What causes fish tank algae and how can you get rid of it for free?
I have some black alage on my artificial plants and on the glass of my tank. It's a 20 gallon tank with 13 fish, one of which is an algae eater. How can I get rid of the algae without harming the fish or buying anything?
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Elbow grease. It’s free!
You can either use a razor blade (flat side of course) to scrape it off the glass, or you can use a sponge (only one that comes from the pet store though, do not use a dish sponge).
As for the plants, a quick soak in a 10% bleach solution will get rid of the algae. Be sure to rinse well afterwards and allow to completely dry before putting them back in the tank.
what kind of fish are they? it’s possible you have to many in a tank that small. and the algae is already present plant matter in the water and it grows inside the tank. so, to get rid of it, you’d have to scrub your tank REALLY well OR buy yourself some snails. as long as the tank isnt saltwater, you could buy one or two and they would eat the algae off the surfaces in the tank. hope that helps.
I don’t think there are options that do not include "harming the fish or buying" but anyway….
If the aquarium does not have enough light it will have brown algae, if it has too much light it will be green (or dark green).
My suggestion is to buy another algae eater seems like there is more than one fish can handle.
green algae is a plant that lives like any other plant… off water, light, and fertilizer. All three of these are present in your tank. There is a bilogical process in your tank called the nitrogen cycle. Waste in your tank in broken down by bacteria into a nitrite, a nitrogen based substance that is harmless in low doses. Nitrate is plant food and when you mix it with light and water algae will grow. Too much plant food and light and you will get a lot of algae. If you perform regular (and relativly FREE) water changes to keep your nitrate levels in check and make sure that your tank is not in direct sunlight you will have minimal algae regardless of any algae eating pets in your tank. A little elbow greese and some water changes and you simply won’t have an algae problem. If you already do, start with weekly 30% water changes using a gravel siphon and scrub algae spots that you see. Over time the algae problem will reduce without the use of algacide chemicals.
Brown algae is not true algae, it is a diatom and most "algae eaters" won’t touch the stuff. Brown algae is a red flag that there is something wrong with your water quality. take a water sample to the local pet store and have it tested. They should inform you of any issues. However, they will tell you many chemicals to use to treat it. Resist. The only thing you need is tap water conditioner to remove chlorine. Again, weekly 30% water changes will fix this problem.
Cyanobacteria is blue-green algae and a pain in the tuckuss to get rid of. It will blanket your tank without fully attatching to the rocks and decorations. Often times you will get rid of it and it will be back full force by the next day. If this is the case then you have too many phosphates in your tank. Again, water changes. However, this time I would use something called phos-x. It will remove the phosphate from the water and is harmless to your tank inhabitants. This will help get rid of the cyanobacteria but it will take time.
Good luck and happy fish keeping. Also, google the nitrogen cycle and do a little reading. Fish keeping makes more sense when you fully understand this process.
Algae normally develops due to excess light and sunlight. The only way to get rid of it for free is to use "elbow-grease", meaning doing it by hand. Scrape the algae with a razor, and the plants, scrub them as well. For a 20 gallon tank, your tank is over-stocked, could be a possibility as well with the algae. Get rid of some fish…the pleco should go first…they get too big for a 20 gallon. People think that an algae eater is the cure for this problem, when it isn’t, yes an algae eater does eat the algae, but that isn’t the only thing it eats…if it’s full it wont eat the algae on the tank. They will eat flake food as well when you go to feed your other fish. Research your other fish and determine if they are going to out-grow your tank.
Black beard algae grows in high light situations, and most algae eaters wont touch it.
Remove it manually with a scraper or brush and reduce the amount of light your tank is getting. If you dont have live plants the tank doesn’t need bright lighting at all.
A lower level of light may change the type of algae to a greeen or brown (diatoms), but algae eating fish and snails prefer those types and will help control them.
Ian