Monthly Archives: October 2011
How To Control Hair Algae In Fish Tanks
This article is a follow up from a previous post entitled “Get Rid Of Snails In Fish Tank Naturally“.
Who can deny what a nuisance is hair algae in fish tanks. If environmental conditions are right to it, hair algae can grow extremely fast to a point that it will overrun the aquarium. And to make matters worst, no matter how hard you scrub them off, it will grow back. So the most important aspect of controlling hair algae in fish tanks is not to fight the effect but to try as much as you can to eliminate the cause.
Control Hair Algae In Fish Tanks
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Hair algae is tough, tough enough to grow on virtually any surface. But although it is unsightly, hair algae like any other plant does provide some benefits to the aquatic life. It does oxygenate the water and there are fish that feed on the algae. So if you want to get rid of hair algae, do it as a gradual process or it might affect the fish. On the other end of the scale, having too much algae is bad to the fish too.
So how do you properly control hair algae in fish tanks? Here are some of the main factors for you to work on.
Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Proper Water Management
Controlling the level of nitrates in your aquarium is very important in controlling hair algae on fish tanks. Hair algae thrives on high levels of nitrates and suddenly changes in the level will cause algae blooms. As long as these levels remain high, they will keep growing back no matter how much you remove them. The key here is to not overfeed your fish and remove any excess food. Another thing you might want to try is using live food. As long as the feed is not dead and rotting, it would not raise nitrate levels.
Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Increase The Algae’s Competition
As long as hair algae is the sole consumer of all that yummy nitrate, it will thrive. Add in some plants and they will compete with the algae for food and eventually starve it out of your aquarium.
Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: Animals That Eat Algae
There are a number of aquatic animals that love eating algae. These include Scarlet Hermits and Tangs to name a few. But don’t just go out and buy some immediately. Speak to the specialist at the fish shop and explain about your situation and your aquarium specifications, especially its size and what fish tank filters you are using. He would be able to provide a better suggestion on the most suitable creature that you should get for your situation.
Hair Algae In Fish Tanks: The Amount Of Light
Algae is a plant and like all plants, it thrives in places that gets a lot of sunlight. Moving your aquarium to a less bright area of your home will hinder the growth of hair algae in fish tanks.
These are some of the main ways to control hair algae in fish tanks.
Get Rid Of Snails In Fish Tank Naturally
This article is a follow up to a previous post entitled “Clearing Cloudy Water In A Marine Aquarium“.
While snails in fish tank don’t really harm the fish, they do tend to nibble on the aquatic plants in your aquarium. Having too many snails in fish tank will definitely cause your plants to look tattered and unsightly. The problem with snails in fish tank is that they tend to breed really fast if left uncontrolled. There are numerous ways to get rid of them from chemical treatments to gadgets but as a personal preference, I’ve always preferred a more natural way in combating any of my aquarium problems.
Before we get into the method that I favor, let’s look at the various other ways.
Snails In Fish Tank
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There are numerous chemical treatments sold in the marketplace today that such as Snail-Rid and Aquari-Sol that do kill snails in fish tank. But when choosing any chemical treatment, ensure that it does not contain Copper Sulfate which can be fatal to your fish. I’ve always had a thing against pouring chemicals into my aquarium.
Snails In Fish Tank: Salt
You could also try Aquarium Salt or Sodium Chloride. Everyone knows salt kills garden snails and it works the same for snails in fish tank. However, the smaller variation of aquarium snails have a higher tolerance to salt and might not have a reaction to aquarium salt.
Snails In Fish Tank: Natural Methods
My favorite method to get rid of snails is to use Loaches. There are two breeds of Loaches that you could keep; Clown Loaches and Lohachata Loaches.
Clown Loaches are better suited for larger aquariums between 40 to 50 gallons. They tend to grow a little big and survive better in schools of six or more. But Clown Loaches are notorious for troubling tiny fish like Neon Tetra.
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Lohachata Loaches also known as Yoyo Loaches are smaller and can live comfortably in groups of three, so they are suited for smaller aquariums. But Yoyo Loaches can be a little hard to find in smaller fish shops.
These two fishes will go immediately to work devouring all the snails they can find.
Snails In Fish Tank: A Cool Trick
This is one cool trick that I read online somewhere before and put it to the test with surprisingly excellent results.
Get a small jar, the size of a pepper shaker. You could even use a pepper shaker without the cap. Wash it properly with plain water, do not use detergent to wash anything you plan to put into an aquarium. Place a piece of lettuce in the jar and sink it to the bottom of the tank and that’s it. When you come back to it tomorrow, there will be lots of tiny snails inside it. Just remove the jar, get rid of the snails and repeat the process again. In a couple of days, your tank will be snail free.
These are some of the best natural ways to get rid of snails in fish tank.
Clearing Cloudy Water In A Marine Aquarium
This article is a follow up from the previous post entitled “Love Your Pets – Feed Them Best”
When it comes to maintaining a saltwater fish tank, one of the commonest problems that many enthusiasts face is clearing cloudy water. Nothing beats admiring the beautiful, colorful fish swimming in a well decorated marine aquarium but how can you do that if the water is cloudy? What I hope to do in this article is to guide you on what turns your saltwater fish tank cloudy in the first place and tips on clearing cloudy water that you could use instantly.
Clearing Cloudy Water
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When clearing cloudy water, it is first best to understand how the water got cloudy in the first place. There are three main causes of cloudy water; bacterial blooms, algae growth and debris from decorations. Knowing which type of cloudy water you are facing will making clearing cloudy water so much easier.
Why Clearing Cloudy Water Is Important
Bacterial blooms make the water a whitish tint. This is usually the result of over feeding your fish or allowing plants or dead fish to rot in the tank.
Algae growth makes the water a greenish tint. This is usually the result of placing the tank in excessive sunlight and too much nitrates in the tank.
Debris from decorations usually make the tank water a brownish or yellowish tint. This is the result of not properly washing new decoration before putting it into the aquarium.
Tips On Clearing Cloudy Water
Check the population of fish in your aquarium. The ideal population in a saltwater aquarium is one medium size fish for every 8 to 10 gallons of water. Maintaining the ideal level of fish in a tank will allow the fish tank filters to properly function in filtering the tank water.
If your filter causes too much water circulation, turn it off for a while each time you feed the fish to allow them to eat the food completely. And always feed a little at a time. Over feeding will cause the food to rot in the aquarium water, promoting excessive bacterial growth.
Ensure that the fish tank filters that you use is suitable for the size of the tank that you have. Too small and it would not be able to filter the water properly. Too large and it will cause too much water movement and affect the fish.
Clean the filter media weekly or bi-weekly. This ensures that the filter media is not clogged and function to the maximum capability.
Do proper water changes each week. This will control the amount of bacteria and algae in your tank.
If you are affect by algae growth, ensure that you do not have the tank placed in a location that experiences too much sunlight. Remember, algae is a plant and it thrives on sunlight.
Finally, before placing any decoration into your aquarium, wash it thoroughly first. This is especially important for driftwood. These usually shed a brownish or yellowish dust when the are dry which can cause cloudy water.
These are some of the simplest tips that you can use immediately when clearing cloudy water.
