How do I get rid of algae in my 55 gallon tank?

Question

Its been about a year since I've established my tank. From last month, I've gotten an algae bloom. I noticed that during the day, a ray of sunlight shines as if swiping the whole tank as the sun rises. I tried using chemical liquids to get rid of it but, kept on coming back. I want to put nice decors in but they all turn out to be stained with algae... =( My guess is to put a cover around the tank to block any sunlight. But, im wondering how other people get their tank to be so crystal clear w.o algae

Answer 1

clean your tank regularly, don't put too much food for the fish, move the tank away from direct sunlight, get algae eating fish

Answer 2

Leave the tank light off,for 2 weeks or so,and make sure no direct sunlight gets into the tank.Black background paper works for this,I have also heard of people using aluminum foil. Wrap the back,sides,and even the front if you need to,to keep the sunlight out.Leave it like this for 2 weeks or so,this will help starve the algae,and will help take care of the problem.Also 25% water changes everyother day might help too.If you don't have live plants,these will help also.The eat the same nutrients the algae does,and live plants help to starve off algae too.


If you don't cover up the window where the sunlight is coming in,or move the tank,this may always be a problem.

Answer 3

One of my tanks is algae free except in July. During the month of July, my tank receives about an hour and a half of sunlight from an East facing window. While the algae bloom (green ) is unsightly, it isn't harmful to my fish. I simply continue with my tank maintenance schedule knowing that after about 5 weeks, the tank will no longer receive the sunlight and the problem will go away.

I would strongly recommend that you do not use algae control chemicals in your tank. Many of these treatments actually deplete oxygen in your tank which can harm your fish. The "fizzing" tablets are the absolute worst in my opinion.

When my tanks are "crystal clear", it's the result of proper water changes, vacuuming the substrate/gravel, and not overfeeding.

If your water is normally very clear, and you are frustrated that it isn't now because of the algae, just relax. Once the sun is no longer hitting your tank, the water will revert back to being clear.

Your idea of "covering" the tank will work to block the sunlight, however, be careful not to block the intake of any air pumps you might have to your tank. (Honestly, I would just let deal with the temporary algae bloom)

You can scrub the decorations under tap water using a soft tooth brush. (For stubborn stains, use a paste made of baking soda and rinse very well before returning to the tank)

There is a diatom filter that can be run for a couple of hours a few days per week that will "polish" your water. These filters are difficult to find! Your best bet would be to contact an aquarium specialty store and ask if they rent them out.

If you're having trouble keeping your water clear throughout the year, you may not be changing your water enough or you could be overfeeding.

Answer 4

If the type of fish you have won't eat them, get 6 or 8 SMALL Chinese algae eaters. They should be able to keep up with the algae. Big algae eaters are lazy and quit working. I have a problem with a ray of sunlight hitting my 55 African cichlid tank. I can't use the algae eaters so I just keep the algae wiped off the glass about once a week. I like some algae on the rocks and caves I have, as it gives it a natural look.

There used to be a chemical you could add that would keep algae out and worked great,but the USDA took it off the market several years back. None of the stuff out now works worth a flip. I tried some swimming pool algicide in a 29 gallon tank I had with feeder goldfish. It worked great and didn't kill the fish. However, I've been afraid to use it on any expensive fish. You might could contact the biology department at a university and get their opinion on what commercial algicides are not toxic.

Answer 5

Reducing the amount of light will help decrease your algae bloom. Rather than move your tank, just put curtain over the window with the offending sunlight.

Check the nitrate and phosphate level in your tank. Algae LOVES those nutrients. You can reduce these levels by doing more frequent water changes and feeding less.

I recommend you scrape your tank sides and do a 10% water change every day until your algae is under control. You can add live plants that will use the same nutrients and starve off the algae. Snails can help a little as can algae eating fish like plecos, siamese algae eaters (not the chinese algae eaters - they are very aggressive), ottos, etc.

You can clean off your tank decorations by soaking them in a 10% bleach solution and then using a scrub brush to remove the dead algae. Make sure you rinse the decorations thoroughly until you can no longer smell the bleach, before adding them back into the tank. I like to soak them overnight in fresh water and add a water conditioner to it to neutralize any trace of chlorine.

So reduce the light, the nitrates, the phospates, the fish food, and increase the water changes.

Answer 6

you can get certain snails that will specialize in the type of algae that is growing in your tank OR depending on what type of fish you already have in there... get a pleco. ( they get pretty big but there are so many varieties out there to choose from.) Don't get a pleco if you have aggressive fish. They will harrass this peaceful sucker to no end. Don't get a chinese algae eater as these are usually mislabeled in pet stores and they stop eating algae as they get older and turn into more of a pest. there are lots of non chemical ways to stop the growth of algae. Even shutting the curtains as the sun passes by should help.

Answer 7

Simple. Get an algae eater aka Plecostomus. They range in price depending on the size they are in the store. Small-you can get one for around $5 to $10. I have one in my tank and the water is crystal clear. ;)

Answer 8

Clean water is the answer. Algae requires nutrients and light, all the sunlight in the world won't grow algae in water that doesn't have Nitrates and Phosphates in it. You do the math.

Answer 9

mystery or apple snails work or my plecostamous does a good job in my 90 gal other then that theres not much you can do except some sort of algae eater or blacking out the light for a week

Answer 10

Put 2 plecos, that would eat just all of the algae.