco.com/product/9683/Mag-Float-Floating-Magnet-Aquarium-Cleaners.aspx

Answer 3

There are several things you can do without getting any chemicals
First of all, don't have the tank in direct sunlight, sun is the main source for algae growth
second, take out these fake plants and get real ones they make your tank healthier as well are very healthy for your fish

What you can do now, is take out all your fish into a bucket with the water from your tank, take everything out of the tank and scrub your tank down with an algae scrabber and hot water, wash the gravel only with cold water, otherwise you will kill all the good bacteria, don't exchange the cartridge, only wash it through with cold water
When you have done that fill up your tank with water and treat it with "Aqua Safe" and "Easy Balance" as directed, put in some real plants and let the tank sit for about 2-5 hours, then put your fish into a plastic bag with the old water and put it on the surface of your tankwater, that your fish can slowly acclimate to their new surroundings
After you had them sitting there for about an hour or more you can slowly put them back into your tank

To prevent future algae growth, get a couple of bottom feeders like cory cats, real plants, no direct sunlight, and leave the light only on for 10-12 hours during the day, and don't overfeed your fish, you only feed them as much as they can eat in a period of 3-5 minutes at a time



Hope that helps
Good luck

EB

Answer 4

It naturally occurs in the aquarium. The best thing I have found is algae eaters. They are pretty cool looking an dlive off of the algae in the tank. One or two should do it. You can but them in the fish section at your local store. They will have the tank cleaned up in no time and will continue to keep it clean.
There is also a treatment you can put in the tank that kills algae, but I prefer the fish.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How can I get rid of algae in an aquarium?
We have a 20 gallon hex fresh water hex tank. Plastic plants. Mostly tetra who like our RO water source. We have a dark algae that forms on everything. How can I identify the cause of the algae and eliminate it? TIA

Answer 6

There are a number of things you can do to get rid of it,

1= get a algae eater
2= Take things out and clean them manualy
3= Only put the light on when viewing the fish - algae is cauesed by light
4= chemicals to remove algae (available at most pet/fish shops

DO NOT GET A PLECO! IT IS FAR TOO BIG FOR YOUR TANK.

Answer 7

First of all, get a placo, short for placostomus, a snail (not a good choice, as many fish like to eat snails...), or any other bottom feeder. Sometimes they will not eat algae off of certain aquarium decorations, and you have to take them out and wash them yourself. Your algae sounds like a common algae that grows in tanks, I don't know the name, but it sounds like the stuff growing in my aquarium.

Answer 8

I had a problem with algae with my fish tank until I discovered a product sold at Wal-Mart called "No More Algae" by the company "Jungle." You just drop these tablets into your tank and after a while the algae will clear up. I had the same brown algae on my rocks and fake plants, but now I don't have any. It made my tank look sooo much better. Seriously, try this and I'm sure you will be so glad you did!

Answer 9

algae forms in all fish tanks, but a good charcoal/fiber filter will help. If you employ the use of waste eating fish like sucker fish or small whiskered fish, then your algae will be greatly reduced.

Answer 10

to get it of plastic plants take them out and scrub them with a wet sponge that you wont use for anything else. scrub really hard. to take it of the sides of the tank get a sponge and scrub but watch out for fish and other things.