What's the *BEST* way to get rid of algae?

[reberly]

We're having an orangeish algae growth starting to cover some of our tank decorations and now it is showing up on the front of the tank as well. AA, I come to you. In your collective experience, what is the best way for us to dispatch of this stuff? It looks alright on the roman columns but the spots on the tank are ugly. I can't get a pleco yet, tank's not done cycling. Still have nitrites. TIA!

Ryan

 

[justDIY]

I deal with algae mostly by growing plants ... get enough plants and they out-compete the algae for nutriants.

I also have a few otos and a pleco that clean the plants and sometimes the glass.

there is still "green spot" algae which grows on the glass, nothing gets it except a plastic scouring pad or a razor blade.

your algae might die off naturally once your tank cycles and the food source for the algae is diminished.

getting something like a dwarf pleco or bristlenose catfish wouldn't be a bad idea, once your cycle is complete ... don't get a common pleco unless you've got a very large tank for it to grow into (that was my mistake, now I have two monsters)

 

[afFISHionado]

I can offer my experience on a product that worked very well for me. I had a brownish algae that was smothering my Myriophyllum Scabratums. I tried physically removing to no avail. Then I went to my LFS and found a product called AlgaeFix. It is safe for both fish and live plants. After removing the carbon from my filter cartidge and 3 doses of AlgaFix™ over a period of 9 days the algae was completely gone! I know some people aren't into using chemicals but my fish and plants were not affected by the treatment whatsoever. Two of my fish are Ottocinclus Affinis - notoriusly sensitive to water conditions due to their small size and even they prospered as usual throughout the duration of the treatment.

 

[tkos]

I would save chemicals as a last resort. The fewer you use the better in the long run, for fish and tank.

The unfortuanate thing is that there will always be a little algea in tanks. We generally have to live with that. Anything on the glass can be easily cleaned using some sort of scraper.

Also glmclell is right that once the cycle is complete things should be better.

 

[Guest]

The first algae to normally appear in a tank is brown diatom algae, could look kinda orange. it will usually go away in a week or two, hopefully not to be replaced by some other kind. As for the glass, get used to scraping that clean yourself, it just comes with the territory.

If anyone knows a fool-proof way to get rid of any and all algae outbreaks, please tell me! Algae is the single biggest pain in the butt I have in this hobby.

 

[lashilia]

Boil accesories to kill algae. If the boil is hot enough, the algae dies and either the fish pick it off or it gets cycled through. I once killed a whole colony of beneficial algae like this, so I guess I learned the hard way But who knows? maybe it'll work with the bad stuff, too.

Best of luck...
lashilia

ps Those furry-nose plecos are a barrel of fun. Rapheals don't get too big either, and they bark.

 

[littlelouie]

Can you use the scrapers on acrylic? I imagine it would scratch the preverbial (sp?) out of it.

I have scrubbed what I can off but the darker green stuff seems like it's on for good :x

 

[reberly]

Yea, we used a scrubber and got it all of the glass. Gonna have to boil the decorations I think. The fish are starting to nibble it off the stuff in the tank. Thanks for all the suggestions... we're gonna get a dwarf pleco in a few weeks when the tank finishes cycling.

Ryan

 

[tkos]

Make sure to get a nice piece of driftwood for the pleco as well. They really love to nibble at that.

 

[Biggen]

an you use the scrapers on acrylic

Yeah you can use the algae scraper pads on acrylic. Use it on mine once a week. Jungle makes a great scraper for this. Just can't use a razor blade on it. That will scratch it to pieces.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Some types of algae can be controlled with water changes. Nitrates are good for plants; unfortunately, they're also great for algae. Frequent water changes keep the nitrate levels in check and will put a serious dent in the amount of algae in an aquarium.

 

[purplestarfish]

I know I've already said this elsewhere, but this method is cheap and effective. Just take a woolen or other thick blanket and place it over the tank, making sure that the tank's completely covered and the blanket is secure. Leave it there for 72 hours and remove. The algae should be all gone or mostly gone. If the latter is the case, then simply wait 72 hours and repeat the process. As long as you've fed your fish before this, they'll be fine - only a tad hungry! I had a serious green water problem inherited with the tank (I bought it from someone else who was moving) and this cured it in a jiffy. Works wonders! I'm guessing it'll work for other algaes, but fortunately, I haven't had to test that theory yet . . .

 

[littlelouie]

Algae scraper by "Jungle"...got it
Thanks Biggen