![]() We have found this one-two punch strategy quite effective at greatly reducing algae to unnoticeable amounts. Since you will always have some imbalance between lighting and nutrients, the goal is to get your aquarium as close to being balanced as possible, and then use an algae-eating crew to fill in the rest of the gap. How Do I Get Rid of Algae in My Fish Tank? To make matters worse, achieving a perfectly balanced tank is nearly impossible because even if you balance everything today, your plants will continuously grow or you will prune them, thus changing the amount of nutrients and lighting they need. If you provide a lot of nutrients but not enough light (which regulates how fast plants can utilize the nutrients), then algae will take advantage of the extra nutrients. If you give them too much light and not enough nutrients as building blocks to grow, the algae will take advantage of the excess light and multiply. This simple statement can be a little difficult to unpack, but basically, your plants need just the right amount of lighting and nutrients for optimal growth. Why Does My Fish Tank Have So Much Algae?Īlgae is caused by an imbalance of nutrients and lighting in your aquarium. In the same way, we want to learn how to appropriately control algae so that you can’t see it and the tank looks like practically spotless. If you mow the lawn, then it will appear as if you have no weeds. ![]() Now let’s suppose your not-as-nice lawn has five dandelion weeds that have grown to one foot tall. Even they will get the occasional weed (like algae in an aquascape) that must be dealt with. Imagine you have a neighbor with a well-groomed lawn of grass. The reality is that there is no such thing as a perfect planted aquarium that is 100% free of algae. ![]() However, most people don’t like their appearance, especially in planted tanks, since it blocks the scenery and viewing area in a fish tank. Plus, certain algae can look attractive and make an aquarium seem more natural. Unlike plants, algae are a less complex lifeform and therefore can survive in “worse” conditions than plants, meaning they can absorb more wavelengths of light and consume different compounds that plants can’t use.Īlgae is actually a good thing for your aquarium’s ecosystem because many fish and invertebrates like to eat it and it helps clean the water as a form of filtration. That means they also produce oxygen during the daytime and consume it at night. Like plants, they use photosynthesis to convert light and organic nutrients in the water (such as fish waste) into new algae growth. Is Algae Bad for a Fish Tank?Ĭontrary to popular belief, algae are not evil. Do you dream of having a beautiful aquarium but end up constantly fighting to keep algae at bay? It’s a familiar struggle that many of us have been through, so in this article, let’s get a better understanding of the root causes of algae, the most common types found in freshwater aquariums, and how to gain the upper hand. ![]()
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