Additives and Salt » Algae Control

Algae Control

The Arch Enemy Of Aquaria

Algae is the most common problem amongst all aquarists. This pesky menace can come in all forms and colors, from green to red, coarse to slimy. To rid your tank of this nutrient-stealing pest, you must first discover the cause. There are a few reasons algae can become an over-growing mess, and the successful solution to that mess depends greatly upon the cause.

Four Causes For Excessive Algae Growth

Too much Direct Sunlight: If your tank is located near a window, chances are the light from the daytime sun is the perfect intensity for growing algae. It is best to keep tanks away from direct sunlight of any kind. Direct sunlight is too much light for your tank and will only cause excessive algae growth.

Your Lighting Period: How long do you keep your aquarium lights on? Ideally, your lights should not be on more than 8 hours a day, less if possible! Leaving your lights on all day is just an invitation for algae growth.

Improper Lighting Spectrum: How powerful are your bulbs? If you have coral or live plants, you may need stronger lighting. If you don't have either of these, you can use less lighting. Be sure you only use what you need- any extra-intense lighting will spur algae growth!
These are two natural chemicals in your water. When present in normal amounts, they are generally harmless and actually help plants grow. When nitrate and phosphate/silicate levels become higher than normal, (from overfeeding, too many fish, phosphate/nitrate in your tap water or salt mix, etc) algae will take advantage! Algae will thrive in high nitrate or phosphate/silicate levels! Keep those levels low with water changes and special filtration media. See the sections below for our assortment of media that will help battle every type of algae you may encounter.

High Nitrate or Phosphate/Silicate levels: Know your Algae! To defeat your algae problem, it is best to know exactly what you are dealing with. Some algae respond differently to various methods of removal and prevention. Once you know what you have on your hands, you can choose the most effective method to eradicate it!

Type of Algae	Description	Method of Removal
"Diatom" Algae	Occurs in fresh and saltwater. This type of algae is usually the first to appear in a new tank. It requires silicates to grow. Relatively easy to scrape off glass and rocks, this type of algae is usually of no interest to algae-eating fish.	First, scrape off all that you can. Make sure your lighting schedule is appropriate, though this type of algae doesn't need much light to grow. Second, put some silicate-removing filtration media in your filter and monitor your silicate levels. Once those levels are under control, you should be rid of the algae. In saltwater, Astrea and Trochus snails take care of diatom algae relatively well.
Green Algae	Occurs in fresh and saltwater. The most common form of algae in aquaria, green algae is actually an indicator of good water conditions! Most algae eating fish will eagerly consume this type of algae, except for the green spot algae that appears on the aquarium glass. Another form of green algae is hair algae: long, coarse strands of 'hair'-like algae that can grow and spread very quickly. While easy to remove by hand, it can grow back rapidly!	Control green algae by controlling your lighting and nitrate levels. Soak up extra nitrates with a variety of nitrate-removing filtration media. Saltwater hair algae is a bit tougher to remove than freshwater, so you may need to scrub it. As for the algae on your glass, the most effective way to remove it is with a razor blade or coarse scrub pad. (show scrub pads, pro-scraper, nitrate media, etc)
Red/Black Brush or Beard Algae	Occurs predominantly in freshwater. Tanks with higher pH or hardness tend to have the most trouble with this algae. The tiny, almost moss-like clumps are very hard to remove manually, and the only fish that will touch this algae is the true Siamese Algae Eater. The primary cause other than excess light is phosphates and silicates.	To remove this algae from ornaments/rocks, you can attempt to scrape or scrub it off, but the easiest way is to soak the item in bleach water. If it happens to grow on plant leaves (most likely Anubias) it's virtually impossible to remove, so just tear off the entire affected leaf. One last possible remedy is to treat the tank with copper medication, though use this only as a very last resort.
Slime/Blue-Green Algae/Cyanobacteria	Occurs in fresh and saltwater. As the latter name implies this "algae" is actually a bacteria growth! This usually appears as a slimy growth in a variety of colors, most often a dark red or purple. It often smothers plants and grows very quickly. It can also release toxins that may be harmful to fish!	This algae is easy to remove by hand, but grows back rapidly. Increased water circulation can sometimes keep it from growing. Nitrate levels don't influence its growth, but slime algae may be affected by higher phosphate levels, so a phosphate-removing filtration media may help. Frequent water changes are helpful, as well. The anti-bacterial erythromycin will kill cyanobacteria, but this medication can also affect biological filtration bacteria, so be sure to check your ammonia/nitrite levels after using this medicine

We carry over one hundred products to keep your tank clean. We highly recommend aquarium cleaning magnets (aka algae magnets)--they're great time saving devices.

For the harder to get at algae on the glass or acrylic an aquarium a scraper will be necessary. The Python Gravel Vacs are the industry standard for cleaning your sand/gravel.

An entire section is devoted to dealing with algae remedies. Take a look around we may carry an aquarium maintenance product you never new existed.

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Additives and Salt » Algae Control

Algae Control