How Do I Stop It !

[samxx]

how can i stop algdle growing in my tank
i have not got a plec in there
but any other ways to stop it growing
it looks really bad & with white pebbles you can see it more than ever

 

[BOD]

Theres a few ways you can stop alage

1)Frequent water changes to keep nitrates down which is what they feed off

2) reducing how much lighting the tank recieves. no more than 10-12 hours a day. edit - oh and also stop as much direct sunlight getting to your tank as possible.

3) Some people say they work, and other say they dont, you can buy moss balls, they out compete the algae for the nutrients in the water therefore stopping alage growth

4) you can buy solutions from pet shops and lfs which stop alage growth ive had most succes with a product called eSHa anti algae treatment.

also planted tanks tend have less algae problems.

 

[Jules H-T]

Nice reply, covered every angle there.

Just to add to it, 8 hours of light is sufficient. Also I've personally found mossballs useless for algae control and you're fishing floating bits out for months!

 

[blitztidus]

Yep, all is covered there. The main problem I have seen with my own tanks is direct sunlight. That is always my first priority to change. If not that then change lighting down a few hours a day and then anything else mentioned

 

[freddyk]

Most people tend to keep their tanks in a place where there's enough ambient light for the fish. Get a timer and just program the aquarium lights to go on according to your own work/school schedule, that way you come home to a lit tank and only need to keep the lights on a few hours per day. As long as you don't have live plants of course. Also make sure you are not overfeeding and the tank is not overstocked.

 

[Fat Boy]

Best thing I've found for fighting the dreaded algea is a Bristlnose catfish ( for some reason females seem better for me ! )

Just 1 can clear a 3ft tank cover in the green stuff in a couple of days, they're Grrrrreat.

 

[dwarfgourami]

It depends on what kind of algae you've got. Some are particularly common when a tank is new and tends to get less as it matures. Some (like brown algae) are not even caused by too much light, but tend to be associated with insufficient levels of light (such as you might encounter in a Juwel tank). Overfeeding is a common factor.

Different fish eat different algae. For brown algae, I have found livebearers do quite a good job.

As for thread algae, amano shrimps are really good, and their bioload is very light, so are easier to fit in than plecs.