Control Algae Growth in Aquarium | How to Stop Algae:

Many aquarists like the look of algae in fish tank & they try to grow them. Algae can give a greenish look to your aquarium which looks fantastic. Algae creates problem when it is growing out of control. Also it can cover the plants & stop aquarium light from reaching them which can cause death of plants. Algae does not directly affect your fish or plants but indirectly it can cause problems. If everything in your aquarium is balanced & healthy, then you can expect the growth of algae. Make sure it never grows out of control & do not allow sun light to directly hit your aquarium water because you will see algae spike. Also use a timer for aquarium lights & make sure you do not leave it on for more than 12 hours. Remove algae manually if it grows.

There are a variety of algae that grows in your aquarium & it is impossible to protect your aquarium from its growth. However, you can reduce its growth by using a number of methods. For every algae type, you need to apply a different method to stop its growth. Algae can hide the beautiful look of your tank by covering the tank glass.

Many fish eats algae & it is one of the important source of food for the fish. It is a good thing if it grows in control. My advice is to let it grow but when it grows abruptly, then control algae growth in your aquarium. Algae gives a natural appearance to your aquarium.

For a healthy aquarium, make sure everything is in control. Anything going out of control can affect your fish & plants. Regular water changes is a good way to reduce levels of nitrates in aquarium. Fish poop release ammonia which starts polluting your aquarium water. Good bacteria growing in the aquarium can help in transforming ammonia into nitrites & nitrites into nitrates which can be removed with regular water changes. Another way to reduce nitrates spike is to add live plants to your aquarium which absorb ammonia, nitrites & nitrates, that act as fertilizers for the plants. Higher level of toxic chemicals can help in better growth of the plant because they have more nutrient.

In this article I have provided multiple steps to help treat algae in aquarium:


Test your aquarium water if algae is growing too fast:

To reduce growth of algae in fish tank, make sure you regularly test your aquarium water, & also the quality of your tap water before replacing tank water with tap water. If you find that algae is growing abruptly in your fish tank, then first test your tap water. If you find that the levels of nitrate, iron or phosphate is high, then make sure you reduce their numbers before adding them to your fish tank.

 

Battle phosphate to prevent algae from growing too fast in fish tank:

One of the common source of phosphate is tap water & leftover food in aquarium. Test your tank water, & make sure that fish consume everything that you offer them. Leftover food sinks down to aquarium substrate & start polluting water. If you find high levels of phosphate in aquarium, then either use a reverse osmosis unit or a tap water filter. Also other ways to control phosphate levels in aquarium is using commercial phosphate removers or a combination Carbon-Phosphate Remover.

 

Better Filtration can stop algae growth:

High growth of algae is due to too much dissolved nutrients, nitrate & iron which are produced because of too many fish, leftover food, polluted tap water, & if you are not changing water on time. To reduce nutrients in water, it is suggested to use carbon which will lower dissolved organics & metals, & will lower growth of algae. If you find hair algae in fish tank, then this is a persistent problem & it needs to be resolved using advanced methods.

If you select the right filter media, then it can help reduce phosphate in aquarium. You can use poly filter which helps filter your tank water, & pre-filter can be used for the filtration of tap water. Both of them can be used to wipe out phosphate, iron & other metals. They can alter color to show when they are wiping out the contaminants from water.

 

Better maintenance of water can help prevent algae growth:

Regular water changes is very important to remove nutrients which help in growth of algae in fish tank. Change 1 / 4 of water every week to lower extra organics in water. If you are adding tap water to aquarium, then first de chlorinate water which removes chlorine. If you have excess of algae nutrients, then pre filter water to remove it. To reduce excess organic matter from water, avoid adding a new fish if it has too much algae, & only offer food to the fish that they can eat within 2 minutes.

Use liquid algae controls for example AlgaeFix which is safe & good for tank water. When you resolve the main problem of algae growth, then it can be used for cleaning of your tank water & stop new growth of algae.

 

Add algae eater fish to wipe out algae from fish tank:

If you add algae eating fish to your fish tank, then it can eat the algae that grows in fish tank. Also algae eaters look beautiful & can eat the leftover food too which help in growth of algae & ammonia. You will like your new mates (fish) & they will like their food (algae). One of the best algae eater is Plecos but many freshwater fish eats algae too.

 

Changing Aquarium Light Setting can fix problem of algae growth:

If you find that algae is growing too quick in fish tank, then your tank lights could be too bright, even though sun light is not directly reaching your aquarium water. Lower your tank lighting if too much algae is growing in your aquarium.

Growth of algae is based on light & nutrients, & it is very important to run your lights for shorter time period. We know that some algae types grow well as light intensity is lowered.

 

Scrub algae manually to reduce its amount:

The good & easy method of removing algae is by scrubbing it away using algae mitt. Use of the magnetic algae scrapper can avoid your hands from getting wet & you can easily remove it by scrubbing your tank glass from the outside. Use of siphoning or filtration can wipe out extra algae. Algae will return if you remove it manually but it can help in reducing its amount & later you can try other methods of wiping out algae.

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