Water Changes And Algae

[cwa]

When you do water changes, do you remove the fish or leave them be? I'm about to do a 25% water change and I have to remove plants and decorations to scrub algae. This leaves my few fish vulnerable. Wondering if it would be too stressful if I take them out while I do this? Also, still having a major issue with brown algae. I have a pleco in the tank who is having a great time eating (yes I have algae wafers for him when I remove the algae), but it is multiplying daily. The fish store checked my water and the only thing that was off was the PH. Any suggestions about what to do to prevent the nasty looking stuff? I have a 16g tank, 3 fish, good filter and aeration, temps are around 76, lights are on about 12 hours a day.

 

[CezzaXV]

You shouldn't need to remove fish to do a water change. You also shouldn't need to scrub algae off all the time like that.

The first thing I'd suggest is cutting down the lighting. 12 hours is way too much. I can't tell from your display pic, are your plants plastic or real? If they're real you only need to have the lights on when you want to see your fish - they have little benefit otherwise. If your plants are real then you can still afford to cut down the lighting - 8 hours is generally considered a healthy maximum. This will help with your algae problem.

 

[mattyeatsmatts]

12 hours....wow

My brown algae is just clearing up now after my cycle. I know that when cycling the brown algae was everywhere, seems to be clearing off now though

(Get some real plants)

 

[Cazgar]

As Cezza says, no need to remove the fish when you do water changes.
When you replace the water, make sure it's at almost the same temperature, doesn't have to be exact, use your finger to test.
Cut your lighting time to 6/7 hours.
Normal daylight is fine for most tanks if they haven't got plants that need a lot of light.
Is your tank near a widow that gets a lot of sun? That could make your algae problem worse

 

[cwa]

My tank has been running for 2 months now. My plants are all plastic and I turn on the lights when I wake up and feed and turn them off when I go to bed. I read that algae grows in low light conditions so I thought the more light, the better. But the algae doubles every day it seems. I have to scrub decorations every week or so. And can real plants be put in gravel?

And my tank is near a window, but the blinds are down all the time. Not much sun this time of year anyway.

 

[cwa]

Let's see if I can get a picture to load so you can see all the algae. It is ugly and I don't want to see it. I also like the light on so I can see my fish and tank all day.

 

[eggo]

more light equals more algae, if you only have plastic plants only have the lights on when you want to view your fish, if you work only have the lights on when you arrive home then turn off when you go to bed

 

[gforce17]

Well you can't have it all ways with due respect. Nature does what it does and too much light will grow algae. Sorry.

 

[cwa]

ok, thanks. I will keep the lights off more often. Does temperature effect it? And would live plants help keep algae down and can the be put in gravel?

 

[Cazgar]

Some plants will do fine in gravel.
You could also have java ferns or anubias which don't need to be planted, just attached to wood or rocks.
Really the only way to cut down on the algae is to cut down the hours you have your lights on

 

[cwa]

Just goes to show how there is bad information out there. I read on a couple of fish websites that said algae grows in low light conditions. I will keep the lights off more now that I know differently. My living room doesn't have a main light and is pretty dark even in the middle of the day. I use floor lamps. Would a floor lamp above and behind the tank cause algae? It would allow me to see my tank better.

 

[CezzaXV]

All light will cause algae.

I'd recommend getting a few live plants if you really want to keep your lights on. They will thrive in the light and will use up some of the nutrients in the water that the algae is using to grow.

 

[big_sw2000]

Get a timer switch on your lights, can set them to come on and off as and when.
Look on ebay and buy a plant, Water Wisteria is an easy to grow plant, that will use all the nutriants that algae uses.

Steve

 

[cwa]

Update: Keeping the lights off more often and letting the pleco do his thing has reduced the algae growth. Thanks everyone! But this makes me wonder one thing. How can pet stores have lights on from open to close and still have nice, sparkling clean tanks?

 

[gforce17]

I've seen the staff in my local scrubbing at the glass regularly.