Posted by Zoomania1 on August 15, 2012 at 12:36 PM under
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Algae And Fish – How To Safely Remove It
Algae are one of the most common problems in a fish tank or aquarium. If you have an aquarium and fish in them, then algae would be a problem sooner than later. Right at the onset, you must note that the problem of algae is not necessarily a catastrophe. It is only natural. There are many ways to safely remove algae and there are effective solutions as well. So, you might want to breathe a sigh of relief.
First, you have to observe what factors are triggering the growth of algae. Typically there are three contributors – more nutrients in the water, more light in the aquariums and some problems with one or more parts of the aquarium. More nutrients in the water are typically excess fish food or excess fish waste. Excess light is simple to understand and malfunctioning of certain parts such as the heater, pumps, filters or the overall pH level of the water can contribute to the growth of algae.
Now, there are two primary ways of cleaning algae. One, you can remove the fish and cleanse the aquarium or you can keep the fish and clean the algae steadily. The first solution is ideal when the problem of algae has become massive. In such a scenario, you can use the fish nets and safely remove the fish onto another small pond, tank or fish bowl. Then scrape off all the algae from the aquarium, treat the surfaces and the decorative items with clean cold water and cleaning agents that are recommendable for your fishes. This is often not recommended because it is time consuming and also an extremely extensive exercise. Unless you are a pro, this can become a daunting challenge for you.
The best way to remove algae safely and without harming your fish or the aquarium is to either use algae killers or by replacing the water and reducing the light as well as nutrients. The easiest is to use Algae killing solutions such as the API Algae Destroyer (
http://www.zoomania1.com/category/262862). You can also replace 20% of the water each day and replace it with fresh water to reduce the concentration of the algae and eventually remove all the algae effect from the tank. Reducing the light and reducing the fish food would be advisable. Less light and less fish waste would starve the algae to death.