What Do I Do?!

[caitisemmig]

I currently have a 20 gallon, hand me down tank, and I completely scrubbed it down before I put it to use. I do normal cleanings and water changes but somehow there is green algae forming in the sealant in the corners of the tank. I try not to scratch at it so hard because I do not want the tank to leak. I need help! What can I do to prevent this???

 

[Chaydell]

What does you stock look like?  What kind of lighting do you have and how often do you leave it on?  Algae often forms when they is an abundance of nutrients in the water and/or too much light.  Some fish will eat algae such as sucker mouth catfish.  Live plants will also compete with algae for the nutrients.  You may be over feeding, which is a fairly common cause of excess nutrients in the water.  I would probably start by decreasing how much you feed.  A common rule of thumb that I have heard often is that your fish only need a small amount of food the size of one eye to fill them up.  They only need this amount once a day.  There are various theories about the "right amount" of food to give but this is the one I use.  Also remember that fish can go days or weeks with no food.  They will come to the glass and beg for food but that doesn't mean they need it.  If cutting your feeding amount doesn't seem to help you may consider adding another plant or algae eating fidh to help you keep it clean.  Before you do that I would caution you to thoroughly research whatever you decide to add as each may present unique requirements or may even be inappropriate for your tank.

 

[caitisemmig]

That right there is probably my problem. I was always told to feed them two times a day. I usually turn my light on when I wake up and turn it off when I go to bed but lately I'll keep it off in the morning until I get home from work and leave it on for a few hours when there isn't enough sunlight to see inside. So I should only feed a tiny amount once a day? And as of right now I have no live plants, I tried and it didn't do well. I don't know why but I'm hoping I can find out more on this site.

 

[Chaydell]

Is your tank near a window?
 
Feeding twice a day would be fine if you decrease the amount you give your fish to total no more than what I said in my earlier post. 

 

[BerryAttack]

i feed my fish 3 times a well, this allows the fish to clean their digestive system and then they have less waste produced. IMO i find that fish shouldn't be fed everyday because then the maintenance and waste is greater.
feeding fish only 3 times a week won't hurt them, but allows them to not have digestive issues.. well at least lessening the chance
also tanks should be by a window, algae will grow because of excess light. algae won't hurt your tank, but should get out of control. i have algae in probably the same areas of you tank, but really don't care because i have live plants and they usually cover it.
 
if it is really bothering you then limit the amount of nutrients in the tank.. i.e. fish food. clean the tank around 50% water change with treated water.. while scrubbing the algae, if it doesn't come off don't worry about it. and start depriving the algae of food... so you can get snails from the pet store that are hitch hikers on plants.. ask the workers to grab you some if it is ok.. should be if you buy a fish or something and boom, they'll eat off the left over food

 

[hobby5]

If it is underneath the sealant you can do nothing about it except live with it. However, you could cover it from the outside with black tape, so you will not see it. Without light the algae will stop growing, but mostlikely will return as soon as the tape is removed.

 

[Chaydell]

Berry, you are right about the snails but wouldn't they reproduce uncontrollably if over feeding was an issue?  Or were you saying to do that if she was feeding 3 times a day?  You also said that tanks should be by the window, I am assuming you meant shouldn't be.  I'm not trying to be the grammar police but that may be confusing to the OP.
 
Caiti, if you want to try your hand at live plants again I would encourage it.  There are lots of plants out there that don't have major light/care requirements that still look nice in the aquarium.  I started with all fake plants and am currently working my way up to a low-med light low tech fully planted tank.  I have had my share of plant issues but through researching and asking questions on this sight and others I have learned a lot.  Now my live plants look great. 

 

[caitisemmig]

Thanks everyone for all of the encouragement and yes my tank is by a window. That's what I've been using as a light recently instead of turning the hood light on. I m going to try live plants again because I think they look so much better then the silly little plastic thing I have in there now.