Algae Control

If you have set up your tank with the perfect plant growing environment then you have also set it up with the perfect algae growing environment.

Algae, are after all simple plants so it makes sense that algae will grow well in your tank.

All plants need a balance of things to grow healthily and they are light, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.  Well your aquarium is presumably well lit, your fish, with the help of nitrifying bacteria are pumping lots of nitrates into the system to provide the nitrogen, Phosphate is also generated naturally in sufficient quantities to maintain good plant growth, all you need to add is Potassium occasionally and your plants will thrive……….and so will the algae.

Algae control is about balance.  What you are trying to do is get the water quality that encourages the plants to take up as much of the nutrients as possible effectively starving algae of the nutrients that they need.  Fortunately there is a definite differential between ideal algae growing conditions and ideal plant growing conditions so with proper testing and water quality control you can maintain algae levels at an acceptable level.

If you then add algae eaters to this you can get it to a level that any aquarium keeper would be happy with.  Just remember that if your plants are growing healthily and need regular pruning then they are removing nitrates from the water and making it difficult for algae to grow.

Here are a few basic tips for keeping algae levels down in your tank.

• Adding potassium on a regular monthly basis will encourage plant growth.  This is the element that is naturally in short supply in the tank. If your plants grow they are removing nitrate.
• Your regular maintenance water changes will help reduce nitrate levels.  Don’t overdo it on water changes as this can be as bad.
• Ensure that the fish are not overstocked and that you are not overfeeding.  Don’t feed the fish more than they can eat in a couple of minutes.
• Using fast growing plants especially when the tank is first set up is a useful way of controlling nitrate levels.
• Good gardening practices are useful, trimming plants and removing any dead or dying leaves.
• Using a fertiliser in your substrate will encourage root growth and help the plants to grow without adding any fertiliser to the water.
• Added Carbon Dioxide will stimulate plant growth
• Use Algae Eaters to clean up the tank.  You’ll need a selection to cover all bases though.

Follow the basic rules and you will be a long way towards keeping algae levels at a decent level.  Remember if things suddenly change and you start getting more algae then something in the water has changed so test everything and try to put the water quality back to where it was.

And finally read up on everything that you can on this subject!