Algae Is A Pain

[solmartin]

Ok, for the last month, I've been fighting algae like crazy. It appears in two spots quite frequently. One is about front-center of the tank on the glass. The other is the heater/biolife filter thing. It's a pain there. I clean the filters, I scrub all the time, but it just keeps showing up. Any advice?

Another question posed, is because i use the biolife filter, how often should i replace the bio core and hex nodes?

Thanks,
S.

 

[ste2k3]

are the bio core and hex nodes the only biological filter? if so once a year will do and only change a few at a time. have your water tested for phosphate as this is normally the cause of prolific algae.

 

[solmartin]

I'll test for phosphate, but I have a friend who just told me that there typically isn't phosphate in city water.

 

[ste2k3]

well its good if theres no or little phosphate in your water, because you won't be adding it when you do a water change but phosphate can be generated in the tank.

 

[Sea_Monster87]

Get a chinese algae eater they're peaceful, fun to watch, and they eat algae like you wouldn't believe. I had a lot of algae in my tank, and the algae eater really helped get rid of it. And unlike Plecos, they don't make a big mess of your tank.

 

[Alien_spawn]

My pleccy makes a mess (which i have to clear up after him) and doesn't eat much algae