Algae

[Kerri Gronow]

I bought an algae eater a couple of weeks ago but the algae isnt really disappearing! should i get an algae scraper but then my algae eater has nothing to eat!
So wat should i do to to cut down the algae in my tank???

I have my lights on all day and turn them off at nite maybe if i cut down the light it will help?

Thank u...

 

[iffles]

what kind of algae eater? and if i were you i would cut down on the lights- as you suggested . Are there any plants in there? Plants often help cut down algae growth- they take all the nutrients that the algae would usually use to grow.

I have some algae on the sides of my tank-very annoying i know! They just keep growing back!

 

[shane87]

yep what algae eater did you get, i bought a small plec and hes cleaned up my tank with in a few days....the tank usually is covered in a load of poop from him but pros and cons for everything

 

[waterdrop]

Light + Ammonia = Algae. Simple lamp timers are used by many, many aquarists to control the number of hours of light that are applied to a tank. Many aquarists start off with about 4 hours of light per day and gradually increase it to 6, then 8, then maybe more if algae has not appeared. So, controlling the amount of light is one important factor. The ammonia that can stimulate algae is not ammonia in the quantities that our test kits measure but instead is down at the tiny levels that are constantly working their way through our tanks from the waste sources to the ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the filter. There can be small still pockets where there is little water movement, allowing the ammonia there to be slightly more concentrated and encouraging a bit of algae growth at that spot. The edges of the substrate next to the glass are a good example. Typically this is one of the most persistant places where people will find a bit of algae and its caused by lack of water movement in those corners. So good circulation and water movement are a positive factor is lowering the likelihood of algae.

Once you actually have alge then the way that you combat it depends strongly on the actual type you have. You can look in Aaron's "back to basics" article in the planted section for a link to James' web page with pictures and descriptions to help in identification of the various common types. That's the first step in working on getting rid of it. Two very obvious actions in fighting algae can be to always scrape and sponge all your glass and decoration surfaces at each weekly tank maintenance session before removing water. Also, higher percentage water changes will remove more loosened algae and algae spores (but if you don't have CO2 then the larger percentage water changes can also cause more fluctuation in CO2, which will encourage BBA (black brush algae)) ...anyway, hope this helps you get started.

~~waterdrop~~
edit: typos

 

[Rooster]

"Algae eaters" do NOT clear algae ! You could have 100 in there, and STILL have an "algae problem"
Yes, they eat it - but theres simply too much for them to remove it all...

They will graze anywhere - doesnt need to be the glass, so YES clean the glass.

 

[aaronnorth]

"Algae eaters" do NOT clear algae ! You could have 100 in there, and STILL have an "algae problem"
Yes, they eat it - but theres simply too much for them to remove it all...

They will graze anywhere - doesnt need to be the glass, so YES clean the glass.

true, and also just because it is labelled as an algae eater doesnt mean it eats every type of algae!

 

[drobbyb]

Try inturrupting your photo period. I have mine on a timer, and there is a 2 hour "break" in the middle of my light cycle. I still illuminate the tank for 8 hours, but with a 2 hour break in the middle my algae problem has all but gone away.

Someone suggested it to me on these forums, and it worked in my case.