Dirty Sand, or Algae?

[bettasalltheway23]

Hey everyone, Ive been having to clean the sand about every 2 weeks (siphon it out, rinse it) I was wondering why it gets dirty so quick, about 2 weeks after I clean it, it turns a sickly brown color. I read online that it could be brown algae, so I shut off the light about 2 hours early each night, but I notice no big difference. I was also wondering if it is the bio load that may be causing it, but most of the fish I have don't have a very big bio-load. Is there any way to stop the algae? and if it's the bio-load, what do you recommend I do? Thank you everyone for your time!

 

[dragonfisher33]

i've had this before when i had sand as well. you need to stir up the sand periodically to prevent the build up of anaerobic bacteria. it's toxic to the fish as well. uneaten food, once trapped by sand, decomposes and provide food for algae growth. sand needs to be cleaned every other day, not week. because of this, i switched back to gravel.