# Can you ever completely get rid of algae?



## swbernstel (Jul 10, 2012)

As the title states, I am wondering if you can ever get completely rid of algae. There was a big bloom while I was on vacation while my tank was cycling. Tonight, along with two other nights this week, I will get in there for between 45 minutes and an hour cleaning up bits of nasty looking plants, scraping algae of the sides, using a toothbrush, I'll scrub algae off of airlines and suction cups, etc. 

Obviously, when I scrub it off, it creates a little cloud in the water that slowly dissipates, but by the time I'm done, the whole tank is cloudy. Also, plant and algae bits (especially the black and brown hair algae, man I hate that stuff) will be floating around so I will use a net to scoop as much of that out as I can.

While the stock in my tank is so low, the fish are easily able to get out of the way, and I feel like I'm terrorizing them (you'd freak out too if I giant hand lifted off your roof and starting rearranging everything). However, I feel that as I build my stock up, cleaning it this way won't be as much of an option. I'm just wondering that once I get my lighting, plant/fish ratio, and ferts balanced, will this become less of an issue. I see all these gorgeous tanks on here that don't have a single spot of algae (as far as I can tell). And I'm not as ignorant to think that I just need some algae eaters, no worries. 

Testing tonight yielded a pH of 7.0 (maybe slightly under that), 0ppm ites, and maybe 2ppm ates. However I need to do the ites/ates again b/c I accidentally added an extra drop of indicator.

Thanks for looking and I hope someone can instill some solace that this will not be as big of an issue later on with the right steps.

~Sam


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I hope not. Some algae is a sign of life in a tank. if things get out of whack, then you get problems, but algae is life. Take it away completely and you have a dead tank.
I keep it under control with 30% water changes, 12 hours of light maximum, light feeding and light stocking. I have live plants competing with it. It may calm as your tank cycles and settles in. I hope so.


----------



## swbernstel (Jul 10, 2012)

Thanks. I'm really starting to feel I rushed it a bit. But, you live and learn


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

From that pic, you look normal. Algae control and light control are synonymous. If you're not close to a lot of direct natural light just take your light timing down to about 6hrs. Leave it like that for about 2wks. Slowly increase a week at a time until you just start to get the algae again. Once you do, go back to your previous setting. Better to go 2wks in between and do 1hr increments.


----------



## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

The best Algae control is natural. Mollies, Plecos, Otos and Mystery Snails feed heavily on the stuff, You can also keep Algae growth low by frequent water changes and frequent changes in filter material (removes Nitrates needed for Algae growth). Growing plants also will consume Nitrates. Make sure you don't oveer-feed as the decomposition of fish food will generate more Nitrates.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

There are a lot of things that can help. I always caution recommendations to add fauna to help you support algae control. Especially if the tank is smaller or near capacity. You can get all the algae eating critters you want in your tank, but they only work, or help I should say, if you are having very, very small amounts of algae appear.

Control of nitrates is good for long-term fish health, but IMO not all that related to control of algae. If you are working to keep that where it should be for the fish, which is 40-60ppm max before your weekly water change, then you are also doing about all you can to help control algae.

I have routinely kept my nitrates at 80-100ppm week in, week out, dosing nitrates to a hi-tech tank and have never had much algae to speak of. Plants do not compete with algae for nutrients. They use the same nutrients, but to say it is a competition is a little off - as some will say. The fact is, algae needs so very little of those nutrients being a single-celled organism that even if you had undetectable nitrates it is likely that algae would still have enough to survive or thrive in some cases, but the plants may not. Your plants will never consume the nutrients to a point that algae can't get what it needs....this is why they don't really compete.

To test that theory you can take a bare tank, fill it with distilled water (completely mineral deplete), leave the light for for 3-4 days straight and it will have algae on the glass.

But, turn your light off and it stops it dead in its tracks. It can't go anywhere without it.


----------



## swbernstel (Jul 10, 2012)

As you know, I do have plants in the tank. The hornwort is growing at a ridiculous rate and the onions are not only growing taller, but propagating at the bottom too. I've cut the lighting back to a total of 7hrs/day (0630-0730 and 1700-2300). I did this so that the tank is on for the majority of the time that I'm home and that it's also on when i feed them. 

I guess if I'm not seeing any nitrates, then my tank hasn't fully cycled?

Concerning feeding, I do small pinches until the Tetras stop eating. They are the only active feeders in the tank. At that point, I may still see a few pieces floating in the tank and those usually settle for the corys. Do I need to cut back to 1 feeding per day for a little while? Also, do I need a sinking food pellet specifically for the corys or is the scrap flake food enough for them at the moment?

Thanks,

~Sam


----------



## Aeten (Aug 4, 2012)

I got a baby bristlenose pleco and 100% algae was gone in about half an hour after putting it in the tank, though I didn't have much to start with.


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Feeding is a contributing factor. I feed lightly once a day, six days a week, unless I am growing young fish or intentioanally fattening up fish for breeding (twice a day, some days for them).
The fishfood containers all say twice or more per day, but taking that route seems to lead to obese fish with considerably shorter lives. And to algae.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

swbernstel said:


> I guess if I'm not seeing any nitrates, then my tank hasn't fully cycled?


It is possible to get very low or zero reading and still be cycled as long as you have plants. However, personally I would be skeptical of it since the tank is not mature. If your stock is low and ammonia and nitrites sit at zero, as long as you go slow in adding fish it won't matter really when the tank is planted. When you add fish, wait a day or two and test for ammonia and nitrites. If both remain at zero, then you're okay.


----------



## swbernstel (Jul 10, 2012)

Aeten said:


> I got a baby bristlenose pleco and 100% algae was gone in about half an hour after putting it in the tank, though I didn't have much to start with.


I'm having more trouble with hair algae than surface algae. Will those guys eat hair algae? 



navigator black said:


> Feeding is a contributing factor. I feed lightly once a day, six days a week, unless I am growing young fish or intentioanally fattening up fish for breeding (twice a day, some days for them).
> The fishfood containers all say twice or more per day, but taking that route seems to lead to obese fish with considerably shorter lives. And to algae.


I guess I'll be changing my feeding habits. With the Corys being bottom feeders, will they eat plant bits and what not? Or only food stuffs?




jrman83 said:


> It is possible to get very low or zero reading and still be cycled as long as you have plants. However, personally I would be skeptical of it since the tank is not mature. If your stock is low and ammonia and nitrites sit at zero, as long as you go slow in adding fish it won't matter really when the tank is planted. When you add fish, wait a day or two and test for ammonia and nitrites. If both remain at zero, then you're okay.


Sweet. I wait at least a week between adding new tank mates. And of course, I keep testing periodically because I'm paranoid as hell.


----------



## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello Sam...

Algae isn't a bad thing. It's the sign of a healthy tank and a good supplement to your fishes' diet.

But, you can be rid of any visible forms of algae. I got rid of the visible form of this plant by purely natural means. I don't use industrial carbon chemicals or anything like that. 

I can only tell you what I have in my tanks: I keep large numbers of Ramshorn snails, I have heavily planted tanks that include plants requiring a lot of nutrients, like Anacharis and Pennywort. I also emerse the roots of land plants like Aglaonema modestum, Philodendron and Pothos. The roots require large amounts of dissolved nitrogen to grow well. I feed the fish just a little a couple of times a week.

Anyway, in a tank with a lot of plants and a limited food source, there are no extra nutrients floating around the water for a primitive plant like algae to grow well.

B


----------

