Whats The Best Way To Remove Algae?

[danotto]

Hi my fluval edge tank has a lot of dark green algae on the plants and stones etc i do 25% water change once a week and dont overfeed the fish,is this a case of having the lights on too long and the lights and usually on for about 12 hours a day. and whats the best way to keep algae out of the tank cheers dan

 

[Westwood]

Maby get a small algae eater?

 

[danotto]

what is the smallest algae eater i could get as my tank is at full capacity really i have two corys but they dont bother with the plant algae

 

[Biulu]

12 Hours a day is too much. Aim for about 7 - 8 hours. I have mine on from 1 pm to 9 pm, so I can enjoy my tank while at home. The best algae eaters in my opinion are the otocinclus. These fish get to be around 4 - 5 cm and like to be in groups. How big is your tank?

 

[danotto]

ok ill cut the hours down on the lighting the tank is only 25ltrs and i already have 1xgourami 6xneons 2xplatys 2xcorys so pretty stocked

 

[Biulu]

Add some more cories,they like to be in groups too. Your tank will be able to handle it as they are the only bottom level fish.

 

[danotto]

Really ? ive been told i have too many as it is as fish per inch works out 6xneons,6inchs dwarf, gourami 3inches, 2x corys 4inches , 2x platys 4inches. oh and i forgot i have 2x ghost shrimp

 

[Biulu]

You have plants which provide hiding space and take up a lot of nutrients from the fishes' waste. The 1 inch/gallon is only a rough guide. Many of us here overstock with plants, a good filter and with tanks reaching maturity.

 

[mattlee]

a fluval edge is no place for 1xgourami 6xneons 2xplatys 2xcorys. the neons may be ok but the others will get too big or need more room due to their high activity levels. fluval edge tanks are nice looking tanks but arent really very practical for fishkeeping unless you want to keep micro fish, shrimps etc. fish need space just as we do.

 

[Katty]

Corydoras won't touch algae at all, unless its in fish food wafer form. I don't think it's too wise though to go dumping in more cories right now though, your tank sounds maxed out at the moment.

An olive nerite snail would be the only algae eater I think that would fit comfortably in there, but they lay eggs that don't hatch on things so the eggs might be annoying to you.

Adding another fish, even if it eats algae, is adding more waste to the tank and therefor nutrients for the algae. The best option I think would be to remove the algae by hand, with a good algae sponge, new toothbrushes, and your fingers. If you have real plants, some algae can be rubbed off the plants with your fingers, and if they are fake you can take the plants out and scrub them in old tank water with a new toothbrush. If there's algae on the gravel, turning the gravel around while gravel vacuuming can often dislodge it, or you can scrape off the top layer and clean it off in some old tank water.

Leaving the lights on for a shorter period should help too.

 

[chilli-spice]

sorry, but i agree with mattlee.
you were right to say you didn't think you should add more fish
hope you didnt get too excited thinking you could get more
for the algae, you could add something like moss balls. they compete for the same nutrients as algae and sometimes they can help with the problem

i also see another small issue with your stocking - cory need to be kept in groups of 6 or more, they need a group to feel safe.

 

[danotto]

ok cheers for the advice the 2 corys seem happy but i get what your saying about safety in numbers as the neons are always together where as the corys are rarely with each other

 

[fluffycabbage]

dont add more fish just to try and solve a problem you can overcome just by lessening the hours the light is on what plants do you have? live plants, good filtration, not too much light, not overfeeding = no algae