Green algae issue

[jokuharn]

Hi,

I'm a complete newbie in freshwater and having a green algae issue in my 14g BioCube, it has just one goldfish, I can't seem to clean up the green algae even after changing the water way more than usual (75%). I cleaned & changed the water regularly every week and replaced the filter every 3 weeks.
I placed the aquarium next to a window, could that be the cause?
Please give advices.

Thank you.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Having it near a window could be playing a big part. If you can, move the tank or keep the blinds closed. How long are the lights on your tank for each day? Try cutting it back to 6-7 hours a day. Also what are the lights? You can do a complete black out of the tank for a few days to see if it helps. Place a blanket or towel over the tank and leave the lights off.
On a side note, changing filter media can throw your tank into a mini cycle causing spikes in ammonia and nitrite. It's not very good for your Goldie. Instead keep the media and swish it in a bucket of tank water when it gets clogged. That way the cycle is preserved keeping your fish happy and healthy. When he gets bigger he's going to need a larger tank too.
Oh and welcome btw!

 

[RussellC]

I agree with Mumma.of.two -- when it comes to algae, they rely on two things, light and nutrients. Blacking out the tank short-term and limiting the amount of light it's exposed to long-term will go a long way to solving this issue.

On the nutrient side of things, algae feed of nitrates, the natural end product of the aquarium nitrogen cycle.

Do you measure your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels regularly? If you don't, in my opinion, this is the singularly most important thing anyone can do to ensure that their fish stay healthy and happy. Many pet stores will test a sample of your water for free, though I advise getting a test kit in case you need to do a test when it's too inconvenient to drive to the pet store or in case it's after hours.

If you were to post those results in a question here, the community could tell you if nitrates are contributing to the problem, and also identify any other issues that may be affecting the health of your goldie, and most important, the steps you can take to correct any that might be present.

Good luck!

 

[jokuharn]

Thank you for the advices! I will apply them and let you guys know the result.