Algae And Fish – How To Safely Remove It

Algae And Fish – How To Safely Remove It

Algae are one of the most common problems in a fish tank or aquarium. If you have an aquarium and fish in them, then algae would be a problem sooner than later. Right at the onset, you must note that the problem of algae is not necessarily a catastrophe. It is only natural. There are many ways to safely remove algae and there are effective solutions as well. So, you might want to breathe a sigh of relief.
First, you have to observe what factors are triggering the growth of algae. Typically there are three contributors – more nutrients in the water, more light in the aquariums and some problems with one or more parts of the aquarium. More nutrients in the water are typically excess fish food or excess fish waste. Excess light is simple to understand and malfunctioning of certain parts such as the heater, pumps, filters or the overall pH level of the water can contribute to the growth of algae.
Now, there are two primary ways of cleaning algae. One, you can remove the fish and cleanse the aquarium or you can keep the fish and clean the algae steadily. The first solution is ideal when the problem of algae has become massive. In such a scenario, you can use the fish nets and safely remove the fish onto another small pond, tank or fish bowl. Then scrape off all the algae from the aquarium, treat the surfaces and the decorative items with clean cold water and cleaning agents that are recommendable for your fishes. This is often not recommended because it is time consuming and also an extremely extensive exercise. Unless you are a pro, this can become a daunting challenge for you.
The best way to remove algae safely and without harming your fish or the aquarium is to either use algae killers or by replacing the water and reducing the light as well as nutrients. The easiest is to use Algae killing solutions such as the API Algae Destroyer (http://www.zoomania1.com/category/262862). You can also replace 20% of the water each day and replace it with fresh water to reduce the concentration of the algae and eventually remove all the algae effect from the tank. Reducing the light and reducing the fish food would be advisable. Less light and less fish waste would starve the algae to death.

Posted by Zoomania1 on August 15, 2012 at 12:36 PM under

• 7 comments

Sylvia.Pat on November 9, 2012 at 11:51 AM said:

I am facing the problem of green algae in my aquariumj. It's a 25 gl tank and although the problem is not really excessive, I have white rocks placed and it looks ugly. I think that my problem is because of water high phosphate levels. Do you think that the product you are suggesting is suitable for my case? Thanks
Scott on November 9, 2012 at 2:27 PM said:

Hi yes API will work great in your situation make sure to clean the rocks before applying the solution this way the the hard to get algae will get the full solution of the API. Make sure that the tank is not near a window or too much light something is causing the algae to bloom.
Sylvia.Pat on November 12, 2012 at 5:02 PM said:

Ok, I' ll try this product and I'l do as you say. Thanks for the time and advices
Hermes on November 13, 2012 at 8:00 AM said:

I would like to know how this worked for you. I have the same problem and I also notice little white strands on many areas on the aquarium glass which reappear within a day of being scrubbed away. My tap water is fine and the nitrate levels in the tank are ok too. I got my phosphates tested but they were really high. What I did for now was to reduce the light time to 8 hours, a 80% water change using a gravel vac and finally, I purchased phosphate filter material and put it behind my filter. I 'll wait and see how it works.
firefly on November 13, 2012 at 3:11 PM said:

Both food and fish waste may result in high phosphate levels. Large water changes should be done frequently, along with the vacuum most of the days. And of course as already mentioned, the light reduction could help a lot. Otherwise, you could also use an outside algae scrubber, or an in tank unit. The last one, along with some water changes halped me solve my problem
bluebird on November 14, 2012 at 9:32 AM said:

I agree with the algae scrubber and phosphate remover idea and I would also advise you to check on your plants, if you have any. I also had algae problems and I took care of it by frequent water changes and proper plants. I think that you should take a look on low light plants
Hermes on November 14, 2012 at 10:10 AM said:

There are useful tips. If the problem remains, I will try those out too. Thank you both firefly and bluebird.

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