5 Best Tips: How to Get Rid of Algae in Fish Tank

Too much Algae in Fish Tank: a common problem for aquarists

Algae are an extremely important part of the biology in our aquariums and ensure that food and material cycles function well. Even so, excessive algae growth is unsightly and the most common reason why aquarists eventually give up their hobby. You can find out how to combat algae growth here.

Algae were the first organisms on our planet that could generate energy from sunlight. It is thanks to these blue-green algae that we have an oxygen atmosphere at all.

In the course of evolution, algae have broken down into hundreds of thousands of species and are still responsible for the production of 40% of oxygen today. Interestingly, the chlorophyll in the higher plants can be traced back to the immigration or conversion of blue-green algae, so that we owe life as we know it today almost exclusively to the algae.

Algae in Fish Tank: what to do if there is strong algae growth?

• Green algae in the aquarium
• Fight algae with fish
• Fight algae with shrimp

The value of algae in biological systems

Algae bind nutrients, are an important source of food and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. They are represented in every ecosystem and have important biological tasks. In our aquariums, algae are in direct competition with the well-tended aquatic plants: a competition that can also be observed in nature.

Aquatic plants grow very well in nutrient-rich seepage springs without a lot of oxygen and with a lot of carbon dioxide. Algae grow better than aquatic plants in areas where trace elements are precipitated due to excessive oxygen levels and the carbon dioxide level is low.

5 Tips for How to Get Rid of Algae in Fish Tank

What are the most effective remedies for fighting algae? The answer is quite easy if you look at the conditions in nature. A low level of pollutants, good plant growth and controlled fish stocking make life easy for plants and difficult for algae.

Tip 1: Plant fertilization

Competition from well-growing aquatic plants is the simplest and most attractive means of keeping your aquarium as free from algae as possible. First and foremost, sufficient fertilization with carbon should be mentioned.

A CO2 system ensures that plants grow and consume nutrients that would otherwise be available to the algae. Proper plant fertilization with trace elements and nutrients, which should be adapted to the amount of light, also helps aquatic plants and thus reduces algae.

Light, fertilization and the species that are cared for have to go well together. When lots of light, slow-growing plants and lots of nutrients come together, algae always have an advantage.

Tip 2: Water maintenance to combat algae

Regular water changes of 20% of the volume every 14 days are an important component in algae prophylaxis. Pollutants are diluted and at the same time fresh trace elements are added to the water.

Tip 3: Nutrient binding

Reducing nutrients like phosphate and nitrate is also a good way to fight algae. Expensive fish food makes sense, because high-quality food is digested better and less excretions pollute the water. You can feed your aquarium algae-friendly or algae-hostile.

Filter media that absorb nitrogen and phosphate are also suitable for reducing algae growth. But it is better to stimulate plant growth. The best algae prevention: a reduced fish stock and therefore less food.

Anti-algae preparations are only recommended as a last resort, as they not only harm the algae, but almost always also the aquatic plants.

Tip 4: Illuminate properly

The lighting should not be on for more than ten hours , as the photosynthesis systems of the aquatic plants switch off or even be damaged during longer periods of exposure.

A three-hour lunch break makes sense, as it helps the plants to regenerate their photosynthetic apparatus. Light sources that are more than a year old should be replaced. In the case of two-flame lighting, please change the tubes every few weeks so that the aquatic plants can adapt better.

Tip 5: Predators

Snails, many shrimp, but also some fish like to eat algae. Recommended are the Siamese trunk bar or Amanogarnele . Shrimp eat young algae on leaves and decoration. Rasping techniques are required for cleaning the windshield, as they are e.g. B. the pit bull otocinclus, the panda algae eater or zebra racing snails.

Which algae are there in our aquariums?

Blue-green algae

Of the many thousands of algae species in freshwater, not all groups feel comfortable in our aquariums. The common blue-green algae are among the most pristine types of algae and are more bacteria than algae.

You can quickly cover furnishings with a greenish-bluish layer. In the case of an infestation with blue-green algae, a consistent dark period of five to six days with subsequent 50% water changes on three consecutive days helps.

Green algae

In terms of metabolism and structure, green algae can best be compared with the higher plants. The small, green dots on the discs and leaves of slow-growing plants are green algae.

The long, filamentous structures or cushions also belong to this group, these are thread algae. Since thread algae can unbalance the nutrient content of the water, combating thread algae is particularly important.

Red algae

Two particularly feared representatives belong to the red algae, but they can also be combated with the countermeasures listed. Bearded algae and brush algae prefer little carbon dioxide and like to grow in places with stronger currents, since the nutrient supply is apparently better here through the currents.

With a good carbon dioxide supply, the red algae store less lime (through biogenic decalcification), which makes them more palatable for algae eaters. So you can effectively fight beard algae and brush algae with sufficient CO2.

Diatoms

Diatoms cover stones, plants and decorative material with a brownish layer. The name brown alga should no longer be used. Strong competition for nutrients from fast-growing aquatic plants and rasp mouths as support effectively reduces this type of algae.

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