Algae Problem ....

[Linsay]

I moved my tank nearer to a window and now I am plagued with algae. I have a bristle nose pleco, but unless he is really active at night, I never see him budge from the "castle". I have live plants so chemical algae controllers won't work for me. Any suggestions except for moving my tank away from the window??
Thanks,
Linda

 

[TCTFish]

Diffuse as much light as possible. Does the sunlight hit directly onto the tank? If it does, you should move the tank...whether you want to or not is a different issue. Moving a tank whatever the distance is can be an all day affair...lol. Direct sunlight can change the temps of the water. The light though does not need to be direct to create almost uncontrollable algae. Algae eaters can only keep up with so much. Also, different algae eaters sometimes focus more on certain types of algae that may or may not be provided naturally at all times.

Phos-X by Hagen is a good, safe product to help with algae control. It's a filter bag of medium that absorbs nitrite, nitrate, and phosphates. The light control is up to you. You could tint the window or cover the area the light hits the tank with a piece of background.

How big is the tank?

 

[RoK]

How big is the tank?

Says 20 gal in profile.

 

[NJFishman]

One of the first tips I got is do not place a tank near or directly in front of a window. The sun is giving you the algae. I used to have my first fish tank next to my window and I had crazy algae problems, months went by before I bought a book on aquariums and the one of the first tips was exactly that because algae bloom booms would be the effect.

 

[Linsay]

Yup only a 20 although I refuse to post my fish count as I may get flamed over my abuse of the one inch per gallon ration I cant help myself -- I just go by the pet store and see a new beauty and...... I have dreams of a much larger tank, but am thinking to wait and make it a Christmas present next year. I also have to find a location for it. My boys, 8 and 5) have caught the bug and have a 10 and 5 gallon respectively. I am going to try to cover the end of the tank closest to the window and see if that helps (it is perpendicular to the window). Thanks for the advice!