Getting Rid Of Aquarium Algae
One of the most annoying things about keeping an aquarium is the algae that builds up inside. Depending on the lighting conditions in your room, this could be a constant battle that atkes all the fun out of this wonderful hobby.However, aquarium algae is not all bad, it helps provide oxygen into the water and might even help filter but too much of a anything is never good and if your tank is looking rather green it might be time to start cleaning.
You can buy a special algae scrubbing pad in the fish store that will help remove this from the sides of your tank and the decorations in the tank. Never use a household scrubbing pad or sponge as this may contain chemicals which can harm your fetish. If you have an acrylic tank, be sure to use a scrubbing pad made specifically for acrylic as other pads could scratch your aquarium. when you are scrubbing the algae from the sides of the tank you’ll notice that a lot of It will accumulate now in the water in your tank will be even greater than before. Be sure to leave your mechanical filter running and after few hours you’ll see that most of the algae has been filtered out of the water. You might want to take this time to change the pads in your filter system.
Of course, the best way to get rid of aquarium algae is to make sure it doesn’t build up in the first place. Algae needs sunlight to grow so keeping your tank away from windows and out of the sun will help cut down on the algae buildup. Put your aquarium lighting on a timer so as to be sure there is not too much light during the day.
Many people don’t realize that overfeeding your fish can lead to excess algae growth in the aquarium. You see, the food that is not eaten by the fish days in the water and this provides vital nutrients that the algae needs to grow and thrive in. It’s never a good idea to overfeed your fish anyway as the excess food can rot and cause bad water quality that is harmful to your fish.
Along those same lines, having to many fish in the tank can also encourage algae growth as the excess waste provides nutrients that the algae needs to grow. Instead of putting too many fish why not try adding a few plants as this can discourage algae growth. In addition, you might try adding in some scavengers such as snails or crabs that will lead to excess food that has dropped to the bottom.
Perhaps the best way to get rid of aquarium algae is to get a Chinese algae eater. These little fish might not look like much in the pet store but you will be completely amazed at the amount of algae this little guy can scrape off your tank. Put one in, and when you wake up the next day you’ll think someone came over and clean the tank out for you! Be careful, however, as they can grow quite large and might end up taking over your whole tank!