Algae: The Silent Invaders
As much as I hate to shatter any fishy fantasies, you know that beautiful, clean look your new fish tank has? Well, enjoy it while you can, because your tank will soon have new inhabitants, ones that you didn’t purposely invite in: algae.
What are algae?
Algae are simple plants that usually do not look very pretty. While they do not look terribly awesome, in moderate amounts, most algae shouldn’t harm your tank or the fish in it. In fact, the right kinds of algae with the right kinds of fish can actually be a good thing.
Typical Types of Algae
“Brown algae” (diatoms)
- Often the first algae that will appear in a new tank
- Shows up within 2-12 weeks because the water has not stabilized yet
- Remove by adding more light to the tank or by scrubbing it off
This is the algae we are currently battling. At first our tank was sparkling clean, but as time went on, our brown algae invaders crept onto the walls and plants. We eventually found that stronger lighting and less frequent water changes (we moved from once a week to twice a week) not only helped our water to stabilize, but also reduced the brown algae invaders.
Green algae – green dot algae
- Occurs in most tanks with sufficient lighting
- Fought with less lighting
- Remove with a razor blade (for glass tank) or plastic (for both glass and acrylic tanks)
This annoying specimen can’t be eaten by algae-eating fish, leaving two options for removal: scrape it off or lower your lighting. Or both. Really whatever suits your fancy.
Green algae – Hair algae
- Occurs in most tanks with sufficient lighting
- Forms around the base of slower-growing plants, gravel and bogwood
- Remove with toothbrush or algae-eating fish
Remember how Ariel combs spins her hair around in the fork to try to brush it in the Little Mermaid? That’s the same type of idea you want to keep in mind when using a toothbrush to remove hair algae since you need to spin the toothbrush into the algae to pull it out efficiently – unless of course, you use algae-eating fish to control the problem for you. Many aquarium owners find the hair algae to actually be a good food supplement for their fish.
Red/ Brush Algae
- Forms more commonly in hard water
- Remains difficult to remove
- Grows on slow-growing plant leaves
There is only one type of algae-eating fish known to actually eat red algae: the Siamese Algae Eater. The red algae isn’t necessarily red in color; there are many varieties. In fact, “black” beard algae is really just a form of red algae.
Algae-eating fish
Some of the more popular algae-eating fish include:
- Bristlenose Pleco
- Siamese Algae Eaters
- Otocinclus Catfish
- Cory Cats: While these adorable catfish (seriously, they are the only cute catfish in existence, which is half the reason they made this list)
don’t actually eat algae, they do help remove waste food at the bottom of the tank, keeping the tank cleaner and less algae-friendly.
Remember that fish aren’t the only algae-eaters out there; several types of snails and shrimp will also do the job.
Sources: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm and http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_freshwater_algae.php
What are algae?
Algae are simple plants that usually do not look very pretty. While they do not look terribly awesome, in moderate amounts, most algae shouldn’t harm your tank or the fish in it. In fact, the right kinds of algae with the right kinds of fish can actually be a good thing.
Typical Types of Algae
“Brown algae” (diatoms)
- Often the first algae that will appear in a new tank
- Shows up within 2-12 weeks because the water has not stabilized yet
- Remove by adding more light to the tank or by scrubbing it off
This is the algae we are currently battling. At first our tank was sparkling clean, but as time went on, our brown algae invaders crept onto the walls and plants. We eventually found that stronger lighting and less frequent water changes (we moved from once a week to twice a week) not only helped our water to stabilize, but also reduced the brown algae invaders.
Green algae – green dot algae
- Occurs in most tanks with sufficient lighting
- Fought with less lighting
- Remove with a razor blade (for glass tank) or plastic (for both glass and acrylic tanks)
This annoying specimen can’t be eaten by algae-eating fish, leaving two options for removal: scrape it off or lower your lighting. Or both. Really whatever suits your fancy.
Green algae – Hair algae
- Occurs in most tanks with sufficient lighting
- Forms around the base of slower-growing plants, gravel and bogwood
- Remove with toothbrush or algae-eating fish
Remember how Ariel combs spins her hair around in the fork to try to brush it in the Little Mermaid? That’s the same type of idea you want to keep in mind when using a toothbrush to remove hair algae since you need to spin the toothbrush into the algae to pull it out efficiently – unless of course, you use algae-eating fish to control the problem for you. Many aquarium owners find the hair algae to actually be a good food supplement for their fish.
Red/ Brush Algae
- Forms more commonly in hard water
- Remains difficult to remove
- Grows on slow-growing plant leaves
There is only one type of algae-eating fish known to actually eat red algae: the Siamese Algae Eater. The red algae isn’t necessarily red in color; there are many varieties. In fact, “black” beard algae is really just a form of red algae.
Algae-eating fish
Some of the more popular algae-eating fish include:
- Bristlenose Pleco
- Siamese Algae Eaters
- Otocinclus Catfish
- Cory Cats: While these adorable catfish (seriously, they are the only cute catfish in existence, which is half the reason they made this list)
don’t actually eat algae, they do help remove waste food at the bottom of the tank, keeping the tank cleaner and less algae-friendly.
Remember that fish aren’t the only algae-eaters out there; several types of snails and shrimp will also do the job.
Sources: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm and http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_freshwater_algae.php