Possible algee

[Lana10]

Good morning everyone!

I hope you are all safe and well.

so suddenly over the last month my fish tank has been getting green in the sides of the tank. I remove it but it keeps coming back. I believe it is algee (not sure how to spell it) but unsure as to why it’s suddenly appeared after having the tank with fish in it for the last 4/5 months.

please may someone advise.

I have tested the water and all the levels are as they should be.
Apologies I don’t have a photo

 

[AbbeysDad]

Algae is just a low form of plant life and is beneficial in an aquarium....well, to a point. It is the result of excess nutrients in the water under light. When you first start a tank, the water is very pure. But in time, nutrients (aka pollution) builds up from fish food and fish/plant waste. Unless there is sufficient competition from plants, algae will appear and in some cases take over a tank. Typically if you increase the volume/frequency of partial water changes to keep nutirents lower and/or reduce the intensity/duration of lighting, algae will remain under control.

 

[Lana10]

That’s great Thankyou! I don’t actually have any real plants in the tank. Would it be worth getting a real plant?

 

[Irishman05]

Good morning everyone!

I hope you are all safe and well.

so suddenly over the last month my fish tank has been getting green in the sides of the tank. I remove it but it keeps coming back. I believe it is algee (not sure how to spell it) but unsure as to why it’s suddenly appeared after having the tank with fish in it for the last 4/5 months.

please may someone advise.

I have tested the water and all the levels are as they should be.
Apologies I don’t have a photo

Can you get a picture? It would definitely help

 

[AbbeysDad]

That’s great Thankyou! I don’t actually have any real plants in the tank. Would it be worth getting a real plant?

ABSOLUTELY! Plants, especially fast growing floating plants, use nutrients (aka pollution) to grow. So they convert nutrients into plant tissue we eventually remove with trimmings. In the process they help purify the water (see The Very Best Aquarium Filter).
Now some plants require more light than the average aquarium light setup. But the beauty of floating plants is that in general, they tend to grow well under nearly any lighting because of the proximity...
You might also be interested in Mulm, Algae, and Snails, oh my and/or The Newer Hobbyist Primer.

 

[Irishman05]

That’s great Thankyou! I don’t actually have any real plants in the tank. Would it be worth getting a real plant?

Yes, they're amazing, and if algae can grow, so can hardier plants. Depending on your water conditions and light levels, you can have various plants. Anubias is often good, since it doesn't require substrate, grows best in dimmer areas and is hardy to water and attempted munching.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Anubias is often good, since it doesn't require substrate, grows best in dimmer areas and is hardy to water and attempted munching.

Just a heads up that Anubias, like java fern, and java moss are very slow growers and will do little for water purification.