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What fish should I get next for my tropical fish tank?

I have algae taking over in my tropical fish tank what can i do to get rid of it?

  • I have had my tank for 3 years and i have about 20 fish one being a golden algae eater and 7 pandacorys yet my tank is covered in green furry algae which is growing on the glass filter ornaments and the plants. I have loads of snails which im trying to get rid of but the only way i can even try and get rid of it is by taking the ornaments out and scrubbing them but it just grows back. my light is not on for more than 8 hours what can i do please help.

  • Answer:

    You might want to make sure that your tank is not getting sunlight any time during the day. If the tank is overcrowded (no idea - what size tank, what fish?) then the waste from the fish is making it a nutrient rich environment, ripe for algae growth. Sounds like you may need to increase water changes and substrate vacuuming. Watch the feeding carefully. Algae is like any plant, it needs light and nutrients to grow. Deprive it of one or the other, and it will die. Depriving it of nutrients in a stocked tank is pretty near impossible. Live plants will outcompete the algae for nutrients, but that would be more of a preventative than a clean-up. Depriving the algae of light is simple enough. All you have to do is leave the lights off for several days and cover the tank completely so not even room light gets in. Don;t even open it to feed - the fish will be fine. *BUT* keep in mind - as algae dies off it will decompose and you risk an ammonia spike if there is too much of it dying off. It is very important that you first remove as much of the algae as you can by mechanical means, do a partial water change, then blackout, and when you uncover the tank again either test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, or just cut to the chase and do another partial water change if you have no test kit. Adding any kind of aquatic life form to clean up the algae will not only fail to solve the problem, it will make it worse - more fish = more fish poop = more nutrients for algae to feed on.

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Other answers

water changes and add live plants, reduce the amount of food you are feeding the fish.this way you use up the food the algea needs

Tio

i agree with the other answers but if that don't help there are many products you can put in the water that will stop the growth i bought a bottle of "Algae Destroyer" http://www.animalworldnetwork.com/algaedestroyer.html 4 oz. bottle cost me about $4 at walmart (the only place open at the time) and it treats 1,200 u.s. gallons (4536 L) says to add drops every 3 days till it's controlled but i used it in my 10 gallon fry tank with live plants and i only had to use 1 dose. but it will harm freshwater crustaceans(shrimp,crabs and lobsters).

FloppySauce

get an algae eater they clean it very well and are fun to watch! but get more than one tho.

Sunny Bunny

you should buy a pleco or catfish or snail they all eat algae

Zuke

Algae is directly related to light. Unless you have live plants that absolutely require the light on 8 hrs a day then turn it off. Fish do not need the light to be on. To get rid of it now you need to put the tank in total darkness. Throw a dark blanket over it for 3 or 4 days and it should finish off a lot of it. Algae eaters only eat small amounts of algae and don't eat it at all as they get older. **

Mokey41

Mike I wish you had a bigger tank, then I could suggest L137, (Violet Plec), it only eats greens and you would be supplementing it after a week, because your algae would be gone and your plants on the way. It's new to the hobby, this year, the oldsters don't know about it yet :0) Down side is it grows to 14" in the wild. As you haven't got a bigger tank :0( Dan V is spot on :0)

Marcus

TOO MUCH LIGHT makes algae grow. Here's the answer: 1- remove fish to a temporary tank. 2- GET RID of the snails. 3- Wash/Soak everything with a water/chlorine bleach solution. I mean EVERYTHING. If your tank is near a window you should move it away from the window. If it's in a very bright room then do not put on the tank light except at night for awhile. That will solve your problem.

Robert A

get a algae eater (can live with your other fish) You can get plecs or snail f'rom pet store/aqautic centre Trust me, algae eaters do a good job. dont get 2, unless you want thousands of algae eaters or a dead algae eater. (they can attack eachother)

Etak Eidlog

water tests and changes are important. check the temperature you are running the tank at. plenty of live plants. Is the tank near to direct sunlight at any part of the day? be careful regarding the amount and type of food you put in. good luck

Porse

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