Some algae tips for salt-water aquariums

> Justin, I was wondering if you could help me with my saltwater tank?
>It is 30 gallons I have two Damsels in it. The problem is algae, it is so
>bad that you cant hardly see the fish. What would you reccommend that I
>do? The tank started developing algae after only a few weeks. I was told
>that algae is good to have in the tank but I want to see the fish, not a
>bunch of green stuff. Any help is appreciated. Denice

Hi,

Grab a test kit from your local aquarium shop. Sounds like too many nitrates in the water.

Also check out your filtration. Some filters (even expensive ones like I use, a wet/dry canister type from Ehiem) don't actually do a very good job when it comes to algae. They stop the waste products from harming the fish, but the algae loves it.

The reason is that the wastes break down into nitrites and then to nitrates very successfully, but nitrates are one of the main things the algae need to thrive.

A good protein skimmer will do a much better job, and is what I'd recommend if you don't already have one.

Otherwise, change the water more frequently, maybe 10% a week, or 20% every two weeks (but never any more than 20% or you change the water parameters too much).

You will probably need to do a couple of water changes before the nitrates level goes down, and of course it will creep back up over time too. Don't aim to get it at zero, but do aim to keep it relatively low to keep those algae under control.

Also, try and remove as much algae as possible from the tank rather than just brush it off the glass or rocks and back into the water. Otherwise it will break down and put more nitrates back in the water and turn into growing algae again in no time!

Another thing to watch is that you don't feed them too much or too often. I only tend to feed my fish about twice a week, and not all that much at once. Definitely don't feed them every day.

Some of my fish will actually eat the algae to some extent when they get a bit hungrier, and so they help to keep it under control too.

Hope this helps, let me know how you get on!

PS - I also have a variety of small molluscs in my tank that help by grazing on algae that forms on the rocks and glass. They also breed fairly rapidly, which is interesting; from about six starters in my tank I now have probably 25 or more, although they're hard to find as they're often hiding in amongst the rocks!

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