Algae In My Betta's Tank

[ChaseTheBetta]

The past few days I've noticed a large increase in the algae in my betta's tank. It has been very hot and humid lately (very abnormal for this time of year where I live). I'm guessing the heat and humidity is to blame.

The tank is a 2 gallon tank, and is due for a partial water change. I have never had algae growth before and I've had the tank and betta for almost a year. The algae is all over the sides of the tank, the rocks, the aeration tube, the fake plants, and the little goldfish statue that's in there.

I'm going to Petsmart tomorrow to buy a scrubber for the sides of the tank, but I was wondering how to go about cleaning the gravel rocks at the bottom. I'm guessing normal vacuum filtration won't get rid of the algae, or will it? I hate to have to take the gravel out and wash it and destroy all the good bacteria that's growing. I'll take the plants and statue out to clean them with water, I've had to do that before because they were coated in fish food. (my betta had been puking up his food, that problem is gone now).

Any advice?

 

[HODDY]

get a snail.though your betta might have a full tummy.

 

[SoCalMom]

Try 2 or 3 ghost shrimp. They will eat the uneaten food that falls on the gravel. It helps keep the tank clean

Or, like Hoddy said, snails will help eat the algae. Careful though, your betta might eat the ghost shrimp or the snail lol

 

[liz2]

funny one of mine has been really bad with algae, I had to scrub everything in it ..apart from the betta that is.

 

[SoCalMom]

funny one of mine has been really bad with algae, I had to scrub everything in it ..apart from the betta that is.

Awwww, come on. Bettas love a good scrubbing every now and then

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

I've heard mixed reviews about the snails and shrimp. Some sites say that the snails produce a lot of waste and grow to be really big, this tank is only 2 gallons. I'm going to see if I can take care of the algae with scrubbing and more frequent partial water changes and if that doesn't help, I might try the ghost shrimp.

 

[jess6905]

it all depends on what kind of snain you get cause iv herd ofsome that dont get too big, but to my understanding they can put out alot of waste.

 

[SoCalMom]

The ghost shrimp will eat the snails feces. At least, my GS eat my bettas feces

Actually, now that I think of it, just stick to the ghost shrimp, snails can be a pain

 

[joycould]

If you are looking for a small snail malaysian trumpet snail are great their shells are so hard the betta can't make them all a snack. I have a few but seldom see them, they live in the substrate, live bearing, and stay small. I can't keep pond snails in with my bettas they become a toy and then dinner. Mystery snails get to big for a tank that size and produce a lot of waste. You can help prevent algae by decreasing the light and increase live plants. My bettas look at shrimp as something to hunt.

 

[lljdma06]

What does the algae look like? There are many types. There are several types that coat the decorations, glass, and substrates like you mention. The first are diatoms, which are a brownish color and come off with only a little effort. The other type is BGA (Blue green algae). BGA is a cyano-bacteria. It is a very dark green, nearly black in color and coats everything like a slime. It is very easy to remove and a tank infested with it will have a peculiar odor.

Where is your tank located? You mentioned an increase in temperature. Remember, as the seasons progress, we tend to get more lighting in a room, whether a tank is near a window or not. This could trigger an algae bloom. An increase in temperature also can trigger algae, as can excess waste from the fish.

My recommendation is to do a thorough cleaning of the tank. Something to consider, however, is planting your tank. It is reallly very easy to keep and maintain a planted aquarium. You can create a lovely environment for your fish without the trouble of addition CO2, ferts, or expensive lighting, as long as you know what species will do well with your setup. If you've got gravel, really all you would need is a 13W CF desklamp (the u-shaped type, not the spiral), and you can easily grow crypts, java fern, mosses, Anacharis and a few other stemplants. It is virtually hassle free and if you plant densly, you will all but eliminate most algae problems.

llj

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

The algae is green and kind of fuzzy on the plants. It's green and kind of stringy on the walls of the aquarium. The tank is in the same room as a large window, but we've had the blinds shut on that window for a while in order to keep it cool. But there has definitely been an increase of temperature in the room.

I'll try a thorough cleaning first, and if that doesn't help with the algae, I'll learn more about the snails, ghost shrimp, and live plants and consider adding some of those.

 

[joycould]

It sounds like hair algae, which Florida Flag Fish eat, which probably isn't an option in your tank. Amano shrimp which could be an option but if your betta is like one of mine he will wait until it molts and move in for dinner. I don't know if my other ones would but I am not going to do that again. The only other thing you can do is take it down and bleach everything then RINSE RINSE AND RINSE SOME MORE. If you had live plants but there is a product called excel by seachem I use in my bowls and tanks it increases CO2 killing the algae and making the plants grow. Don't over dose with it, some plants do melt with it . If you decide on the plants get floating plants that grow fast, and don't require a lot of light. Java moss, hornwort, duckweed, java fern, pennywort, frogbit and red rooted floaters are all good and none really are planted.

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

So, I should just clean the entire tank with bleach and start over? What about the cycling and stuff? After I get it all clean and set up again, should I let it cycle a few days and leave the betta in a bowl until it's cycled? Or should I just put the betta back in right after it's all clean?

The tank has an undergravel filter, not a regular filter, so is it even an aquarium that you can do cycling with?

 

[joycould]

With an UGF you don't have any filter median so you will need to try to save something in the tank that doesn't have a lot of algae on it so the good bacteria will have a jump start. Make sure you keep what ever it is wet with conditioned water. The betta can stay in a bowl for a few days while your tank is cycling. Use very diluted bleach water to clean everything and really rinse everything, let it air drive and rinse again with conditioned water that has at least double strength.

 

[lljdma06]

Since you have an Under gravel filter, live plants are not your best option. The UGF inhibits root growth in stemplants and rootfeeders. You might be able to grow anubias, mosses, and java fern, which attach to rocks and wood, and floating plants, but the growth may not be fast enough to combat the algae.