Green Algae in Fish Tank

It is natural to see algae present in fish tank. The algal growth mostly contains bright green, yellow-brown or red algae. Most of the species, including the green algae, are harmless to the life of fish, particularly when present in small amounts. A little growth of green algae in the fish tank may even be pleasing to the eyes. However, its overgrowth may make the fish tank water appear green and cloudy. This is definitely not pleasant to look at. In fact, the green cloudy fish tank water indicates its ignorance or poor maintenance. Therefore, it is very important that you take some measures to get green algae off your fish tank and provide fish a cleaner place to live in.

You can remove green algae more effectively if you know what causes its growth in an ecosystem like fish tank. Keep reading to collect useful information on the causative factors and removal methods of green algae. Implement the knowledge in maintaining the population of green algae in fish tank at home. Read on algae growth and green algae facts.

Causes of Overgrowth of Green Algae
There are several factors which may lead to the growth of green algae in a fish tank. The foremost is that your fish tank is overstuffed with nutrients. This may happen when you either provide too much nutrients to the fish or you do not change the fish tank water as often as required. It might be the case that you may be doing both, and thus promoting the overstocking of nutrients in the fish tank water. The presence of nutrients, which the fish refuses to consume, is available to the already present green algae. As a result, green algae is flourishing and making the water look green and cloudy.

The second prominent factor which can lead to the overgrowth of green algae is the direct exposure of the fish tank to sunlight. Even other sources of light, when received for too long hours, can promote the overgrowth of green algae. Last but not the least, absence of algae eating fish and aquatic plants can result in overgrowth of dark or bright green algae in fish tank. The algae eating fish feed on green algae and keep their growth under check. Some of the examples of such fish are Otocinctus cats, Siamese algae eater and Plecostomus or Plecos. The aquatic plants use up the nutrients present in the water. In this way, the algae almost starve and never over grow. These are some of the reasons behind the excessive growth of green algae in fish tanks.

Ways to Get Rid of Green Algae
You need to take some steps to free your fish tank from green algae. A point worth mentioning here is that it is impossible to completely remove green algae from a water body containing fish. Moreover, it is not required as a small amount of green algae is needed to oxygenate the water. Green algae does it by photosynthesis. This helps making oxygen available to the fish present in your fish tank. The presence of blue green algae in fish tanks indicates lack of oxygen. You can control the growth of green algae in fish tank by following the given measures.

Change the water of the fish tank regularly. You need not change the entire water but only 15-20%. Replace the removed water by clean water. Doing it once a week is recommendable. Removing water also removes nitrates and phosphates, which contribute to the growth of green algae, from the fish tank. Scrub the sides of the fish tank with a scraper or sponge, the edge of a razor blade, or a squeegee. Scrub before you change the water. This will help you remove the green algae floating freely in the tank along with the dirty water. Click here to learn how to clean a fish tank.

Keep the fish tank in a place where direct sunlight is not available. The availability of sunlight even for a short interval of time or on a part of the fish tank can contribute to excessive growth of green algae. Do not over stuff the fish tank with nutrients. Feed the fish once a day. Make sure that the food is consumed by all the fish within a couple of minutes. Provide filter maintenance whenever needed. It includes cleaning gravels and changing cartridges. And last but not the least, keep the population of fish in fish tank under control. More than required number of fish would contribute to increased nitrate and phosphate levels in the fish tank. This, in turn, will result in increased maintenance, poor health of fish and excessive growth of different types of algae including green algae.

You may feel interested to read on:

• Aquarium Algae Control
• How to Control Pond Algae

Now, you know what causes excessive growth of bright or dark green algae in fish tank. You also know about some of the surefooted methods of removing green algae from your fish tank. Make effective use of this knowledge to maintain a balance of life in your fish tank.