Help! Algae build up!?

Question

I have a 30 gallon glass Oceanic aquarium. It has one pearlscale goldfish and one calico fantail goldfish. They are each about 2 inches long. I do a 25% water change every two to three weeks. Algae builds up really fast. And the ammonia and nitrate/nitrite levels are totally normal. My plastic plants are also having some issues. Each leaf develops brown spots. So I scrub the plants in the sink (with just water) and the spots come off. But then develop again within a few days. The algae build up is really bad on the back of my driftwood. I use an algae scrubber when its needed. But its really hard to get all of it off. Also I'm wondering, when I use the algae scrubber, all of the algae that I scrub off is released into the water, can this hurt the fish? I have a BIO-wheel filter and I change the cartridge whenever I do a water change. Is there any anti-algae products out there that are proven to be effective and safe? Please help me!

Answer 1

First, I would say do not use any anti-algae products. They will kill almost all of the algae in your tank but it will simply come back even worse afterwards.

The algae needs two things to grow, nutrients from the water and light.

Be sure you aren't overfeeding your fish and also be sure to clean the gravel well each time you do a water change. For the next few weeks, you might increase your water changes to 35-40% and then do a 25% each week thereafter.

As for light, make sure no direct sunlight hits your tank. If it does, either move the tank or block the light with a heavy background or thick piece of paper. For the tank lights, leave them on no more than 10 hours a day and only that long if you need them on that long. The fish don't really need a light on, so use it only when you need it to enjoy your tank. The brown on your plastic plants is a type of algae and you will see it improve greatly once these changes begin having an effect in your tank.

This will not get rid of all the algae nor will it kill it overnight, but given a few weeks it will reduce it to so little you will barely notice.

MM

Answer 2

Goldfish are usually pretty good at taking care of the algae, but you might want to get an algae eater, also check walmart, or petco for some type of product to get the problem under control. And also in my opinion you are changing the water too often, I have a 60 gallon and I do a filter change once every 3 to 6 months and I only do a water change once a year.

You can also take a water sample to petco and they will test it for you for free.

Hope it's not a fungus

Answer 3

Is your tank in direct sunlight? That is usually the cause of any algae build up. Brown algae is actually diatoms which are harmless and very common in new tanks (I don't know how long yours has been set up though). They usually disappear on their own.

Don't buy any fish just to solve a problem. Find the root of the problem and solve that!

Answer 4

ok what color is the Algae in your tank???
Green mostly comes from to much light
while brown and black Algae are more a dirty tank.
you say your water test ok but what is your water ph??
and what about your phosphates??
ph and phosphates and sun light can trigger an Algae bloom with green Algae.
but with brown and black Algae you need to look at cleaning your tanks more and doing more water changes.
also what size tank?

Answer 5

You should get some Algae Eaters, they are like little shrimps who feeds on algaes.

Answer 6

maybe you should get a new filter and one of those tubes that circulates the water around so its not just sitting there

Answer 7

get an algea eater